Growing Confidence and Compassion: Life Skills Training for Teenagers in Mongolia

What are life skills, and why are they essential for the teenage years today?

In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, a group of teenagers recently took part in a unique life skills training for teenagers. Organised by two, very enthusiastic 16G facilitators based locally: Munkhnassan and Tsolzomaa, the life skills training introduced them to the 16 Guidelines for Life, a secular, values-based framework that helps people reflect, communicate, and grow with confidence and compassion.

Held over two days in May 2025, the programme combined mindfulness, enquiry, active listening, and teamwork. The focus was not on theory alone, but on practical exercises and interactive experiences, that encouraged teenagers to practise these skills in real time.

The impact didn’t stop there. With follow-up workshops, the teenagers had opportunities to share what they had learned, stepping into leadership roles and connecting with their wider community.

A Warm Welcome: The Power of Enquiry and Active Listening

The life skills training for teenagers began with a few simple but powerful questions: “Who are you?” “What is your goal?” and “Why are you here?”

These questions encouraged the teens to reflect on their purpose and identity, while also practising how to listen deeply to others. By repeating the exercise several times, they discovered new insights about themselves and built trust within the group.

Facilitators modelled active listening, showing the difference between distracted and attentive communication. With every exercise, the group’s confidence grew, creating a safe and supportive environment where all voices were valued. Careful preparation added to the success. From mindfulness bells and art materials to translated storybooks and handouts, everything was designed to make the learning experience engaging, interactive and accessible.

Tools for a Meaningful Life: Building Real-World Skills

Across four sessions, the teenagers explored a range of practical methods rooted in the 16 Guidelines. These included:

Mindfulness practices – calming breath work and mindful walking
Enquiry and reflection – using meaningful questions to explore values
Heart and mind tools – connecting emotions with decision-making
Card-based activities – visual learning, exploring ethical values
Storytelling and discussion – sharing perspectives and learning together

Highlights included well-loved stories like “The Six Blind Men and the Elephant” from translating the Ready Set Happy book for children, and exercises such as “Handful of Joy” and “We Are Interconnected” from 16G Happy Toolbox for Kids. These activities made abstract ideas concrete, fun and memorable.

“We used the exercises ‘Handful of Joy’, ‘Mindful Walking’, and ‘We Are Interconnected’, which the teenagers liked a lot.”

The teens also discovered the 16 Guidelines App, ensuring they had digital tools to continue practising after the workshop.

This blend of creativity, reflection, mindfulness tools and teamwork helped them not only understand the values but also apply them in ways relevant to daily life.

Teen Voices: What They Learned and Loved

At the end of the training, all participants completed an evaluation form. Their responses showed both enjoyment and real personal growth.

“I learned more than I expected.”

“I will recommend this course to my parents and friends.”

“I liked the mindfulness, enquiry, cards, and working in groups and pairs.”

The feedback highlighted how much the teenagers valued the interactive methods and the chance to reflect openly. They particularly enjoyed activities that allowed for teamwork, honest dialogue, and creative engagement.

“I noticed, understood, and learned.”

These reflections underline the essence of life skills for teenagers: not memorising rules, but building self-awareness, resilience, social skills and the ability to connect with others meaningfully.

Beyond the Classroom: Follow-up with Building on the Basics

The training’s impact continued with the follow-up programme Building on the Basics (BoB). On June 7, the teens gathered at the Community Garden in Ulaanbaatar for BoB Week 1.

This two-hour workshop focused on the Wisdom Theme “What We Think”, and introduced activities such as:

Mindfulness and motivation to open with clarity
Book reading and enquiry to spark reflection
Group discussions to encourage sharing and insight
Dedication and aspiration exercises to close with meaning

Facilitators noted a visible increase in confidence. The teens participated actively, using the tools they had learned during the initial training.

“The teenagers were more actively sharing their feelings with us about how excited they were to attend BoB Week 1.”

Plans are already in place for BoB Week 3, where teenagers will co-facilitate parts of the session, a step towards developing leadership skills.

Sharing Wisdom Publicly: The Saka Dawa Outreach Event

Alongside the youth training, other community initiatives in Mongolia are also helping to spread the 16 Guidelines more widely. One example was the large Saka Dawa celebration held in Ulaanbaatar’s central city square, organised by Gandan Monastery.

As part of this event, the local 16 Guidelines Learning and Discussion Group hosted a public stall that attracted great interest. Activities included:

An interactive dice game based on the Four Wisdom Themes, inviting participants to reflect on meaningful questions
A children’s art and discussion table, encouraging creativity and dialogue
One-to-one conversations between visitors and facilitators
Media coverage, with interviews broadcast on local television

The stall was vibrant and engaging, with visitors showing strong curiosity. The dice game was so popular that people even asked to buy it.

Real Change, Real Confidence: Why Life Skills Matter

The experiences in Mongolia demonstrate a universal truth: life skills for teenagers are essential, not optional.

Through the 16 Guidelines training, these young people developed:

Emotional resilience – learning to pause, reflect, and respond mindfully
Communication skills – practising active listening and respectful dialogue
Teamwork and community spirit – recognising the value of working together

These skills will serve them far beyond the training. They are the building blocks of resilience, leadership and ethical citizenship.

For FDCW, this reflects a core mission: helping young people grow into compassionate, confident individuals who can contribute positively to society. By combining inner reflection with outward action, the programme shows how values-based education creates lasting change.d energy and inspiration, ready to keep growing, deepening our intentions and walking together.

Looking Ahead

The journey of these teenagers in Mongolia highlights how life skills training can shape futures, not only by improving self-awareness and communication, but also by strengthening their ability to contribute to society with confidence and compassion.

Through enquiry, mindfulness, reflection and teamwork, the 16 Guidelines have given these young people the tools to thrive in a changing world. As they continue with BoB sessions and prepare to lead their own activities, the seeds of leadership and service are already taking root.

This story is just the beginning of a growing movement, one that shows how practical, values-based life skills can inspire the next generation to live with meaning, kindness, and courage.

If you are interested in running a life skills training for teenagers, here are some further resourses:

You may also be interested in downloading the 16 Guidelines Meditations course. This complete facilitator’s toolkit provides ready-to-use scripts for guiding groups through 16 positive human values, helping communities develop compassion and wisdom together.

Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW)

At FDCW, we are committed to a more compassionate, wiser world. We provide resources, courses and training to develop qualities such as kindness, patience and honesty – qualities that are essential for meeting the challenges of the world we all share.

The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW) was established as a global charity based in London in 2005. Since then, we have provided secular training, programmes and resources across many sectors of society – schools, universities, hospices, workplaces, healthcare, youth groups and community centres. Our courses have reached thousands of people across the world through our dedicated and growing network of facilitators in more than 20 countries.

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