Life Skills Program

Overview

Fairbridge College recognises that success in life depends not only on academic learning, but also on the ability to manage emotions, build relationships, solve problems, and navigate the world with confidence. Our Life Skills Program is a core component of our curriculum, embedded into daily learning and social experiences across all year levels. 

The program integrates trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate practices to equip students with the tools they need for emotional regulation, self-awareness, resilience, and respectful interaction with others. Life Skills learning is explicitly taught and naturally reinforced through real-life scenarios in the classroom, community, and workplace. 

Life Skills Program at a Glance

The Life Skills Program at Fairbridge College includes: 

  • Berry Street Education Model (BSEM): Trauma-informed strategies that support body regulation, relationship repair, stamina building, and positive culture. 
  • Personal Development: Explicit teaching of identity, self-concept, values, strengths, and rights. 
  • Health & Wellbeing Curriculum: Lessons on nutrition, mental health, sexual health, safety, and physical development. 
  • Cultural Identity & Inclusion: Opportunities for Aboriginal cultural learning, intergenerational connection, and respect for diverse backgrounds.
  • Social Skills & Relationships: Developing communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution skills.
  • Resilience & Emotional Literacy: Tools and strategies to name, manage, and express emotions safely and productively. 

In a CARE (Curriculum and Reengagement in Education) school like Fairbridge, students often arrive with a history of disrupted learning and high levels of stress or trauma. The Life Skills Program is essential because: 

  • It Creates Safety First: Predictable routines, co-regulation strategies, and relationship-building reduce anxiety and promote trust. 
  • It Supports Emotional Healing: Students learn to understand their emotional responses and develop healthier patterns of self-regulation. 
  • It Builds Everyday Functioning: Skills like decision-making, communication, and time management are foundational for independence. 
  • It Develops Identity and Voice: Students explore who they are and what they stand for—critical for self-worth and agency. 
  • It Reinforces Behavioural Growth: Many escalations or disengagements stem from skill gaps, not defiance—Life Skills close that gap. 

Students who engage in the Life Skills Program show: 

  • Improved Self-Regulation: Increased ability to stay calm, focused, and recover from stress. 
  • Better Peer Relationships: Empathy, communication, and reduced conflict with others. 
  • Increased Engagement: Greater ability to remain present and involved in learning activities. 
  • Positive Behavioural Changes: Fewer behavioural incidents and more proactive participation. 
  • Personal Growth: Stronger sense of identity, purpose, and optimism about the future. 

Aiming to improve employment pathways for young people in the local area.​

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Fairbridge College

School Code: 30338

Fairbridge Education

RTO Code: 50612

Fairbridge College is proudly operated by Fairbridge WA Limited, a youth-focused organisation supporting education, training and community development across Western Australia.

Fairbridge WA Limited acknowledges and respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the traditional owners of this land. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

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