DC TRUST Guide 1023 - Children & Youth Investment Trust ...

c. Program provides opportunities for young people to build knowledge of the working
and care of their bodies.
d. Program celebrates the membership of its group and the contributions of all members.
e. Program provides opportunities for leadership.
f. Program provides opportunities for young people to learn the importance of good
nutrition and physical fitness and puts those concepts into practice with them.
g. Program provides activities that link the skills and values learned in sports/games/
hobbies to other aspects of young peoples’ lives.
Field Guide to OST Best Practices / High-Interest, Hands-On Activities / 22
◆
WORKFORCE AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
College is not the only productive path to the future. Some young people choose joining
the workforce after high school. Yet the distinctions between WORK and a CAREER
can make a tremendous difference in the quality of life and earning power that a young
person is likely to experience in the working world. In after-school programs, we can help
them understand and explore diverse paths into professional life. We can encourage them
to envision themselves in ways that they may not have considered. We can provide the
kind of mentoring that may not be available at home and bring families into the career
process to strengthen support. We can do our part to make sure that our young people start
out with the necessary skill sets and clarity to obtain meaningful employment that has both
a viable future and a natural connection to their talents and interests.
1. Program exposes youth to a broadening horizon of career possibilities.
a. Program guides youth in the exploration of careers that combine their skills and interests
(including those less obviously connected to their skills and interests).
b. Program helps youth identify emerging career paths.
c. Program helps youth access up-to-date statistical information on the compensation for
different types and levels of work, as well as the experience and/or education needed to
enter and advance in different fields.
d. Program provides a diverse and engaging array of guest speakers from different
professions and trades (including speakers from the immediate program community).
e. Program provides opportunities to participate in tours of various workplaces.
f. Program helps youth make the connection between skills used in program activities and
skills used in careers.
g. Program guides youth to research both traditional and non-traditional resources to achieve
career goals.
h. Program, when possible, offers youth meaningful, mentored, acknowledged and
compensated opportunities to work within the program itself.
i. Program helps youth understand that increased experience and training lead to greater
advancement and reward.