As part of a recent Life Skills class at Veterans Lake in Great Bend, clients at Juvenile Services (JS) learned some of the finer points of reeling in fish for food and/or pleasure.
Life Skills is a JS program that teaches young people how to manage tasks of daily life and have a little fun at the same time, said Laura Mason, JS community case manager.
“Fishing teaches you how to obtain your own food, while learning about patience and problem-solving,” Mason noted. “Many people also find it relaxing, which can help with stress and mental health.
“In addition, fishing allows youth to engage in a social activity that has a low financial cost and provides the opportunity to be outside.”
Mason heard good feedback “from pretty much everyone. Many had never been fishing but wanted to try it out; they ended up loving it. One girl was so excited about her catch that I thought she was going to drop her fishing pole in the water while she waited for the fish to be removed from her hook.“The fringe benefits were meeting new friends, and enjoying the weather, yard games and food.”
One highlight for Mason was watching two young people clean and cook what they had caught. “One of them had never cleaned or cooked a fish and he did really well.”
Travis Riley, Ellsworth District Fisheries biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, mentioned that he was excited to see the number of young people that attended this year, Mason recalled. “Once the fish started biting and a few had been landed, Travis would chuckle and say ‘now they are getting into it.’”
Twenty-three JS clients, one sibling and one parent participated.
Other classes in Life Skills have included auto maintenance, financial literacy, CPR, defensive driving, water safety and gardening. Upcoming classes will focus on emergency preparedness, building a resume and kindness rocks.
20th Judicial District Juvenile Services empowers youth in Barton, Rice, Ellsworth, Stafford and Russell counties to achieve positive outcomes by offering Juvenile Intake & Assessment, Immediate Intervention, Intensive Supervised Probation, Case Management, Journey to Change, Life Skills, All Stars and Youth Crew. Parents and guardians also are offered The Parent Project. Visit 1800 12th in Great Bend or call 620-793-1930.
