Asnuntuck Community College offers unique non-credit courses

Life coach Stacey Zackin will teach people to improve their outlook on life and their life itself. Courtesy photos. - Contributed Photo

Asnuntuck Community College’s Office of Workforce Development and Continuing Education is now offering opportunities for lifelong learning and personal enrichment through a variety of non-credit classes and workshops, from active lifestyle and culture to the cultivation of your mind, body and spirit.

The non-credit offerings cover just about anything and everything you could image, including social modern dancing. Instructor Al Boudreau has been dancing since 1950 and intends to give a hands-on approach for pairs to learn a variety of moves like the swing, cha cha, foxtrot, waltz and polka. His students will get a chance to show their stuff at his Saturday night functions, which help students practice and perfect their moves.

“It’s heading them to a whole new social event,” Boudreau said. “It gives them confidence and helps build up their self-esteem. It’s a good form of exercise, as well.”

Other courses offered will provide students with a wealth of information and practical applications. Three courses taught by retired Hazardville Fire Captain John Alexander delve into medical care, injury treatment and fundamentals of child care. Asnuntuck’s Wilderness First Aid will bring awareness to handling common injuries and illnesses and what to bring along for people who work, travel and play in what would be considered remote locations for emergency responders.

Alexander will also instruct a sports injuries course designed for parents coaching on the sidelines and watching in the bleachers. The program is designed to teach parents essential skills to recognize and care for basic injuries and how to treat them before first responders can make it to the scene. He will also teach babysitter lessons and safety training for children 12 or older looking to become babysitters, teaching them pediatric first aid, household safety and rudimentary childcare.

“It’s an interest to get more people involved in rendering care,” Alexander said. “I don’t know how many times I’ve been on emergency teams and people just didn’t have a clue of what they should have been doing prior to our arrival that might have helped the victim a little more.”

The non-credit offerings will also help people who wish to self-explore and improve their outlook on life and their lives in general. Life coach Stacey Zackin will show how to "Defrag Your Life" by teaching people how to maximize and prioritize their time and find a balance between everything they juggle in a day. Another course taught by Zackin will help people brand themselves and feel confident and capable as they show off their strengths and unique value while instigating opportunities. Students can also learn how to coach themselves to success through highlighting strengths to overcome obstacles and draft a winning perspective. She says the values taught in her courses can be used in relationships at home, at work or with friends.

“We have to see our clients as creative, resourceful and whole,” Zackin said. “I have to believe that everyone in the room can positively change their lives. I want them to know that they have the tools already, and coaching helps them maximize them.”

Other courses being offered include cake decorating, Zumba, chronic disease management, digital photography, how to sell on eBay, horse race handicaps and more. For more information, visit www.asnuntuck.edu, or call 860-253-3034 or 860-253-3066.