Preparing for College: Personal Becoming an active participant in your life and future

Becoming a Responsible Adult As you get older, you will take on more and more responsibility in navigating various aspects of your life, such as: Activities of Daily Living Housework Money Etc. You might need assistance in these areas and that is o.k.! The important thing is that you identify the tasks that you can complete independently and those for which you will need assistance. This will help you determine how best to have your needs met.

Activities of Daily Living You will need to determine how to best complete activities of daily living, with or without assistance. This may include tasks such as: Personal hygiene Bathing Eating Toileting Dressing Transferring (e.g., getting in and out of a wheelchair)

Housework You will need to give some thought to where you will live. Will you live at home with family? In an apartment? In a dorm? Regardless of where you decide to live, it will be important to take care of your living space. Some examples of housework may include: Meal preparation Dishes Laundry Cleaning Yard work

Money Managing your money will be another important skill to develop as you begin making financial decisions for yourself. Money management will likely include tasks such as: Opening and maintaining a checking and savings account Paying bills Deciding if you will apply for a credit card Budgeting how the money is spent to ensure that you have enough money to pay for necessities

Questions to Consider As you explore how best to complete tasks related to activities of daily living, housework, and money, consider three questions: What do I need to know? What do I need to be able to do? What resources are available for assistance?

Becoming The CEO Of Your Life As you get older and take on more responsibilities, you will need to develop skills related to self-advocacy, assertiveness, and problem-solving. For each of these, consider the following questions: What do I need to know to become more skilled in this area? What skills do I already possess in this area? What skills do I need to develop in this area? What resources are available to support me in strengthening my skills in this area?

Characteristics of a Self-Advocate Speaks up for him or herself Knows his or her rights and responsibilities Seeks information about topics of interest Makes decisions about his or her life Identifies and uses appropriate resources Collaborates with others to problem-solve situations

Characteristics of an Assertive Person Uses “I” statements (e.g., I think; I feel; I like/dislike; I agree/disagree) Maintains good eye contact Listens attentively to others Stands up for his or her rights, but is open to compromise Appropriately handles criticism without becoming defensive

Characteristics of a Problem-Solver Identifies the problem Brainstorms solutions independently and with others Selects a solution Evaluates the effectiveness of the solution

Interdependency What is interdependence? Interdependence is the mutual reliance between two or more groups. In relationships, interdependence is the degree to which members are mutually dependent on one another. This concept differs from a dependent relationship, where some members are dependent and others are not. What does interdependence look like in your life? What skills do you need to develop to become more interdependent? What resources are available to you when you need assistance?

Let’s Practice! To practice applying what you have learned in this powerpoint, go to the “Learning Activities” link to complete some fun exercises with the material that you have learned!