I am reserving this post to make a F.A.Q. section. You are free to ask me any questions in pm's, too. Don't be shy, I don't bite!
wink *btw, If I happen to also be inaccurate on any of this stuff, please contact me and show me where I "opps"ed.
F.A.Q.
In other words, Frequently Asked Questions
1. So, How was this project birthed?My first post illustrated two threads that have led to its inception. But for those who were lazy to check them out, essentially, a couplea ladies and myself built upon each others ideas that led from giving teenage mothers access to completing their highschool education, to suggesting the need for a "family life skills" class or a required home economics class that could impart practical information to all highschool students, to seeing the need for a quality, comprehensive education on life skills that is voluntarily collected, and freely given to anyone and everyone.
2. Yeah, sounds nice, but don't other institutions already teach this kinda thing?Unfortunately, not to the level and extent that is satisfactory to most people. Programs that impart "life skills" to those with disabilities have unique goals in mind that would not be well-designed for the general public.
Highschools, at their very best effort, have poor-quality, underfunded programs. Also, some schools think it is only pertinent to teach certain skills to one gender only, such as home economics for females and woodshop for men, which are sexist and detrimental to both genders.
Colleges simply just don't include a "life skills" class as a part of the curriculum- the best that college freshman can hope to have is to be introduced at the college, and maybe to take a crash course on studying skills or career assessments. There might be services a student can look up independantly such as a career center, but contingent on the student knowing that these exist, they still do not cover a lot of things. College life, infact, can seem like it's far-removed from "the real world", where you have bills to pay, and certain needs that you didn't have to worry about while in college.
3. Ok, so if it's not the institution's "main concern" to teach you practical skills, isn't it supposed to be your parent's jobs?Actually, while it would be ideal that one's parents impart them the skills that they've learned, there are many reasons why this isn't so.
Some parents are poor at communication and teaching skills. Some are swamped with time management issues. Some do not conceive that it is important to teach their child important skills to sustain oneself, some just assume that it's instinctural to learn. There are other reasons related to personal difficulties. Some parents may still be blind on how to sustain and manage themselves from falling into debt and poverty, and are actually in the position to learn from their child, rather than fit to teach. Others, may not care for other reasons.
4. So, if we can't blame the parents for not delivering you the important information needed to succeed, are you expected to learn this completely on your own?While it may feel like society places the burden entirely on you, it's not a fair expectation. If we can't be empowered together, we end up blindly making choices that arn't really free or empowering, because we didn't know better.
You've seen middle-aged and older adults who have blindly walked through their young adult years trying to learn important skills to sustain oneself, and now these adults are still in debt, paying for decisions they blindly made 10-20 years ago. It sounds rather stressful to be in that situation. Retirement for them is just around the corner, yet they worry.
It's not fair to expect young adults to blindly stumble into making the "right decisions" concerning their finances, body, and lifestyle choices, only to continue paying the consequences of these choices several decades in the future with credit card debt, with child-rearing, and other responsibilities that they might have chosen differently with the right education. It is needless suffering that doesn't only cost the individual, it costs society too.
Instead of blindly going through life in a state of confusion, why not get the info on practical life skills straight up? We can be champions for a quality of life.
5. Ok, so while I may not know anything in depth of any particular subject, I do know a few things. Would it still be ok to contribute?Of course it is! Some people are "masters" at a few diciplines but know nothing about others. Some people are "jack of all trades but masters of none". Little bits and pieces of information really add up. The idea behind this project is that we all can pool our resources and share knowledge, and that helps everyone.
6. Why are we connected with the pro-choice guild? What about pro-lifers?Those who've helped initiate this project are proud to be pro-choicers. They are firmly proud of the fact that pro-choice values are congruent to pro-education- that is, empowering males and females with an unbiased, comprehensive, and freely assessible education concerning their fertility protection and rights and the ranges of choices they can make- not just one decision that was imposed on them. On a larger scope, using education as a tool of empowerment, as opposed to propaganda used in fear to control and manipulate people's choice-making decisions.
Regardless of personal stances on political issues, above all, the concern should be focused on delivering information that is as comprehensive and unbiased as purely can be- sometimes presenting both sides of an argument if need be. The ultimate goal is that the individual should choose for him or herself their life choices and goals. We do not have a right to choose for the individual.
There may be future concerns about pro-lifers wanting to participate voluntarily to the project- which should be fine as long as the information is related to practical life skills, not propaganda. Should that arise, I would be happy to find of a way to accomodate their voice in a way that is satisfactory to them without hijacking the pro-choice guild or values.
*more questions added later*
