Authors: Dr. Anuradha Hanumant Deshpande
Abstract: There are 1.3 billion adolescents in the world today, more than ever before, making up 16 per cent of the world’s population. India has the largest adolescent population in the world, 253 million, and every fifth person is between 10 to 19 years. India stands to benefit socially, politically and economically if this large number of adolescents are safe, healthy, educated and equipped with information and life skills to support the country’s continued development (UNICEF Website: https://www.unicef.org/india/what-we-do/adolescent-development-participation). As per UNICEF, both adolescent girls and boys lack access to information on issues affecting their lives and have limited spaces to develop competencies crucial for active participation (UNICEF Website: https://www.unicef.org/india/what-we-do/adolescent-development-participation). A review of earlier studies on life skills awareness in India highlighted about four out of every 10 youth having heard of the term ‘life skills’ or ‘21st century skills’, Moreover low parental awareness; confusion in understanding “life skills” amongst young people and unclear understanding among school teachers about life skills even though may be familiar with the term highlights a gap that needs to be addressed. Life skills refer to the abilities that help promote mental wellbeing and competence in young people as they face the realities of life. Thus, the present paper focuses on awareness and relevancy of life skills for mental health and wellbeing among young people.
