International Institute for Population Sciences
Deemed to be University (An Autonomous Organization of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India)

Background and Relevance Integrating life skills training into education and mentorship programs enables adolescents to contribute meaningfully to human and social development, supporting broader national goals like the Sustainable Development Goals. Objective To measure the extent of improvement in adolescent well-being as a result of the Magic Bus India Foundation’s sports for Life skill education intervention. Data and Methods To measure the impact, a cross-sectional, mixed-method study was conducted. Quantitative data were collected through multi stage sampling from 298 adolescents in Chamarajnagar, where intervention has employed, using statistically validated life skills test tool with 50 situational items via OMR sheets. Qualitative data were gathered through In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders. Quantitative data were analyzed using statistical tools, while thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data. Key Findings The result indicates an overall improvement in adolescents’ well-being, life skills, aspirations, and attitudes. Overall life skills grew from 24% to 68.5%. Each domain under the life skills such as cognitive, emotional and social domains showed an improvement of 36%, 28% and 31% respectively. Adolescents who were able to adapt and respond to new situations increased sharply (14% to 70%). Adolescents who manage emotions without harming self or others, cooperate effectively with diverse people and to express thoughts, wants and feelings assertively showed positive progress with 17%, 30% and 50% respectively. Girls outperformed boys in 4 out of 7 outcome indicators. Conclusion The endline evaluation reveals substantial improvements in adolescents’ life skills in Chamarajanagar, demonstrating the strong impact of the Magic Bus program’s activity-based learning approach.