Why life skills?
Life challenges, pain and conflict ARE normal.
Abuse, addiction, and dysfunction are NOT.
Learning the difference can SAVE lives.
Abuse, addiction, and dysfunction are NOT.
Learning the difference can SAVE lives.
Do you know how valuable you are?
Not in terms of what you do for others or how you perform at work.
Not because of the sacrifices you make or the hurdles you’ve overcome.
Simply the inherent, intrinsic, God-given value you have as a human being?
Do you feel it?
Not in terms of what you do for others or how you perform at work.
Not because of the sacrifices you make or the hurdles you’ve overcome.
Simply the inherent, intrinsic, God-given value you have as a human being?
Do you feel it?
Because that knowledge is one of the founding principles that should have been instilled and affirmed by the most important people in our lives, starting at birth. It is the core of how we begin to develop as a person. It is how we learn to treat others and allow ourselves to be treated. It shapes us throughout our childhood and adulthood. It is the “why" behind every decision and relationship we have.
And because humans are beautifully but inherently flawed, that sense of inherent value is often the first aspect of ourselves that is wounded. Whether by loss, rejection, physical abuse, emotional abuse, mental abuse, lack of verbal communication, withholding of physical affection, or any of the multitudes of ways there are to abuse someone, intentionally or otherwise—it happens.
From that initial trauma/wound grows a distorted sense of self-worth, an inner voice that whispers doubt and expands on the pain of our past to such a degree that it becomes our “normal." As we grow up, it creates cracks in every window through which we view our lives. Those cracks become so much a part of our perception, we no longer recognize them as flaws, but as distorted dysfunctional truths. Mistaking someone's jealousy and control for love, allowing the approval of others to dictate our happiness, sacrificing for others until we have nothing left, giving ourselves over to addictions to fill the void, letting our emotions control our decisions—you are not alone in these struggles, but you are also not stuck with them.
However it manifests—anger, depression, anxiety, addiction, self-loathing, hopelessness—and however long you’ve lived in that place, be it 5 minutes or 5 decades, it is never too late to rediscover your worth. I promise, it’s still in there. It’s never too late to redefine your sense of self and rebuild your life on a solid foundation. No one can promise a life free of conflict and pain, because those things are normal for everyone, but they don’t have to define your reality.
Bay Area Life Skills can arm you with the knowledge and tools needed to not only persevere through these challenges but to use these inevitable experiences to continue to learn and grow. With this toolkit inside you, you’re free to experience more positively connected relationships and to truly appreciate the joy in life.
Without dark clouds in our lives, we would never know the joy of sunshine.
We can become callous and unteachable if we do not learn from pain.
—Rev. Billy Graham
We can become callous and unteachable if we do not learn from pain.
—Rev. Billy Graham
The most rewarding and fantastic aspect of the Bay Area Life Skills courses is that they teach you how to make sense of the past, to grieve what happened or didn’t happen. Life Skills creates a safe and structured place for you to unburden yourself of the trauma and the unwarranted shame that comes with it. This holistic program helps you to not only address the symptoms of trauma but guides you as you begin to process the root causes and work towards fundamental changes within yourself. This doesn’t mean you become a different person, of course, but only that you learn to release the things that hold you back from being the very best version of yourself.
The intentionally small/medium-size classes are confidential and structured to allow everyone to share life experiences, learn to address conflict, and share perspectives, all while being guided through the powerful "Learning to Live, Learning to Love" curriculum.
Because the purpose of Bay Area Life Skills is to help people, the class fees are based on a sliding scale. And for those who need additional assistance, scholarships are available based on the generosity and support of our partners.
- If you’re hurting, we’re here to help. Reach out to learn about our upcoming classes.
- If you’re a church, we’d love to partner with you.
- If you’re ready to support this life-changing, and often literally life-saving, work, you are needed today. Our monthly donors make it possible to open this resource to everyone in need.