I created a session plan to find out how children would react to having an opportunity to meet, discuss, and learn from people with jobs that they may not know a lot of information about.
Design Methodology
- Session Plan: The Importance of Career Exposure and Mentorship
- Target Group: youth aged 7-12 years
- Materials: giant post its, colorful markers,
- Theme: Career mentorship program for youth
15-20 min:
Snack/Lunch Time
- All participants in the sessions will sit together and make sandwiches together. This is a way to connect and break any awkwardness or tension. The time spent making and eating food together serves as a transition for all participants to become partners and gain familiarity with each other.
10-15 min:
Circle Time
- Introducing the session planners to the youth, as well as the career mentors that have come. The participants will then also introduce themselves. All participants will have and be wearing name tags.
- Introducing the purpose of the session and activities:
- create a space for youth to be exposed to careers that they typically would not know about in their current environment?
- make a supportive and inclusive system for youth to find people that they can relate to in the career force, and be mentored by?
- Main question and goal: Discuss the various careers of the present mentor and note down thoughts and knowledge about them.
40-45 min
Design Activity (8-10 min x 3)
- “Here you will be working with a mentor that specializes in a specific career. As the mentor introduces their career, you will have time to draw a picture of someone doing that job, and take notes of what the job entails. Then, you can write down what skills are needed for the job, and your opinion of it. Don’t worry about having the ‘right’ answer - just draw and write your opinions and what you know.”
- Youth will be in groups and introduced to their designated career mentor. The mentors will tell the youth the name of the job and then give them 8-10 minutes to complete the activity. The participant will be given giant post-its and markers to make their drawings and thoughts.
Discussion (5 min x 3)
- Youth will share in their group their thoughts and observations.
- This process will be repeated as the youth groups rotate through all the mentors present.
5-10 min
Summary
- Each mentor will come up and explain their perspective and thoughts on what their career entails. Youth will have the opportunity to learn about new careers and ask any clarifying questions they may have.
After Session
Debrief
- All giant sticky notes will be collected, and the information will be analyzed to see what the most accurate and common descriptions of the careers are, as well as the misconceptions. This will be used to determine which careers and mentors to further promote, and to see what the youth’s perspectives are.