Life Skills Training
Confidently learn and gain knowledge of general life skills to promote healthy and positive personal development. Learn to effectively handle challenges, build self-esteem and self-reliance.
BUILD CONFIDENCE
Customizable Programs
Designed to allow for maximum flexibility to work with our client’s specific and unique timelines, audiences and budgets, our programs and workshops can be combined together based on client goals and preferences. Our materials and methods are user friendly and speak in easy to understand terms that are cognizant of diverse learning capabilities, styles and skill levels.
One Day Life Skills Workshops
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Our flagship workshop, Leading From Within is for participants to develop skills in emotional intelligence, confidence, and personal leadership. We deliver simple tools and strategies to help increase confidence, help discover personal values and personality types. We discover what motivates participants, what their core values are and how to turn negative thoughts around. Participants reflect on how to create a morning routine and incorporate mindfulness techniques to ground and empower themselves in their everyday life. This workshop is a great starting place and forms the foundation for our additional workshops.
Recommended pairing: Visioning and Goal Setting
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The Visioning & Goal Setting workshop provides participants with tools and activities to help create a vision for their future, with goals and a timeline to support making it happen. We help identify their personality types, discuss participants’ life objectives and how to stay on track by breaking down goals into smaller steps using the S.M.A.R.T technique. Participants learn about the importance of habits and mindfulness and will leave the workshop with a three-year plan on how to execute goals and a step-by-step guide created to get them there.
Recommended Pairing: Leading from Within
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The Resume Review and Interview Skills workshop will teach about different kinds of resumes and explore the tools participants can use to represent themselves advantageously during their future job searches and interviews. Participants will learn how to build a resume and fill each section with relevant and important information. We will also discuss how to create cover letters that stand out and more importantly, give you a better chance of landing the interview you want. We will discuss how to apply to jobs, how to prepare for an interview and interview etiquette.
Recommended Pairing: Dressed for Success and Math Skills for Life
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The Dressed for Success workshop aims to help participants gain an understanding of basic human needs, confidence, personal presentation and personal hygiene. We cover basic hygiene and organizational skills and how they relate to preparing for an interview, covering topics such as: what to bring, what to wear and how to present yourself so you can present the most confident you. We will also discuss interview etiquette, and perform mock interviews to help participants prepare and shake off any nerves.
Recommended Pairing: Resume Review and Interview Skills + Communication, Professionalism and Time Management
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The Basic Nutrition & Meal Planning workshop will teach participants about the basic nutritional requirements to aid in maintaining a healthy body and mind. Working with Canada’s Food Guide and Registered Holistic Nutritionist Melanie Ackerly, we discuss what makes up a healthy diet. We also discuss various dietary needs such as personal food choices like vegan and vegetarian diets, and more specific dietary requirements regarding more serious diseases such as celiac disease and diabetes. Participants will also create a personalized weekly meal plan emphasizing choices for healthy living.
Recommended Pairing: Math Skills for Life + Leading from Within
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Created by SFU Math Doctoral Candidate, Kailyn Pritchard, this workshop breaks down everyday math and helps participants with basic math skills including computation of whole numbers and decimals as well as understanding percentages. The goal is to aid students to better understand basic math they can use to create a personal budget, explore various expenses and how to balance them in relation to their income.
Participants learn about income tax, interest rates and how to calculate their income on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis. We help participants set and breakdown their personal budget, including debt management, and how to save for their short and long term financial goals.
Recommended Pairing: Nutrition and Special Diets + Leading from Within
Long Form Life Skills Programs
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The Care for Oneself program is a two to four-week fitness and life skills program that helps boost confidence, health and overall well-being so that participants can lead healthier lifestyles which better prepare them for employment opportunities. The program includes a daily combination of 1 hour of active movement and beginner physical fitness, as well as 4.5 hours of in classroom life skills learning.
The fitness component of the program focuses on building confidence and strength, helping participants develop a positive and healthy body image. The life skills portion of the program supports the development of the soft skills required to improve wellness, confidence and mental health in day to day life, as well as within employment opportunities.

A team with experience
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Amy Reid
Program Coordinator
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Aislinn Mackay
Facilitator
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Jessika Houston
Facilitator
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Sarah Hart
Facilitator
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Karin Burns
Facilitator
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amy reid
Program Coordinator
Amy is a vibrant and engaging public speaker and facilitator with an extensive work history in both social work and business management. Her passion lies, specifically in program management and development. Over the years Amy has had the pleasure of teaching and facilitating a wide variety of programs including Wellness, Positive Parenting, Effective Communication, Time Management, Goal Setting, Leadership, Managing Hostile Interactions, Mental Health First Aid, Employment Readiness, Navigating Challenging Behaviours and many more.
Amy comes with 20 years of management experience in both the private and public sector. She was the Senior Manager of Squamish Helping Hands Society an Outreach Worker and Program Facilitator in the DTES and before that, the General Resort Manager of a hotel, restaurant and dive centre located in Lombok, Indonesia where she worked with local conservationists to develop a one of a kind diving and coral regrowth training program that has resulted in the largest coral regrowth project of it's kind in the world.
Grateful to live in on the traditional and unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw in Squamish, Amy is an active local volunteer deeply invested in the people she serves and her community. Her background in Management and Human Resources have taught her to be a trusted leader and resourceful problem solver with strong communication skills and quick sense of humour.
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aislinn mackay
Facilitator
Aislinn is an educational facilitator and developer with an interest in math and engineering. She has worked as a study session facilitator, designing and implementing engaging workshops and supplemental learning support to students with diverse learning needs. She approaches design and facilitation using applied principles of universal instructional design, continual improvement and scaffolding to enable a successful learning environment. She has developed content for STEM programs at the elementary school level, as well as working with Indigenous outreach organizations aimed at increasing Indigenous youth participation in STEM fields. Aislinn holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Carleton University.
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jessika houston
Facilitator
Over the past 20 years, Jessika has worked in various management capacities in both the Corporate and Non-Profit Sectors. She has founded two of her own businesses, as well as co-creating several federally funded, community-based life skills programs. In 2016, Jessika earned her Life Coaching Certification from Integrative Wellness Academy.
Currently, Jessika is the Founder and Lead Life Coach of Glitter N’ Grace Life Coaching, is the Program Manager for Surrey SHARES - a storytelling and coaching program for Seniors, is a contracted Facilitator for Bungalow968 Employment and Life Skills training programs and is a member of the Community Mental Health Committee as an Advocate and Presenter and recently became a Published Author.
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sarah hart
Facilitator
Sarah has worn many hats in her career so far. Initially, specializing in Human Resources Management through her Bachelor of Business Administration, she transitioned into project management in the private sector. During this time, she had the incredible fortune of being mentored by Mountain Equipment Co-op’s legendary Chief Information Officer, Georgette Parsons. In parallel, Sarah’s athletic career began to flourish, and she began her role as a professional sponsored climber in 2012, spending several years dedicating herself to climbing and travelling to remote mountain ranges throughout the world. In 2015, a significant life event changed her course and she began a second degree in social work, feeling a strong pull to re-establish a career that focused on one of human life’s most essential elements, relationships. Since this time, she has worked for both public institutions and not-for-profit organizations developing her practice with youth-at-risk, Indigenous communities, female survivors of violence and others experiencing significant barriers to living a life of choice.
Today, Sarah brings these diverse skills to her facilitation and curriculum development platform. A deep understanding of human relationship development and social justice principles contributes to her facilitation style and how she connects to her audience, while a strong business acumen enables her to align with her client’s goals and objectives for each facilitation and curriculum development project. Though she is adept at working with professional audiences, Sarah specializes in working from a trauma-informed lens with complex multi-barriered audiences and creatively meeting each person “where they’re at” on any given day.
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karin burns
Facilitator
Karin is a skilled teacher, facilitator and a life-long advocate of outdoor and experiential education. Over the past 20 years she has taught a wide range of participants from diverse cultural backgrounds, neurodivergent learning styles and ranging in age from young to old! She has co-developed education curriculum with First Nations groups, championed STEM education for girls and women, taught and developed curriculum for Waldorf Schools and worked as an outdoor educator in Ontario and BC.
As a Squamish resident, Karin greatly values our growing and vibrant community, as well as acknowledges the ancestral lands we work and play upon.
From Karins notes:
Over the past 20 years I have worked primarily as a teacher in the independent school system, and also as an outdoor educator, instructor and coach.
As a teacher, I have a passion for inspiring, engaging and guiding learning. I set a tone of respect and good natured connections and lead with empathy and curiosity. I have taught a wide range of participants from diverse cultural backgrounds, neurodivergent learning styles and ranging in age from young to old! My experience working with First Nations groups includes co-developing a summer science camp with the Cree Nation in Moose Factory, Ontario, leading wilderness adventures with school groups from Alert Bay, BC, as well as my own course work in Indigenous Studies and DEI. I also have a keen interest in program/curriculum development, assessment and monitoring. I very much enjoy dreaming, designing, delivering and revising programs to suit the interests and needs of participants. I am thoughtful, detailed and task-oriented. I very much enjoy collaborating and working as a team member. I also excel at motivating and leading by example. In terms of communication skills, I am well versed with a variety of technology and possess excellent computer skills. I am keen to take initiative and create opportunities for enrichment and growth. I am organized, efficient and level-heading in busy and energized environments, and I also value beauty, thoughtfulness and clear communication.
Karin holds a Bachelors of Education, Bachelors of Science and Bachelors of Physical and Health Education from Queen’s University Canada.


More Programs
Bungalow 968 offers a range of long form and short form programs and workshops designed to empower Indigenous Communities across Canada.