Most of us are familiar with the expression “back when I was a kid…!” With advancements in technology and industry, it is only natural that previous generations believe they had it tougher than their kids. However, it seems that these new generations of children don’t just have it easier than their parents in many ways; they are missing certain skills entirely. This ease of technology has allowed many of today’s youth to avoid the life skills needed to become positive functioning members of society. This is why mentoring programs have become so crucial for adolescent development.
Here at Clearview Girls Academy, we feel that young women in the 21st Century are fast becoming the “1-800-Call-Somebody-Else” generation. Yes, smartphones and social media have made it possible for any task to be performed by anybody else at the touch of a button. While this is convenient, it is having a detrimental effect on our daughter’s long-term well-being.
Avoiding important life skills not only creates ill-equipped members of society but also interfered with a person’s ability to grow and feel accomplished. That is why we offer the life mentoring program here at Clearview Girls Academy. It is critical that our daughters learn to care for themselves now. This will allow them to care for others as they become the leaders of the next generation.
What Skills Does the Life Mentoring Program Work On?
There is nothing fancy about our life mentoring program here at Clearview Girls Academy. The goal here is to get back to basics. When we say that, we often find that our students don’t even possess the “basics” to get back to. This is why start simple and work our way up.
Here are some of the life skills that our mentoring program will address with your daughter:
- Cooking. We’re not talking about microwaving a burrito here – we mean preparing a full meal.
- House cleaning and doing basic chores. For example, learning to do the laundry. We remind our students that a job interview will not go well with a stain on their blouse.
- Money Management. This includes learning how to avoid credit card debt.
- Time management. We feel that punctuality is a principle that has diminished in recent years. However, it is one that can make your daughter stand out among her peers.
- Personal grooming, diet, and physical fitness. This helps not just with their physical body, but also greatly supports their mental and emotional state.
- Learning animal care. We have a unique way of offering this to students (which we will discuss later).
How Does Life Mentoring Help My Daughter Psychologically?
Some of you may be asking how this life mentoring program will help your daughter address the specific problems that brought her into our care. This is a great question. Just learning these life skills on a surface level will benefit your daughter. However, our focus is also on what accomplishing these skills can do for her self-confidence and self-awareness.
Many of our students come to us feeling lost, lonely, and like they have no one to turn to for support. This is a big part of where life mentoring can help. Our mentoring program doesn’t just teach our students skills but also builds communication skills so girls can better express their needs. This communication and expression-building are vital for their ability to grow and participate in the various forms of therapy we offer.
One of those therapies we offer is equine therapy. (This is the “animal care” we referred to above.) Being graced with the beautiful backdrop of a Montana landscape allows us the space and environment we need to responsibly stable horses. With our specialized equine therapist, our students quickly learn the needs of another dependent being. This reminds them that there are needs that must be fulfilled that are not their own. On top of the basic life skills, we also believe that an equine connection also helps girls build a trusting and healing relationship with something outside of themselves.
How Can Life Mentoring Help My Daughter in the Long Term?
We do not take our life mentoring program lightly. We do not simply offer our students these skills and then hope and pray that they retain them. We take time to cultivate these skills over time. We make it a point to ensure that our students are comfortable and confident in knowing that these skills will get them ahead in the future.
Yes, we are certain that technology will continue to advance. Who knows? Someday people may just put on gloves and a helmet and never have to leave the comfort of their house again. However, that is no way to live on this beautiful abundant planet that we have been graced with. We know that. Thankfully, our students (your daughters) will come to understand this as well. There’s no substitute for real-life experience, and we offer that in spades here at our facility.
At Clearview Girls Academy, recovery is about more than therapy or treatments. It is about our students attaining the skills they will need after they leave our doors. One of the ways we impart these skills is through our life mentoring program. These skills go beyond the behavioral and emotional tools that our students gain here at the center. These skills focus on the real-world applications that many young women today lack. These skills may include chores, organizational tools, money management, and future planning. These are all skills we feel will help our students become the self-confident, reliable young women they were meant to be. For more information, contact Clearview Girls Academy at (888) 796-5484.
