CIVICS FORM THREE

TOPIC ONE
1. PROMOTION OF LIFE SKILLS
Meaning of life skills

Life skills are the means through which a person can live well in a society or the ways an individual can manage properly his/her life and that of other people. Promotion of life skills is of great importance in modern society because of the prevailing socio – economic, political and cultural changes that have been accelerated by the scientific and technological advancement.

The undergoing changes require good leadership, teamwork, positive relationships, self worth and self confidence from among the members of society or community so as to supervise in this competitive world.

Good leadership

Good leadership refers to proper leadership which adheres to important characteristics of a good leader.

Characteristics of a good leader

v  A good leader should be able to identify the community goals or specific targets. Then should be able to impart these goals to his people and commit them to work hard and intelligently to achieve the desired community goals.

v  A good leader should not simply issue orders for people to follow, but he/she should be able to instill good characteristics to them which will make it possible to achieve the stated goals.

v  A good leader should have confidence, determination and perseverance. There will be many complex issues that must be addressed by the leader; therefore the leader should be bold enough to encounter such situations.

v  A good leader should be able to create an ideal situation that will encourage his/her people to perform. The leader should be readily available for his/her people and they should be free to approach him/her for any consultations.

v  A good leader should be able to identify good opportunities that can be utilized to achieve the stated community goals.

v  A good leader should have a vision which they work towards. Good leader know where they heading and they leading their people towards same vision. They do not look at what things are, but even what things could be.

v  Good leader is charismatic, attractive to the people through their good personalities.

v  Good leader must be ready to pursue their dreams until they become true.

Leadership style

Leadership style have been classified on the basis of how people use their authority, there are four leadership style, namely dictatorial, autocratic, democratic and leissez- faire leadership.

a)      Dictatorial leadership this is a type of leadership governed by dictator that is dominated by fear, threats, disgrace, and frequent dismissal of the workers.

b)      Autocratic leadership is a type of leadership which is characterized by central authority. All the powers are controlled by one individual.

c)      Democratic leadership or participative leadership. This is a type where the leader consulting the subordinates on proposed actions and decisions and encourages their participation.

d)      Laissez – faire leadership. This is a type of leadership where the leader is really not in control.  The leader is only consulted if information is required, and he/she can make only a small contribution. This type of leadership gives chance for the subordinates to decide their own.

Importance of good leadership

v  Earns trust from the people by involving them in decision making. Hence they can work together with their leaders to achieve their goals.

v  Increases efficiency and effectiveness in community, as people are satisfied with their leader’s work performance.

v  Enhances public relations in community. The positive image of a leader enhances public relations that may lead to the achievement of community goals.

v  Enhances people’s confidence, especially when leaders are transparent and accountable to their decisions.

v  Reduces conflicts in the community. With good leadership neither the people nor the leaders shall be involved in conflicts.

Teamwork

A team work comprises any group of people with a common purpose. A group in itself does not constitute a team. However there are many components that make up a team like managers and agents. Teamwork is a joint action done by a group of people with common goals.

The notion of teamwork does not mean that the individual is no longer important. It means that effective and efficient teamwork goes beyond individual accomplishments.

To effectively achieve the goals of an organization, all people should combine their efforts.

Aspects of teamwork

v  A good and strong leadership. A leader should be strong and confident as well as competent in his/her particular area of expertise

v  Goal- setting. Teamwork cannot work well and reach its goals if it does not have well- defined goals to achieve. It is also very important for team members to understand their roles and responsibilities.

v  Communication. The lines of communication should be open at all times and to all team members.

v  Unified commitment. It means that all team individuals must direct their efforts towards the goal.

v  Results – driven structure. The team should be allowed to operate in a manner that produces results.

v  High standards that are understood by all. Team members must know what is expected of them individually and collectively.

v  Competent team members. In education setting this can be taken to mean that the problem given to the team should be one that the members can tackle given their level of knowledge and skills.

v  Collaborative climate. It is the climate of trust produced by honest, open, consistent and respectful behavior.

Importance of teamwork

v  It makes easy to accomplish tasks under any given environment.

v  It enables people in group to perform work more efficiently than single-handled job.

v  It stimulates cooperation and positive relations between people in a given society.

v  It enables individual to gain more knowledge and skills from other people in groups.

v  It develops positive attitudes on the importance of work and cultivates the awareness of accountability and responsibility to an individual.

Positive relationships

Positive relationships can be defined as a state of having meaningful, loving, supportive and cooperative relationships between two or more people or groups.

Principles for developing positive relationships

v  Time and patience. Building positive relationships is like building a house; it takes a lot of time and patience to accomplish.

v  Applying the principle of brotherhood and allowing others to become more responsible.

v  Allowing people to make choices.

v  Every human behavior has a social purpose. It should be noted that some people misbehave because they are searching for self –attention and some look for revenge.

v  Changing your negative behavior can most effectively influence the negative behavior of others.

v  Someone’s positive relationship are influenced by his or her positive actions, thus people must appreciate other people’s positive behavior.

v  Avoid retaliations if offended; instead, express goodwill. Retaliation stimulates further violence.

v  Avoid finding faults in others; focus on their strengths and not their weaknesses.

v  Show strong confidence in your team member; this will develop their confidence.

v  If the member luck self confidence, focus on their past legitimate successes.

v  If is difficult to speak to a busy person, communicate with this person through your loving actions.

v  Withdraw from condition that can easily lead to power struggles.

Importance of positive relationships

v  It enhances cooperation among people in a given community, through trustworthiness that may develop due to good relationship.

v  It creates peaceful environment among people in a given community so as to reduce crime.

v  Will create united community of people who share resources and ideas for the benefit of all members in a society.

v  It build togetherness in fighting against common enemies in community such as poverty, ignorance and diseases

Self – worth

Self worth refers to a feeling of confidence in yourself that you are a good and useful person. Confidence is a belief in your own ability and capability of doing things and be successful.

Aspects of self- worth

v  Love and taking good care of yourself.

v  Spend time and money on activities wisely.

Importance of self –worth

v  A vital belief for empowering oneself.

v  Necessary in order to attain love, peace, joy, power and a sound mind.

v  Eliminate the possibility of committing suicide.

v  Eliminate doubts and fears about our very existence

Self- confidence

Self- confidence is a belief in your own ability and capability of doing things and be successful.

Aspects of building self-confidence

The aspects of building self confidence are such as dressing well, practicing good posture, walking fast or quickly and listening to motivational speech.

Importance of self- confidence

v  Essential to success in many aspects of the individual’s life.

v  Involves doing what you believe to be right decisions.

v  Allows an individual to gain experience from both happiness and sadness.

v  Promotes individuals’ personality in terms of dressing and communication.