Grow the F#@! Up – 12 Easy(ish) Steps to Becoming a Fully Functional Adult

The Cause

School taught you the Pythagorean Theorem; that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell; and that a strong essay includes introduction, arguments and counter arguments, refutation, and conclusion. But, what about how to change the oil in your car? What about budgeting, signing rental agreements, and paying off debt? Those are the things that really matter, and help ease the transition of living at home to living in the real world. We want to help. We're bringing in community members, professionals, and people that were just like you to help sharpen your skills, answer all the questions of the universe, and help you be more self-reliant and proactive about your future. That's #adulting.

We would like to offer a variety of “courses” that teach teenagers how to be responsible adults. Each month will focus on a different “theme”, and will offer 2 sessions per month. Some of which include, but are not limited to:
Meal prep, planning and grocery shopping; how to pay bills online; understanding insurance; laundry lessons; budgeting; debt and how to stay out of it; resolving conflicts; presenting yourself appropriately on social media; car stuff (oil change, tire pressure, etc); health (hydrate, healthy diet, etc); writing a resume and preparing for a job interview; self care practices; and more.

Individuals are starting to move on later in life, and moving out of their parents home at a later age. Unfortunately, and through no fault of their own, some of these individuals have never been taught the personal and/or professional skills needed to function and thrive as an adult.

For these sessions, we aim to find teachers/leaders that are between 5 and 10 years older than the program participants. Our hope is that by finding teachers/leaders that are just one season ahead of the participants can give teenagers and young adults a sense of hope; that they can see themselves in that position; and can ensure that teachers/leaders and participants can effectively relate to one another.

Who Will it Benefit?

First and foremost, this program will benefit teenagers and young adults who utilize these courses. Currently, Wetaskiwin doesn’t have many programs for youth and/or young adults. The programs that this community does have, are more so “drop in” style format, where teenagers can simply hang out. Upon further research, a variety of “adulting 101” courses are available through numerous online universities - but none offer free programs. We would like to offer this program with no cost to the participants, hoping that this will remove any financial barriers.

Second, this program would have a longer term benefit for businesses in Wetaskiwin (and elsewhere) who could potentially be hiring these individuals in the coming years. This program will help prepare them to be functioning adults, who have a fuller understanding of what it looks like to be an adult - making them more effective and well rounded employees and team members.

Third, this program could have benefits to local protective services and welfare programs. Teenagers who understand the many complicated facets of adult life will, in theory, cause less trouble in their communities - meaning that local police and/or RCMP responding to less juvenile cases. As well, teenagers who have a firm grasp of budgeting and debt won’t need to rely on welfare programs.