Global Evaluation of Life Skills Education Programmes: 2012

Life skills education is an important vehicle to equip young people to negotiate and mediate challenges and risks in their lives, and to enable productive participation in society. These critical skills enable children and young people to translate knowledge, attitudes and values into action. UNICEF promotes the development of a wide range of skills that help children and young people cope effectively with the challenges of everyday life, enabling them to become socially and psychologically competent. Life skills can include cooperation, negotiation, communication, decision-making, problem-solving, coping with emotions, self-awareness, empathy, critical and creative thinking, dealing with peer pressure, awareness of risk, assertiveness, and preparation for the world of work (Baldo and Furniss, 1998). Life skills education is an important vehicle to equip young people to negotiate and mediate challenges and risks in their lives, and to enable productive participation in society. UNICEF is an advocate for life skills education (LSE), and has been a source of support for life skills education programmes in many countries. This global evaluation was commissioned by the UNICEF Evaluation Office to assess the relevance, coverage, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of LSE initiatives, and to consider UNICEF’s role in support of the programmes.