Life skills are considered to be  a set of psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others and manage their lives in a healthy and responsible manner.

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Within life skills there are mediation skills. Mediation skills can be defined as any time somebody “acts as a social agent who creates bridges and helps to construct or convey meaning, sometimes within the same language, sometimes from one language to another.” (Council of Europe 2020:90)

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Mediation skills include mediating a text, mediating concepts and mediating communication. Mediating a text involves using one´s own words in order to pass on information to another person who does not have access to it; mediating concepts is about sharing ideas and working with others to reach a solution, whereas mediating communication engages people in helping others understand each other by bridging sociocultural differences.

When involved in mediation tasks, language learners are provided with unique opportunities to develop literacy, learning and life skills.

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In these classes students will be inspired by the work and passion of National Geographic Explorer, industrial designer and conservationist, Enrique Lomnitz and will be engaged in a number of tasks that aim at developing these critical skills they need for life and for their future careers and workplaces while also learning language.