Guest blog post by Kristen “Avery” Avery, college and career success director, and Alejandra Pérez, college and career success coordinator, at the Community Center for Education Results.
Welcome to our fellow cradle-to-career colleagues coming from all over the country to join us for this year’s StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network Convening. This is an exciting time for you to visit Seattle. On Monday, October 8, the Road Map Project partnership is kicking off our sixth annual DiscoverU, a week when we encourage teachers, school staff and community partners to lead fun and engaging college and career exploration activities that help K-12 students think about their futures.
Our theme days for DiscoverU week are designed to support students to better understand their options beyond high school. We know it’s important to start building a college-going culture early and that providing information during the school day is critical to preparing our students for their next steps. There are many ways for anyone, no matter where you’re located, to participate in DiscoverU. All of our activities and lesson plans for schools and youth-serving organizations are open-source to the public.
Our ask of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network this week is to share your stories on social media on each of this year’s theme days. Tag us (@DiscoverUWA) on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram — selfies encouraged! — and we might share your story.
Monday, Oct. 8: #DiscoverLocalJobs
Even if you’re not from our region, you can still share what you do! Where do you work and what are your day-to-day responsibilities?
Tuesday, Oct. 9: #SpeakWorldLanguages
People who speak more than one language are more creative and better at planning and complex problem solving. How has knowing more than one language helped you?
Wednesday, Oct. 10: #ClassroomToCareer
Students are always wondering how what they’re learning in school applies to them later in life. What is something you learned in high school that helps you today?
Thursday, Oct. 11: #CollegeGearDay
This day is all about promoting a college-going culture. Snap a photo of yourself in your college’s gear. Where did you go to school and why did you choose it? Or, what is your favorite college memory?
Friday, Oct. 12: #LeadYourCommunity
The last day of DiscoverU week is about making our communities better. We want students to know about community-oriented work and public and nonprofit sector jobs available to them. How do you lead in your community?
For more on each theme day, visit the DiscoverU website.
Kristen “Avery” Avery and Alejandra Pérez are the college and career success team at the Community Center for Education Results, the nonprofit created to staff and support the Road Map Project. Avery and Alejandra develop resources for and coordinate DiscoverU week.