When I Grow Up: YouthQuest Students Explore Career Possibilities

Building toward the future, YouthQuest students are learning about the different opportunities they will have when they grow up. With activities that follow the theme of “When I Grow Up,” students will learn math, language arts, science and social studies while exploring career opportunities and discovering what their future path might be.

“The question we are asking this month is, ‘How can we prepare the future generations for adulthood,’” says Cheryl Adkins, program director for YouthQuest. “We want to challenge students to think about the future with activities such as creating an autobiography where the students predict their own future.”

Other activities students will participate in this month include:

• Learning about careers in colonial times and comparing them to careers today
• Making art based on what they want to be when they grow up
• Imagining being on the job from the perspective of sitting behind a desk

Parents can extend the lessons learned in YouthQuest with the following activities

• Playing “The Game of Life,” the board game, is a great way to facilitate different conversations about career paths, such as discussing the question, “Are you going to college or straight to work?”
• If possible, take your child to work more than once a year. Discuss what responsibilities, skills and requirements are necessary for your job.
• Provide opportunities for your child to visit other work environments and explore the many well-paying jobs that don’t require a college degree.

YouthQuest is made possible through the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

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