PROGRAMS

Building a college portfolio is a way in which you collect, organize, and display your academic, extracurricular and job-related experiences, interest, and personal information. It is helpful for potential college students and beginning professionals to begin thinking about post-secondary (after high school graduation) options. This compilation articulates to employers, colleges, and yourself a reflection of who you are, your accomplishments, and aspirations. Despite the growing need for increased education and advanced degrees to secure jobs, only 59% of students who begin college as freshman at a four-year college receive their diploma within six years. Students who come from low-income backgrounds are even less likely to graduate—if they even begin at all.

Engaging youth is all about giving young people a voice; to feel respected, appreciated and understood.  Building youth's strengths, helping them grow their talents, identify who they are, and becoming self-aware are all reinforcements to help youth apply their skills in a positive manner that yields healthy interactions.  E-Mentoring is an online support tool intended to improve social emotional intelligence, and help youth cope with emotional challenges.  According to the Harvard Business Review (http://hbr.org/2015/05/teaching-teenagers-to-develop-their-emotional-intelligence) leaders are beginning to recognize that how people manage their emotions matters to their society’s economy.  Nobel Laureate James Heckman writes that investment in the education of children’s “non-cognitive” skills like motivation, perseverance, and self-control.  A cost effective approach to increasing the quality and productivity of the workforce.

Career development is all about early exposure, using assessments to identify strengths and reflecting on interest.  Providing youth with this type of critical foundation results in understanding self and discovering career potential.  Using the suggested tools, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and Strengths Finder 2.0, can assist in experiential opportunities, decision making, and development of skills that enhance career paths.  Career focused mentoring can take a variety of forms.  A Georgetown University study found that the percentage of jobs in the United States that require some form of post-secondary education will reach a projected 63% by 2018, up from 28% in the early 1970’s (Carnevale, Smith, & Strohl, 2010).