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

c. Program fosters awareness in young people of the relative pay levels of different careers
and the educational paths to getting there.
d. Program promotes the realistic understanding of the relative costs and academic
requirements for admission into higher education.
e. Program provides young people with opportunities to visit college campuses and get
firsthand impressions of college life.
f. Program promotes youth and family understanding of how to maximize available
opportunities and resources to attain college admission.
g. Program promotes the realistic understanding of the difference between a high school
transcript that allows for graduation and one that makes a competitive college candidate.
h. Program provides young people with opportunities to talk with and question college
students or recent graduates, and encourages program staff to share their own
experiences in post-secondary education.
i. Program exposes young people to positive pop-culture portrayals of college life.
2. Program provides young people with a gradual familiarization of the mechanics
of the application process.
a. When appropriate, program acquaints young people with the different components of
a college application and provides guided practice in their completion.
b. Program provides opportunities for young people to assemble and create a portfolio of
writing and art, as well as documentation of OST projects.
c. Program works with young people on writing about themselves, their experiences and
opinions and crafting these pieces into a college essay or a personal statement.
d. When possible, program guides young people in the college interview process and gives
them opportunities to practice.
e. When possible, program guides young people in exploring financial support options
and how to access scholarships as well as other types of resources they will need for
post-secondary education.
3. Program works with young people to build and maintain their emotional readiness
for higher education.
a. Program staff models and promotes self-worth and group-worth in its interactions and
activities with young people.
b. Participants’ ownership language and the ability to articulate personal value within a team
reflect their understanding of self-worth and group-worth.
c. Program promotes an environment that values differences and identifies commonalities,
and exposes young people to diverse groups.
d. Program guides young people in developing skills in self-advocacy and knowing when
and how to use them.
e. Program promotes the exercise of self-control for the purpose of achieving a goal.
f. Program helps young people develop positive criteria for selecting friends in regards to
achieving a goal.
g. Program gives young people guided opportunities to make informed choices that take
into consideration personal preferences, interests and abilities.
Field Guide to OST Best Practices / High-Interest, Hands-On Activities / 26