DUBLIN, Ga. — Skills 4 Life Day brought together more than 200 special needs students from seven Central Georgia counties. With the help of community businesses and volunteers, the event featured several stations teaching functional and job skills.
Angel Antonio Gomez-Juan and his classmates learned about nutrition, navigating retail stores as a customer or worker and more.
"All I know is I want to build stuff and be someone who helps people," he said.
Skills 4 Life Day shows special needs students that the possibilities for life after school are endless. The organizers say it's all about getting students ready for the future.
There were 11 stations including topics like construction, landscaping, insurance, finances, health and fitness, food service, housekeeping, janitorial, medical and nutrition.
Georgia State School Superintendent Richard Woods said events like this contribute to the state's workforce.
"Our motto at the Department of Education is preparing all students for life,” he said. “This really falls right in that avenue, giving them exposure to life skills that they will need to succeed.”
The idea for Skills 4 Life came from a skills learning day done in Laurens County three years ago. Over time, more counties' special education programs got involved. Laurens County Schools transition teacher Brittney Faircloth said it's important to think about potential paths for special needs students as early as Pre-K.
"What we don't want is for them to graduate to the couch because that is something that happens so frequently, which is why we're really, really pushing this and we really want this statewide,” Faircloth said. “So people can see these kids have abilities, they can do things. We just have to provide the opportunity for them."
Abilities that will lead them to their interests. Bleckley County special education teacher Riley Troili said she agrees that special needs students should be exposed to post-graduation options early.
“I'm just so pleased and blessed that everything has come together like it has,” Troili said. “It's great to see businesses representing as well today. One of the great things about it is that they're able to see that these kids do have abilities, and they are able to do things in our society, in our in our communities.”
Woods said businesses and industries in Georgia are looking for great employees and this event shows there is a job out there for every student.
“As I've talked with business and industry who have really been exposed to special needs students, they make wonderful employees,” he said. “They're very dedicated, they're very detail-oriented in what you want, they're very pleasant with those they interact with so that's something that is very possible for us.”
The seven minutes students spent at each station is preparing them for a lifetime after. Organizers say they hope to hold Skills 4 Life Day again next year and involve more schools.