Career Education Programs - Regional Capacity Building

Best Practice: Career Day at El Camino School

Summary

On July 19, 2002, El Camino Elementary School held a summertime career day for their summer school students. Summer School Principal Lynette Meyer and Coordinator Barbara Cronin Hershberg helped their staff and participated as over 250 children interacted with volunteers from a variety of occupational fields:

· California Highway Patrol
· Santa Barbara Police Department
· Raytheon
· American Red Cross
· Dr. Robert Fan, Sports Medicine Orthopedist
· Metropolitan Transit District
· Marbourg Industries
· Mindy Bailey - Studio Art
· Sunnyside Sea Farms
· Fitness to You
· American Medical Response -- Ambulance

The children got to crawl in and out of police cars, the bus, and the fitness truck and ask questions of the professionals about their industries.

The children all seemed to be very engaged in the process, some asking questions. They were encouraged to find out how reading, writing and math were important to their profession. Teachers and Teacher Aides asked some questions and answered others to encourage learning about the various occupations.

Program Structure

The program was split into two sessions: one for the grades K-2 and one for 3-6. The program coordinator developed leads for presenters from parents (two presenters were parents of children at the school), from teachers, from friends, from looking through the Yellow Pages and from the SBCEO Career Education Office. Explanations of the World of Work were given to the children prior to their participation in the career fair.

Each session lasted about 30 minutes. The child filled out a list of three career sites they would like to visit in advance of the session. The sites were set up around the perimeter of the asphalt playground with a table and sign announcing the profession of each presenter. The presenters who brought handouts with them and those who had hands-on occupational tools were the most popular with the children.

When students returned to their classrooms, they were instructed to choose at least one presenter and write them a thank you note for attending Career Day. Barbara made certain to hand deliver or mail out all the letters to the visitors.

Recommendations for the Next One

The principal felt that they would do the program again, but during the school year when more occupational people and children would be available. In soliciting presenters, the school will directly ask the CEO or lead office of the organization to ensure that they make it to the Fair.

Best Practice: Leaders in Life Youth Conference

Background

In 1998, under the visionary direction of local businessman Morgan Clayton, a group of people was assembled to create a premiere event for Kern County youth. Kern County is home to a number of outstanding conferences, including the Bakersfield Business Conference and the Women’s Conference. However, no such event existed for the youth of Kern County. With that in mind, the Clayton Alliance, in conjunction with the Kern County Network for Children developed the concept for a new event in Kern County, one that would focus solely on youth.
The next step was to assemble a group of committed individuals and organizations that would see this vision to fruition. Those individuals came from non-profit organizations, youth organizations, schools, and private industry. They became the planning committee for the first annual conference for youth.

From the beginning, the planning committee envisioned a positive event where youth could grow, learn, share ideas and develop personally. The event planners also sought to inspire the youth toward greater achievement. But what was most unique about this new event was the vision. Not only did the planners intend to create a world-class event for youth, they envisioned a world-class event that would be planned by youth for youth. Each year, through youth participation in the development, planning and implementation of this large-scale event, a group of Kern County teens will be transformed into leaders.

The Conference Identity

Because this conference was to be an event planned by youth for youth, the student planning committee was asked to develop the name and logo for the program. They chose to reach out to their talented and creative peers through a “name the event/design a logo” contest. From over 40 entries, the student planning committee selected the winning entry that was designed by Centennial High School Student Leanne Johnson. The logo Ms. Johnson designed was colorful, youthful and attractive, but the students were most drawn to the name—Leaders in Life. And so this visionary idea and unique concept became known as the Leaders in Life Youth Conference.

Target Audience

The Leaders in Life Youth conference is open to students in Kern County High Schools, Junior High Schools, Middle Schools and to 7th and 8th graders in K-8 schools. The vision of this conference is to bring together individuals from various races, economic backgrounds, and academic achievement levels. The conference will provide an opportunity for students who need to be inspired and encouraged such as those who may be struggling academically, with personal issues or home and family issues.

At least 75 percent of the students who are selected by their schools to attend this conference will be selected from lower socio-economic backgrounds and from slightly below average to average achievement levels. All of the students should be first-time attendees to allow for larger numbers of students from each school to have had the opportunity at some point during their 8-12th grade years to have experienced a Leaders in Life Youth Conference.

The conference format includes keynote speakers, interactive break-out sessions, a vendor fair, and entertainment.

Conference Committee Structure

To ensure the long-term success of the Leaders in Life endeavor, a steering committee has been convened to ensure the event remains true to its original vision and to provide financial oversight. The steering committee meets to review the work of the planning committee, review budgets and generally oversee the direction of the conference. The steering committee is comprised of members representing schools, businesses and nonprofit organizations with a vested interest in the well-being of Kern County youth. The attached page lists the current year’s steering committee members.
The planning committee is comprised of adults and youth who have committed themselves to this endeavor. The planning committee is comprised of several committees to accomplish specific conference tasks.

For more information, please see the Leaders in Life web site.

Best Practice: Kern High School District – Career Resource Department Out-of-School Youth Recruitment Strategies

Work with local high schools to obtain a list of youth who drop out of school. If this is in violation of confidentiality practices see if you can work with the drop out recovery program – offer to assist financially or with man power to locate and re-enroll youth into secondary school.
Fliers!!! It may sound simplistic but they work. Develop bright colored, ‘kid friendly’, easy to read fliers. The most effective locations to place them include; laundry mats, check cashing facilities, liquor stores and any other place people gather. You don’t need to concentrate solely on youth gathering spots as adults often see the fliers and pass on the information to youth
Word of mouth. Youth who have experienced success in your program share that with their peers. Successful programs market themselves.
A Rap style radio commercial. Airtime was purchased by CRD for the commercial to be played on 3 radio stations from July 16 – September 9, 2001. It continued as a free PSA (public service announcement). During this time 91 new participants were enrolled into REAP, 30% resulting from the radio commercial. On the CD there are three versions of the ad – first a complete version – second without announcer – third no words. This was done to save money should we wish to use it in other capacities.

Best Practice: Computers for Families

Computers for Families in Santa Barbara County is an innovative project created by Partners in Education and the Santa Barbara County Education Office. The project spreads refurbished computers across southern Santa Barbara County to families who would not be able to afford to purchase their own. The only cost to the families is $75 per year for an Internet service fee to connect to the Santa Barbara County Education Office Internet.

The computers are generated from businesses and individuals who are upgrading their own computers. With many businesses managing their technology with mandatory replacement dates of every 3 or 4 years, there are supplies of older computers that provide families a good level of service for years to come.

In addition to the innovative approach that Computers for Families uses in recycling old computers, the program offers another benefit for the community. It partners with the correctional facility of Los Prietos Boy’s Camp to train boys aged 13-18 who are at the boys camp to refurbish the donated systems.

During his four months and three weeks at the Los Prietos Boy’s Camp Troy Rhinehart’s passion for computers found a real focus. He spent the entire time refurbishing used computers supplied by the Computers for Families program. Since its inception in 1997, Computers for Families has placed more than 2600 refurbished computer systems, donated by companies and individuals, with families in the greater Santa Barbara area. The program is on target to meet the original goal of placing 4,000 computers in six years at the end of this academic year. Officials say the program’s benefits are threefold: access to technology for low-income families; a meaningful project for detainees at the Los Prietos Boys Camp, a correctional facility for 13-18 year old males; and for donors, an environmentally conscious alternative to trashing surplus computers.

Troy Rhinehart, a bespectacled 18-year-old with short red hair, spoke to an audience of business representatives, school administrators, teachers and students … Rhinehart said that after spending the first 17 years of his life taking from others, the Computers for Families program offered him a way to give back. He was in Los Prietos for drug use, the soft-spoken Mr. Rhinehart said. Arriving with a passionate interest in computers – his only interest, really – he started working with computers in a vocational technology class. When he caught on that the computers he was rebuilding and programming were going to kids, Rhinehart signed up for all five periods of the course. With around five students per period, the classes produces between 50 and 75 refurbished computers per week.

Two weeks after his early release from Los Prietos for good behavior, Rhinehart started working at Kinko’s in Santa Maria. He’s also enrolled at Allan Hancock College, where he studies computer science. To Rhinehart’s mother, Elaine, the evolution in her son is complete. “ One kid walked out in February,” said Mrs. Rhinehart, “and a brand-new kid came in the door in June. We don’t know where the old kid is, but we don’t want him back. We certainly like the one we have now.”

Computers for Families and Partners in Education have come up with a win-win for Santa Barbara – for teen offenders, their families, AND the environment.

For more information contact John Padfield at 805-964-4711 Ext. 5400.