Smoky River Family and Community Support Services will be hosting a program to help youth develop necessary skills to bring into adulthood.
S.T.E.P. Forward will be beginning this month, the acronym meaning skills, training, empowerment, and personal growth.
FCSS community programmer Tianna Todd says the program is meant to help teens develop basic skills in cooking, banking, health, budgeting, insurance, basic home care, and home comfort.
“FCSS chose to create S.T.E.P. Forward so that our community’s youth had a chance to understand adulthood in a small way before experiencing it themselves,” explains Todd.
“S.T.E.P. Forward is essentially an adulting 101 course that helps youth learn valuable life skills often overlooked or dismissed with the advice, ‘they can learn this later’. We chose to educate our youth while still giving them the opportunity for fun along the way.”
The program will kick off on July 10 with the first session on cooking.
“Our first afternoon with the participants will centre on Cooking with Confidence,” says Todd.
“In this course, they will learn kitchen safety, budgeting and basic cooking skills. After that we will have different afternoon themes with loads of adult information to stack in their brains.”
Todd says to watch the FCSS Facebook page because they will advertise the various programming as it becomes scheduled. She adds there’s a little bit for everyone and she hopes teens will want to attend, seeing the benefits of learning these skills before they move out on their own.
S.T.E.P. Forward will be held at various locations around the MD.
“We think this program is best suited for ages 15 to 18, as this is when individuals are close to adulthood and ready to learn more life responsibilities.”
Cost to attend any of the S.T.E.P. Forward programming is just $5. Students are required to register by phoning the FCSS office at (780) 837-2220.
“Knowing life’s basics is a huge help so that when you become a young adult you avoid the added stress of figuring out the little things,” Todd says.
“Often, children don’t have support systems that teach basic tasks like laundry or dishes. We aren’t here to shame, we are here to help you grow and be the strong, capable young adult you are.”
Todd says the program will help reassure youth that life really isn’t scary.
“Programs like this are more than activities; they are opportunities to build confidence, skills, and connection,” concludes Todd.
“When we invest in young people, we’re not just planning events, we’re shaping futures.”
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter