SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. /CitizenWire/ — Continuing its support of young people facing obstacles to employment, the Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County partnered with the Roadtrip Nation Experience to provide an intensive curriculum to the Year-round Workforce Investment Act youth program.
By giving students the tools to interview and film someone in their career of interest, the Roadtrip Nation Experience empowers students to define their own roads in life; to make school actually matter by relating what they study to their real-world experiences; and open doors to different pathways and possibilities.
"This is an opportunity for our youth to interview specialists in careers they are interested in and find inspiration, as well as practical advice to achieve their dreams," said Sandy Harmsen, Executive Director of the Workforce Investment Board and Director of the Workforce Development Department for San Bernardino County. "In 2011, 13 youth service providers helped more than 1,320 youth through the Year-Round WIA Youth Program and many of those young people go on to find jobs or higher education that lead to long-term careers."
"It has been a pleasure working with San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board," Molly Gazin, Educator Network Coordinator of Roadtrip Nation. "The facilitators are enthusiastic and dedicated to the futures of the youth involved and that is evident in their experience with the program. We're excited to see the results of the final Roadtrip Projects that they're hard at work on right now."
The San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Act Youth Program gives eligible youth access to services designed to increase educational opportunities, develop better job skills, explore career options, develop leadership qualities, participate in adult and peer mentoring and counseling and obtain valuable work experience.
Students in the program receive career counseling, reading and math remediation, tutoring, alternative secondary schooling, vocational training, leadership development and job placement. They also complete workshops that taught work readiness, problem solving, life skills and computer literacy.
"These youth services prepare students for the future by helping them to earn a degree, certificate or a paid internship, and obtain much needed career skills," said Supervisor Josie Gonzales, Chair and Fifth District Supervisor. "The Roadtrip Nation Experience provides each student with an opportunity to develop leadership skills, confidence and an awareness of professional occupations available to them."
To learn more about the San Bernardino County WIA Youth Program, call or visit one of the youth providers listed at http://www.sbcountyjobops.com/youthservices.html .
Roadtrip Nation, a half-hour documentary television series distributed nationally by American Public Television, airs in southern California on both KOCE and KLCS. Check local listings or visit www.roadtripnation.com/watch for specific airtimes.
About the Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County:
The Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County is comprised of private business representatives and public partners appointed by the County Board of Supervisors. The Board strives to strengthen the skills of the County's workforce through partnerships with business, education and community-based organizations.
The Workforce Investment Board, through the County's Economic Development Agency and Workforce Development Department, operates the County's Employment Resource Centers (ERCs) and Business Resource Centers (BRCs). The ERCs provide individuals with job training, placement and the tools to strengthen their skills to achieve a higher quality of life. The BRCs support and provide services to the County's businesses including employee recruitment.
About Roadtrip Nation:
In the summer of 2001, three friends decided to take a Roadtrip to seek their place in the world. The idea behind the Roadtrip was simple: If you don't know what to do with your life, talk to people who are doing what they love, then ask them how they got there. The trio hit the road in a mechanically unsound Green RV, and three months and 17,000 miles later, had interviewed 85 eclectic individuals.
Since then, Roadtrip Nation has evolved into a Movement to help individuals define their own roads in life: Including seven seasons on public television, three books, an online community, and a student network on more than 350 campuses.
In 2009, the Movement expanded into education with the creation of RoadtripNation.org and the development of The Roadtrip Nation Experience, a hands-on, engaging curriculum that guides students through an explorative process to learn about pathways relevant to their own individuality.
Roadtrip Nation is dedicated to inspiring people everywhere to create lives based on doing what they love. For more information, visit roadtripnation.com and roadtripnation.org.
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