St. Charles County Community College and the St. Charles
County School-to-Work Consortium
(St. Peters, Missouri)
Summary: Overview of the Strategy
As part of a School-to-Work local implementation grant, the St. Charles
County School-to-Work Consortium developed week-long career awareness camps.
The camp, which is designed for middle school students, is one of the three
camps that were offered. It was developed to help students understand the
broad range of careers that are available within the six career pathways
that have been adapted by the state of Missouri.
The camp was open to students going-into 7th and 8th grades to help them
prepare for the career units that they will be required to complete as 8th
graders. During these career units, students are introduced to the career
pathways and will receive help in determining possible career interests
and developing a four-year plan for their high school years.
A camp instructor position was advertised at local middle schools in
order to obtain the best qualified instructor who understood the preparation
students would need for their academic school year in the fall.
Camp enrollment was limited through distribution of fliers at all middle
schools within the region and through the St. Charles County Coalition of
Service Providers. Camp size was limited to 20 students. Applications came
from several school districts plus the Teen Club, an organization that serves
students with disabilities. We started camp with 14 students, four from
the Teen Club. Because the camp was housed at the community college, an
inclusion and training specialist was available to provide needed technical
support. Additionally, parents from the Teen Club were available to serve
as chaperones as campers traveled to various businesses. These support people
provided attendant care and medication administration.
School, Work, and Community-based Activities
All activities of the camp overlapped between school, work, and community-based
opportunities. The activities for each day included team building exercises
(fun and games developed so that all students could participate), career
development activities such as resume development/writing and interviewing,
and career exploration in at least one career pathway. Segments of "The
Real Game" were used to emphasize goal and priority setting and time
and money management. The students also had opportunity to use "Computers
for Choices", an aptitude assessment tool, and received instruction
in Microsoft Word as they prepared their resumes.
We also included a variety of other opportunities for the campers. For
example, while exploring careers in the arts and communications pathway,
students observed a graphic artist at work as he demonstrated the design
of the camp logo. Participants also played a part in modeling exercises,
read for a play, and practiced auditioning for a musical as a professional
actor visited the classroom. Participants toured a theater as the director
described the many aspects of stage and theater management. They also had
an opportunity to try hands-on graphic design at the community college and
the instructor explained the importance of developing good communication
skills and math skills in preparation for a college career in graphic design.
Additional activities included: a presentation from a bank vice-president;
mock interviews by a human resources director; tour of an ambulance and
hands-on instruction for backboarding a patient; a presentation about nursing
opportunities and education needed through a presentation by a nursing school
director; hands-on activities with an occupational therapy college instructor;
a tour, video and presentation from a police academy; site visits to St.
Peters City Hall and RecPlex, Babler State Park and a wholesale greenhouse,
and a tour of an industrial plant.
Each activity was designed to help students learn about the multiple
varieties of careers and the necessary skills and education required.
Throughout the many activities, students and businesses alike had the
opportunity to interact by asking questions and performing simple tasks.
Prior to site visits, businesses were asked about wheelchair accessibility
and a bus with a wheelchair lift was used to transport students. A question
on the student registration form, "Will you need any accommodations?,"
was answered to help in making the camp experience beneficial and accessible
for all participants.
All campers learned the importance of showing respect for diversity and
as the campers became familiar with one another, they eagerly helped each
other and learned to capitalized on individual strengths.
The Need
The overall goal for the career exploration camp was to provide students
with opportunities to learn about career pathways, see careers in action,
and experience some of the many tasks involved in employment situations.
Although 7th and 8th grade students are already aware of various occupations,
many times they do not realize the time and educational investments needed
to succeed. The dedication to the learning that is required and the importance
of working as team players, as well as the rewards and pitfalls of achieving
a lifelong dream career are critical elements. Many times students look
at specific career goals, which they may or may not achieve. If they do
not achieve their goals, they may not understand that many other opportunities
are available to them in their chosen career pathway.
For example, middle school students often dream of becoming actresses,
singers, or models. By visiting with a professional in these areas, the
campers were able to ask questions about the sacrifices made to become successful,
the joys of getting an acting part, and the years of preparation and working
conditions prior to becoming a success. (Our professional told our surprised
students that he hadn't seen his family for two years because of his job.)
Students were presented with options to becoming the performers that would
allow them to still be a part of the excitement of staging performances.
This particular summer camp was available to any 7th or 8th grader within
our School-to-Work region, which encompasses one large suburban county.
St. Charles County is the fasted growing community in Missouri with a population
of a quarter million residents. Within the county are 12 middle schools
with a total enrollment of 10,291, which includes approximately 1,625 students
with special needs.
For the "graduation ceremony," a pizza party was provided with
School-to-Work funds. Employer participation was provided on a volunteer
basis. Classroom space was provided by the St. Charles County Community
College as in-kind match. Total costs for the camp were approximately $2,100,
which included curriculum development that will be used for future camps.
Meeting the Need
The career camp concept was developed by the St. Charles County School-to-Work
Consortium, which consists of representatives from each school district,
business and industry, social services agencies, an at-risk agency, and
economic development.
The consortium conducted an initial brainstorming session. Later, several
middle school counselors came together to discuss possible topics and curriculum.
After deciding to focus on all six career pathways, the counselors continued
to provide input in preparing activities, soliciting employer participation,
and arranging site visits. Prior to developing camp curriculum, the consortium
had provided training for "The Real Game," which was used as part
of the camp. The instructor who was hired had knowledge of "The Real
Game" exercises and was familiar with career development activities.
The camp experience was funded with School-to-Work funds, which had been
written into the contract proposal. Students participated at no cost. Consortium
member and school counselor activities were provided at no charge and their
time was used as in-kind match for the School-to-Work grant. Expenses included
instructor's salary, transportation of students to various sites, and miscellaneous
supplies and snacks. Students provided their own lunches. This was a day
camp so no housing costs were incurred.
The Results
The first attempt at conducting a career camp provided a great deal of
insight for future preparation. Here are just a few "problems"
that will be changed for the local camp next year.
- The career camp hours were 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Times were set to accommodate
working parents. However, eight hours of "camp" time filled with
activities was too tiring for all students. The camp ran from Monday through
Friday and began at the end of June. Students were not physically prepared
for a full 40-hour week in the middle of summer vacation.
- Every minute of camp was structured. The plan was to provide students
with as much exposure and opportunity to career awareness as possible.
This highly structured atmosphere left students tired and "ready to
vegetate" before the day was finished.
- Several of the site visits included long tours. Suggestions to employers
on ways to help students experience hands-on activities will be beneficial
for future camps.
- The instructor did not communicate with employers or speakers prior
to the scheduled activity.
- Parent participation seemed to be embarrassing to middle school students.
The career camp was open to all students. Students demonstrated a variety
of learning styles and abilities. Disabilities that were disclosed included
one student who was nonverbal and students with both physical and learning
challenges.
When students completed the camp week, they were enthusiastic about their
experiences. Several students had identified areas of career interest. Three
students volunteered to be spokespeople for School-to-Work activities and
two parents volunteered to be parent representatives on the School-to-Work
consortium. One student has asked to return next summer to participate as
an aid or helper.
The students completed evaluations of the career camp at the end of the
week. Additionally, parents and employers were surveyed about the benefits
of the program, ways to improve the program, and additional suggestions
for School-to-Work activities.
Reflections on Our Strategy
In a follow-up session with the instructor, we determined the following
changes for future camps.
- The time will be changed to a 6.5-hour day, Monday through Thursday
and camp will be extended to two four-day weeks.
- Days 1 and 8 will not include trips but will provide time for getting
acquainted, recreation, and extended Real Game activities.
- The application will include a question about possible interests, and
shadowing time will be scheduled for students to work one on one with an
employer mentor for at least two hours on two different days.
- The instructor will visit with each employer prior to student visits
to review the purposes of the camp and the employer's proposed activities
for the students.
- Many more hands-on activities will be included, such as having students
coordinating some of the activities and planning an end-of-camp luncheon
for employers.
- Students will be able to draw an invitation in the graphic arts classroom.
- Parents will be asked to participate "at home" by completing
a survey about their aspirations as teens, the current job responsibilities,
and their feelings about their careers or jobs. Parents will also be asked
to provide snacks.
- A community service project will be included such as helping at a food
bank or visiting in a nursing home. (One suggestion was to have our resident
actor help students develop a play to perform at a nursing home.)
- The campers were much more accepting of one another than was expected
and they wanted more time to interact with one another. Their evaluations
indicated that they would like more time to "chill out" and get
acquainted. Although unstructured time is not advised, future camp activities
will include more group work for students to be able to communicate with
one another as they work toward a common goal.
- Prior to site visits, including lunch areas, wheelchair accessibility
was determined. However, while sites were accessible, they were not easily
accessible.
- The term "camp" to students may be misconstrued. Future efforts
will be called "academies" to indicate that the week is intended
to be a learning experience.
- Time constraints to accommodate parent schedules will not be considered
a top priority. The 8-hour day was too long for students, especially those
using wheelchairs.
Planning ahead is the major consideration to providing camp activities.
Knowing in advance that students would be participating who had special
needs helped so arrangements with employers could be appropriately made.
At some site visits, it was necessary to enter through the loading dock
areas due to stairs at entrances. At one site, we needed to avoid certain
walkways that were too narrow. And tour guides knew in advance that we would
need elevators to move from floor to floor. When planning group activities
and games, the instructor was able to adapt activities so all students could
participate. Working with the inclusion specialist, the instructor was able
to provide fun and active games that everyone could enjoy.
Examples of Learners
All St. Charles County campers had the opportunity to learn about the
career pathways that they would be studying during the upcoming school year
(following the summer camp) as they participated in career units at their
local schools. The camp provided them with advanced information that helped
them be better prepared for future study.
Example 1
One camper, a young man with cerebral palsy, had been encouraged by his
father to go into carpentry. After completing Choices and talking with an
educational/employment counselor as part of the career camp, this young
man is beginning to look at careers in psychology. He has also made several
oral presentations to local community agencies about the problems encountered
by people with disabilities and learned that these experiences will aid
him in pursuing a career of helping others.
Example 2
Another young 8th grade student came to camp with the idea that he wanted
to work in an area of helping other people and said he might like to be
a teacher some day. During the camp, he was a tremendous help to one of
the students who was in a wheelchair. He was able to explore careers that
deal with helping people with disabilities. As part of the camp, students
learned about choosing careers that provide personal satisfaction and Tony
recognized this as an important priority to choosing a career.
Example 3
One of the young ladies in the camp discovered the graphic arts area
was really interesting to her. It had not been a known career to her previously
but she likes to draw and work with computers and realized there are jobs
that will allow her to do the activities she likes and earn a living doing
them.
Recruiting
All students in designated grade levels were invited to attend this camp.
Students were asked to provide a counselor or teacher recommendation regarding
good school citizenship. There were no restrictions about who could apply
and applications were distributed to school counselors and social service
providers. The inclusion and training specialist gave a brief presentation
to the service providers as applications were distributed.
For more information on the St. Charles County Community College and
the St. Charles County School-to-Work Consortium, contact:
Arlene Hoffman
4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive
St. Peters, MO 63376
(Phone) 314/922-8342
(Fax) 314/922-8686
(E-mail) ahoffman@chuck.stchas.edu
-
Back to The Award page
| 
