Career Readiness and
Leadership Programs

The program includes three main components:

ENGAGEMENT: Students engage in the Brian Dawkins Values Program in class to explore their own mental health, learn to identify challenges they may face, and develop strategies for managing these challenges while facilitating discussion groups.

PAID SUMMER INTERNSHIPS: Young Men and Women in Charge identifies corporate and university partners who provide internship opportunities for scholars in STEM fields. Students in the 12^th grade and selected alumni participate in paid internships where they experience work in their preferred career. These paid internships are the culminating event in the curriculum of Talent and Career Readiness.

TALENT AND CAREER READINESS: Young Men and Women in Charge prepare scholars for the workplace through a curriculum that builds skills and experience. Communication and collaborative skills are developed throughout the program as scholars explore careers and build the skills needed for those careers. Students in all grades participate in Talent and Career Readiness Workshops as appropriate for their age and grade level, held after school in local chapters. In grades 10-12, students participate in job shadowing opportunities, spending a full day on-site, observing and interacting with professionals in STEM careers. Scholars in grade 12 and selected alumni participate in internships where they experience 6 to 8 weeks of paid work during the summer months in their preferred careers. 

High School Scholars participating in this training may also enter the workforce after graduating from high school, pursue a two-year or technical certificate or gain additional apprenticeship training with pay administered by industry partners. The Pre-Apprenticeship Program looks to partner with organizations in the following areas: a) Manufacturing, b) Health and Medical, c) I/T and Cyber-Security, and d) Utilities.

This program includes the three key components:

1.       Students engage in the Brian Dawkins Values Program in class to explore their own mental health, learn to identify challenges they may face, and develop strategies for managing these challenges, while placing an emphasis on social emotional learning (SEL).

2.       Also in class, students utilize the Junior Achievement Inspire curriculum, focused on completing a career interest inventory, developing a career plan, and identifying their top three career clusters and careers. Students are guided to create their pathways and explore career opportunities and build critical employability skills necessary for success in these roles: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and leadership.

3.       To bring the in-class learning to life, this project culminates with a career exploration event(s) held on the Rowan College of South Jersey’s Gloucester Campus. Here, hundreds of Camden/Camden area middle school students spend the school day being mentored by corporate volunteer/community role models who will reinforce the connection of their in-class work to the world of work and instill further hope that their opportunities are limitless. 

Furthermore, the program also incorporates Junior Achievement’s It’s My Future Curriculum. This two-part program includes the Brian Dawkins Values Program as described above to be utilized in conjunction with a separate JA career readiness curriculum. In this learning experience through six 45-minute sessions, middle school students research potential careers; create a basic resume; learn appropriate behavior for an interview; differentiate between employability/soft and technical skills; and develop the personal-branding and jobhunting skills needed to earn a job. Session delivery is flexible to accommodate the needs of our school partners, and may be implemented in-school, remotely, or after-school. 

Corporate/community volunteer speakers, including Brian Dawkins, may lead various activities as a part of this student experience. With each of the programs outlined above, Junior Achievement provides initial educator training and ongoing support through implementation to ensure effective delivery. Junior Achievement also engages corporate and community volunteers to mentor students as they explore careers and their pathways while honing critical skills necessary for success.

The program focuses on inspiring the Ambassadors to be a better version of themselves every day, using the key competencies and Brian’s key pillars of Attitude, Response, Effort and Actions. This includes breakout groups where individuals can share who they are with other Ambassadors, what defines them as an individual, what they are driven by, and what they want to achieve. This will also include an exploration of what cerebral wellness means to them, and insight into the mental health landscape amongst their peers and communities.

The Ambassadors are taken through structured opportunities to share their experiences about what they have learned through the Program, how has it changed them, what their goals are moving forward, what are the steps they need to take to achieve those goals, and what they are excited about in the future. And after the Program has ended, the Foundation will remain a resource and support to former Ambassadors – providing letters of recommendation or references, extending invites to events where appropriate, and offering opportunities to share their experience with new cohorts of Ambassadors. Components of the program include:

• Increase capability, decision-making, trust, and self-awareness.
• Develop your network of supporters.
• Increase understanding of leadership qualities and styles to further develop individual strengths.
• Provide a toolkit to build confidence and resiliency.
• Effective communication and accountability skills for emerging leaders.