Life Skills

A developmental challenge for all young adults is to match their desire for independence with their skill for living on their own. NorthStar works with young adults to increase their skills to pave the way for the transition into adulthood. We help young adults learn to:

• Budget their money;
  
• Plan meals;
  
• Prepare meals within a budget;
  
• Prioritize tasks;
  
• Ask for help when they need it;
  
• Advocate for themselves;
  
• Resolve conflict in a healthy manner;
  
• Improve personal hygiene and self-care choices;
  
• Clean house and do laundry.

Sober Fun!

Boredom is one of the biggest triggers to relapse into destructive behaviors. Young adults need stimulating activities and the encouragement to explore interests. At NorthStar, we take advantage of the many opportunities our beautiful setting affords to challenge students to get involved. We encourage students to revisit old interests and hobbies such as arts, cooking, reading, music, writing, and drama. We entice them to experience non-traditional activities such as ultimate Frisbee, snowshoeing or fly-fishing. We use our food preparation time to have students explore new recipes, food presentation and new foods, and teach healthy cooking habits through our food handler certification program.

A wide variety of activities are offered through the Activities Committee weekly. Our students really enjoy spending their time mountain and rock climbing, fishing, and mountain biking.

The activities not only give students some down time from their busy schedules but also teach them how to enjoy themselves in a positive and safe environment. Students learn how to have fun again without using drugs or alcohol or engaging in destructive and unhealthy behavior.