Art in Enhancing Life Skills and Preventing Addictive Behaviοr. Introducing an innovative school-based program

Life Skills are a resource from which it is possible to develop psychosocial, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and resilience skills with which individuals can negotiate the difficulties they face and be productive members of society. Training in emotional, cognitive, and social skills helps pupils transition from childhood to adulthood in a balanced way. Life Skills training programs within the school can help pupils who live in disadvantaged environments and have reduced opportunities to develop such skills. Social competitiveness and problem-solving are key elements that characterize a mentally resilient child as well as their ability to manage their emotions and interpersonal relationships. The aim of this paper is to present the effectiveness of an innovative psychosocial support program for pupils in learning Life Skills, aiming at the prevention of the occurrence of addictive behaviors. The innovation of the program is the use of art as a tool to strengthen personal and social skills. The results of the research are positive, as it seems that pupils involved managed to enhance the degree of their social skills after the implementation of the program.