The Role of the Youth Center in the Development of Social and Emotional Skills: Practical Cases

The youth center in a general education institution play an important role in the development of students’ socio-emotional skills. Socio-emotional learning (SEL) are considered to be an asset necessary for academic and personal success. They include a variety of characteristics, such as communication, empathy, self-regulation, conflict resolution, and many others, which are defined as «21st century skills». A youth center in a school acts as a platform for developing these skills by providing students with opportunities to interact, collaborate, and develop as individuals. The creation of a youth center is based on student participation in the process of its formation, which contributes to the implementation of the key levels of understanding of SEL: knowledge acquisition, critical thinking and embodied understanding. Studies show that the vast majority of students support the initiative to create a youth center, which indicates the need for a safe place for self-realization and socialization. The Youth Center offers a variety of areas for student development, including a coworking space, a lounge area, and a media area. Each of these areas creates a favorable environment for free expression and development of students’ abilities. The youth center creates a safe environment for socialization and development of these skills. The youth center involves the active participation of students in the creation of the center, which contributes to their personal development. The main areas of influence of the youth center that contribute to the comprehensive development of students are: education, leisure, volunteering, social adaptation,cultural life, sports and health, psychological safety, civic position and career development. A great advantage of opening youth centers in educational institutions is the openness of their space, namely, regardless of social status, any student can attend such a center; students themselves choose what will be held in the youth center; all conditions of the center provide for barrier-free access and provide comfortable conditions for everyone. The creation of a youth center will promote social interaction, self-expression, emotional literacy and conflict resolution, which are important components of personal development and adaptation in the modern world.