To kick off National 4-H Week (Oct. 7-12), West Virginia University Extension 4-H agents hosted a career readiness event for the Mountaineer Outings for Teen Homeschoolers for homeschooled teenagers from Barbour, Lewis, Upshur and Randolph counties. This year’s theme for the week is “Beyond Ready,” which emphasizes how 4-H equips youth with essential skills needed for their future.
At this event, 4-H agents, Jodi Smith, Jamie Mullins and Lisa Ingram, led “Seeing Yourself in the Future” programming, designed to enhance career readiness by helping participants explore their values, interests, personality traits and skills.
"West Virginia 4-H has been recognized nationally as having a career readiness program that has already been piloted and evaluated with proven results,” Smith, WVU Extension agent in Wood County, said. “Typically, the program has been offered over eight to nine weekly lessons. During National 4-H Week, members of the Career and College Readiness Outcome Team at WVU Extension planned an all-day immersion into this program with students ranging in age from 12-17. This is the first time the program has been delivered during a one-day experience.”
The event included several hands-on activities that encouraged participants to envision their futures. Participants created vision boards to reflect their aspirations, learned about the impact of social media on career paths and completed a soft skills inventory to identify areas of improvement. Another activity youths participated in was showing their creativity by designing interview-ready outfits using recycled materials, such as trash bags and paper towels, which provided a fun and engaging way to prepare them for professional settings.
“I enjoyed the job interview scenarios, and I liked the dress for success part,” Bradie James, a 14-year-old homeschool participant, said. “I often worry about how a job interview is going to be and how I will talk to the person interviewing me, and this helped.”
Students also reviewed job applications and resumes using templates, practiced handshakes and crafted personal pitches to enhance their confidence. This event represents the mission of 4-H, to empower young people with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.
“They don’t know what they don’t know — this program shows what is important,” Charly Shreves, mother of a 16-year-old homeschooler, said. “As the 4-H agents noted, the skills taught are essential for successful empowerment regardless of what occupation or educational path these students select. By learning these concepts now, the students can and will be better prepared to succeed in life.”
This programming has been offered in a variety of ways, including school enrichment over nine weeks, camp settings, virtually and now in a one-day format. One of the best things about teaching this program is seeing the kids smiling and having fun while learning about things that can ultimately change their direction in life, Ingram explained.
“We timed this event to coincide with National 4-H Week due to the national theme being 'Beyond Ready,’” Ingram, WVU Extension agent in Marshall County, said. “The ‘Seeing Yourself in the Future’ program is preparing the students to be ready for post-secondary success—it was a natural fit! Many have found careers that they did not know existed, others are able to comfortably stand in front of a group and speak and they learn that they have the skills that are useful in the workforce, even if they initially think they do not possess them.”
“Seeing Yourself in the Future” is a career readiness program with three years of proven results. Since 2021, the program has expanded to several counties and 31 states, and more than 350 educators have been trained because of the need for this type of programming and results that have been achieved. It is developed for all young people, regardless of their interests and aspirations, to help them explore their options and learn how to build the skills necessary for success.
To learn more about 4-H activities in your community and keep up with the latest in West Virginia 4-H news, follow @WestVirginia4H on Facebook and @wv_4h on Instagram.
If you want to learn more about WVU Extension, visit extension.wvu.edu or follow @WVUExtension on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
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sd/10/10/24
CONTACT: Sophia Darmelio
Marketing Strategist
WVU Division for Land-Grant Engagement
304-293-9490; sophia.darmelio@mail.wvu.edu