Life Skills for Young Adults –Thinking Outside the Box
December 6, 2004
By Cathy Johnson and Jennifer Outlaw
Marion Superior Court Probation Department

Every casework officer knows the hardest population that we work with is our youthful offenders. They are oftentimes unemployed, under educated and of course now have criminal records. As a casework officer sometimes you must think “outside the box” to get these clients to succeed. This is where the program Life Skills for Young Adults can be a very useful tool.

The program was designed for clients under age 20 who are both unemployed and have not graduated from high school. It is a 12 week program where skills are taught to better prepare the client for the work force. In addition, basic skills are taught to prepare the client to pass the GED test. We also try and get the student to believe that they can succeed. We talk about the possibility of furthering their education and have representatives from IUPUI, Ivy Tech and Apprenticeship Programs come and speak to them about admission policies. The hope is to get them excited about education and the workforce and teaching them how to succeed.