Springfield DYS Campus Hosts Career Day for Youth

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Publication Name: Collaborative for Educational Services
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SPRINGFIELD, MA – Youth from all three programs on the Springfield Campus participated in a Career Day on May 21, 2013.
CHD Assessment, Terri Thomas Girls Program, and Springfield Secure Youth rotated through the gymnasium throughout the morning, networking and exploring career and college opportunities with representatives from local businesses, colleges and career centers. Many students came prepared with resumes and all students reflected on the process. The career fair was made possible through collaboration and a shared desire to make educational experiences meaningful. Robert Bourget, a Teacher Coordinator at SRT, stated, “This is so important and it went so well. We want to make this happen twice a year in the future.”

Student response to Career Day was overwhelmingly positive. Here’s what attendees had to say:

  • “Career Day was an interesting experience for me because I learned that there are still people that care. STCC and HCC told me that I can take Culinary Arts courses and then transfer them to STCC. Then I can take the Entrepreneur Program or the other way around, depending on what my credits are. The man from STCC said that I have a lot of potential and that he learned from me while I learned from him.”
  • “I had a good experience and I learned a lot from the Career Day. I was surprised because I asked a lot of questions and they answered them all. (When asked how to improve upon the day)You guys can make it better if you bring companies or programs that have Barber training so I can learn more about it. I learned a lot from that day.”
  • “Other interesting job opportunities (at the Career Day) were Commonwealth Corp. which prepares you for jobs in the out. I also have worked for them in a business called Silk Screening. I met Johnny P who was at one point a DYS resident; now he has a good job.”
  • “Many of the vendors that were present in the gym made me feel like there is still hope out in the world and with the help of the right person I can become anything I want to be. And I can achieve any goal in the world. With all these vendors that came to see me, they made me realize there’s a lot of jobs out there and if I put my mind to it I could potentially get a job as little as managing rides for Six Flags or I could serve my country in active duty. There is one thing that will stop me from getting a job and that is being incarcerated or not receiving a proper education. With these people coming here they gave me hope that made me feel that even though I’m locked up I’m still someone.”
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