Life skills workshops coming to Shelby County Schools

Shelby County students will have a new after-school opportunity this year.

Life Labs, workshops that are geared toward soft skills not typically taught in the classroom, will make its way into some Shelby County schools starting the week after Labor Day.

The workshops are one hour a week and focus on instilling lifelong habits that can later help with cultivating relationships and getting a job, said founder Noelle Ward.

“The whole goal of this was to help people be more successful in their careers and as employees down the road,” she said.

Workshops are after school and will be offered to students at Oak Mountain Elementary, Oak Mountain Intermediate, Oak Mountain Middle and Hilltop Montessori. The program was founded in Vestavia Hills in 2015, and Ward said a goal has always been to expand the program down the U.S. 280 corridor.

“That was something we wanted to do from the beginning,” she said. “Birmingham, I think, is on the cusp of greatness.”

When she started Life Labs, Ward’s goal was building a strong workforce and resident base for Vestavia Hills and surrounding cities. She hopes for the program to continue to grow throughout the state.

“I would love to see the work pool that we’re developing in the children, that when they come up they will be strong leaders and strong employees,” Ward said.

Life Labs are geared toward elementary and middle school students, with each grade approaching soft skills in a different manner, she said. A second-grader’s communication skills will be different from a middle schooler’s skills, Ward said, and the lessons and activities used in Life Labs reflect that. Students also can build on those lessons year to year if they continue with Life Labs.

Although she initially considered gearing Life Labs toward middle- and high-school students, Ward said she realized young children tend to be more open to participating and learning soft skills. “At the younger age, they’re just so much more moldable and willing to hear these things,” she said.

Lessons taught in Life Labs are centered on skills that Ward said are a secret to success. Students are taught about being observant and respectful, which help build over life skills.

“Manners are really a byproduct of what we do because manners are really a product of respect,” she said.

Many students have basic manners down, such as saying “yes, ma’am” or “no, sir,” Ward said, so they expand on the basics.

“We talk about courtesy and respect in regard to manners, [including] first impressions and making eye contact and thanking the host after a birthday party,” she said.

One example Ward said students learn is how to build trust with their parents. Ward will ask if students’ parents will nag them about cleaning their rooms and learn how that connects to trust — if students start cleaning their rooms consistently and without being asked, their parents will trust them to clean their rooms rather than having to nag.

“Those are things that build trust,” she said. “Those aren’t manners. That is more soft skills and social skills for success.”

Students also will learn applicable skills such as how to get invited back to a friend’s home or birthday party. Thanking a friend’s parent, behaving respectfully and writing a thank you note are a few ways to make a good impression, Ward said.

“Who gets to choose who gets to go? The parent makes the ultimate decision, so you need to know how to interact with the parent,” she said.

Life Labs workshops are one hour, one day a week after school. While the workshops are throughout the school year, payments are monthly. That way, parents can work around after-school activities or sports, Ward said.

“That’s intentional because as a parent, I want flexibility,” she said.

One month of Life Labs, or four workshops, is $50. For more information about the courses or to register, go to thelifelabs.org.