Remarkable Completion of 16 Trainings for the Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence Programme in Slovenia

 

In December 2024, Slovenia: UNODC, in partnership with and funded by the Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) and the Slovenian Ministry of Education, successfully completed 16 training sessions for the Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence (LQSFA) programme during November and December 2024.

The LQSFA programme was designed to prepare early adolescents, specifically children from 10 to 14 years of age, for the challenges of adolescence. Its primary goal is to enhance students' resilience against risky behaviors by developing skills for managing stressful situations and recognizing and regulating emotions. The program aims to create an accepting and supportive school environment through the cultivation of assertive communication skills, responsible decision-making, and self-awareness (including one's attitudes, values, and needs), while also boosting self-confidence. Participants in the training are expected to integrate the program's content into their classes through workshops and discussions with students, aided by a manual provided during the training, which was approved by the Institute for eduaction.

The trainings were organized for 274 teachers from 111 schools, achieving national coverage across 12 regions. The educators who participated in the program will implement it in their schools, impacting nearly 6,000 6th, 7th and 8th grade elementary school students.

The LQSFA program was first launched in South-Eastern Europe in 2014 and has gradually expanded to include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia, reaching over 20,000 students in more than 500 elementary schools across the region. As of September 2023, the program's main objective is to attain national coverage throughout the entire region.