Overview

• Many Gen Z students report being unable to perform tasks like changing a tire, sewing or basic cooking without tutorials.
• The University of Waterloo’s Adulting 101 toolkit offers lessons in financial literacy, nutrition, home maintenance and relationship health.
• Psychologist Jean Twenge traces the skills gap to helicopter parenting and prolonged adolescence that limit youth independence.
• Pam Charbonneau, Waterloo’s director of student success, says these programs help normalize student experiences and reduce overwhelm.
• Multiple Canadian and US institutions have introduced similar courses and experts advocate early life-skills education to close the gap.