Spotlight: Safety for Life
Safety for Life is the newest in a growing series of Life Skills courses offered through Buddy Up for Life. In this course, Students learn basic first aid and gain the confidence and independence necessary to self-treat minor ailments.
The course, developed and co-taught by a Registered Nurse and a licensed Special Education teacher, breaks treatments down into manageable steps with clear language and visual supports.
Safety for Life, along with other Life Skills courses, is designed for Students aged 14 and older. The course aims to build independence and support Students during the important transition from school to post-secondary age, while also promoting lifelong learning in adults.
Positive Impact
Mack, who completed Safety for Life this past summer, had a positive experience with the course.
“It was so great for us as parents to see him learn those necessary life skills,” said Lisa, Mack’s mother. “Now he handles some things on his own. He got a cut on his finger recently, and he went right over to his first aid kit and took care of it. He didn’t need Mom or Dad.”
Each week in Safety for Life, instructors assign Lifework to students so they can practice what they learned in class. They submit videos of themselves practicing treatments to the Instructors, who feature the videos in the following week’s class as a “highlight reel.”
“The Lifework videos were so fun for Mack,” said Lisa. “He’s very talkative. He loves talking through things and acting things out.”
Danielle Levesque, Education Director and Safety for Life co-Instructor, also reported a highly positive experience.
“I was so impressed with the progress that the Students made this summer,” Danielle said. “While the improvement in skills was impressive on its own, what really stood out to me was the growth in their confidence and independence. Those attributes are so important for the transition to independence, no matter the Students’ level.”
Overall, the staff’s success with the program has inspired them to expand its reach. Looking ahead, they hope to be able to share Safety for Life with a broader audience.
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