As students prepare for the next steps of their life, they need to get ready for the job market and their own future. The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology’s Mental Health and Wellness program is working with ABC Life Literacy to offer a pair of programs to help those students in the next part of their life.
Theresa Desnomie-Fiddler has been administering the Money Matters program and the new UP Skills for Work program to her students. Money Matters, which was developed with TD Bank, helps students with money through four workbooks that explain spending plans, banking basics, borrowing money and RESPs and other ways to save money. UP Skills for Work covers the topics of motivation, attitude, accountability, presentation, teamwork, time management, adaptability, stress management, and confidence.
“I think these are key things to teach... One of the things in Mental Health and Wellness is they work on self, being able to council people and listen to people,” Desnomie-Fiddler said.
This is the third year that Desnomie-Fiddler has been working with the Money Matters program, and the first year she has been using UP Skills for Work. She says that one of the things that she likes about the programs are how they adapt to aboriginal students and help prepare them for the next steps in their lives and career.
“I think this really, really key to a lot of the aboriginal people who are students,” said Desnomie-Fiddler.
“As a teacher, I want to not only look at materials, but look at how to make things more interactive.”
While Desnomie-Fiddler started the program for her own students, she believes that it’s something that can benefit a wide range of young people, especially as they begin to move into the adult world. She’s planning on teaching the courses to kids from the Transitional Homes for Youth, for example, because she feels those students would really benefit from having the information and having extra preparation for their next steps in life.
