Adulting 101: Teens Can Learn What It Really Looks Like – Davie County Enterprise Record

We’ve all been there.

We want to have better control of our finances.

We wish we knew how to change the oil in our car.

We want us to know how to plan meals for the week and stick to it.

Let’s face it, becoming an adult is tough, and it’s especially tough for young adults.

Many young adults in our community lack knowledge of basic life skills. According to a FINRA Investor Education Foundation study, 60 percent of adults in the United States do not have a strict budget and / or have some type of credit card debt. The online job search engine found that 25 percent of adults did not know what to include on a resume. A 2018 study by Tufts University found that 28% of adults could not cook.

“These are skills that adults need for long-term success,” said Danny Lough, Davie County 4-H Extension Officer. “However, skills such as financial literacy, basic auto maintenance and interview skills are not taught to most of our young people through the school system and are often left at home by parents who may or may not be well informed themselves. ”

To gauge the need for and interest in a life skills series, Davie County 4-H and Cognition Davie created a community survey last spring that reached over 3,000 residents. He found that 88 percent of participants believed young people needed to learn life skills. The survey also highlighted the top six life skills Davie youth need: college applications and financial aid, resume and interview skills, financial literacy, auto mechanics basic, basic home repairs, and kitchen and meal planning.

These six life skills will be at the heart of the “Adulting 101: Life Skills” workshop series. Through this series, young people will learn from experts in the field these skills and how best to apply them.

“It won’t be a two hour lecture on how you should save money or how you should present yourself in an interview. That’s not what 4-H and cognition are, and it’s not how teens learn.

“Each workshop will have a lecture, an interactive activity, and then a discussion,” Lough said. “Young people will learn these skills from someone experienced in the field who uses these skills every day. They will learn how to change a tire from a mechanic. They will create a budget with a banker. They will learn interview skills from real business owners here in Davie County. ”

Adulting 101: Life Skills workshops are free and open to all Davie youth aged 14-18. Each workshop will be presented by one or more experts in the field and will include a presentation, activity and discussion part. All workshops will take place at Cognition’s Makerspace from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., unless otherwise specified.

The schedule:

• September 7: college admissions and student loan applications, Ignite Davie College and Davidson-Davie Community College pledge

• September 14: Interview and Resume Writing Skills, Davie County Chamber of Commerce and Davie County United Way

• Sep 28: Financial Literacy, Banque OZK

• October 14: Basic home repair, INENCO Inc.

• October 26: Basic auto mechanics, Mocksville Tire and Automobile.

• November 9: Cooking and preparation of meals, NC cooperative extension.

Registration is compulsory as places are limited. Registration can be found at: https://bit.ly/DCadulting101.

Send your questions to Lough to d[email protected] or call (336) 753-6100.