Over the past four years we have created conversations and encouraged dialogue with thousands of people from public education, higher education, business, foundations, nonprofits, government, students, parents, etc. to learn about the economic and workforce needs of the region and how those needs are currently being met, or not.  In these endeavors we have become aware of and contributed to numerous initiatives providing workforce experiences for young people as well as professional development opportunities for educators.  We have also listened to the frustrations of business and education regarding the preparation of young people for the world of work.  With careful reflection upon their testimony and our own observations, we came to understand that a comprehensive workforce development effort is lacking in this region. This understanding, however, is not one that is any surprise to the many groups currently involved in the “career literacy” movement.

In 2000, The Future Is Mine was created with the intent of being a delivery system of economic and workforce development information to students, parents, teachers and the regional public education community. Although we were very careful to create activities that were designed to meet the specific needs of an individual audience, we realized that our efforts required consistency. In other words, our message would not create the cultural shift intended unless it was in a context conducive to ongoing thought and discussion, and more importantly, delivered to an audience of young people whose social networks would lead the movement. Although all TFIM activities were original, rich in content and well received, they were done in isolation with little room for follow-up. The following are examples of such activities:

• Parent Groups- Met with 30 parent groups to share the Institute of Politics presentation as well as information on helping their children make informed educational and career choices.  We are also developing a partnership with local and regional PTA/PTOs as an audience for career literacy information.   

• Professional Development – met with 500 guidance counselors relaying information necessary for preparing students for the workforce.

• Mon Valley Learns- offered in-service training for 2000 teachers addressing workforce development concerns.

• School/Business Partnerships – developed and presented a School to Business Partnerships presentation to 75 businesses and 150 business leaders in local communities with the purpose of informing business members of career and educational awareness.

• Craft Advisory Groups-over 500 business people and companies participate in these groups throughout the year providing employer and curriculum support and advice to students and administrators of technical schools.  In this effort the Consortium has become an influential broker in conversations between technical schools and businesses in helping both address a myriad of needs.  Through Craft Advisory Groups we seek to formalize, sustain, and expand the interaction between business and schools.
• Annual Leadership Retreat and Design Teams- convened school district superintendents both annually and monthly around issues that effect schools and communities.  This past year we had Workforce Connections present labor market information to the group.  We see these meetings as one ideal platform to disseminate information.
• GetTech and GetSmarter- US Department of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) requested that TFIM provide eight lesson plans to incorporate real-time industry standards.  Twenty-seven teachers from eleven school districts were provided with valuable real time information from industry representatives to design lesson plans that included PSSA requirements.  These lesson plans will be shared regionally through the Consortium’s website and nationally through NAM and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Although the above opportunities were and still are valuable tools used to bring awareness of the regions’ issues and initiate plans of action, TFIM has taken career exploration to the next level by creating a permanent context in which to use these tools and allow two specific elements to guide the work—CHOICE and OWNERSHIP. The Mon Valley Education Consortium has been dedicated to making a difference in the lives of all children and their communities for 17 years. With children, or young people, as the primary audience it is crucial that they are empowered to drive their own future through self-discovery.  Only when young people are encouraged and given permission to choose and own the process and delivery in which they experience new information will the impact on their hearts and minds be meaningful and long lasting. It is with this knowledge that the TFIM: Student Project was created.

The TFIM: Student Project is a diverse team of young people, grades 9-11, focused on their individuality who will create career awareness/exploration, and ultimately self-discovery, experiences for themselves, peers and the school community. These experiences will encourage thoughtful, smart, and innovative decision-making when creating a career path that leads to success. Although a certified educator at each school will facilitate the group, all projects are student initiated, driven and executed. Again, the elements of choice and ownership are at work; leading to long-term retention of meaningful experiences. A third party, The Consortium for Public Education, is then given the privilege of acting as a filter of current regional information, a resource provider, a reassuring voice for young people, a leader maintaining the integrity of the overall mission—rather than the task of identifying problems, prescribing solutions, and regurgitating statistics.

The TFIM: Student Project consists of four strands of work all focusing on career awareness/exploration. The student work is defined as a peer to peer project within the high school, a peer to younger peer project within the district, an individual project, and the planning/facilitating of the annual TFIM Conference. Although the projects themselves will provide students with meaningful opportunities to explore future options, additional experiences that encourage self-discovery occur simultaneously.

The Future Is Mine has learned many lessons since its beginning that have continuously reshaped the direction of our work. One particular lesson learned has become a guiding force in our mission: career exploration is merely the vehicle used in the road to success, whereas the empowerment of the individual to drive his/her career is the key factor in being prepared for the world of work. For example, a career workbook, aimed at middle and high school students, has been created to familiarize young people “with the kinds of questions you can ask and the challenges you’ll face as you continue to gather information and prepare to reach your career goals.” More specifically, the workbook addresses areas such as: Knowing Your Interests; Knowing Your Skills & Abilities; Knowing Your Values; Career Information; What Happens After High School; and Interviewing People In Fields of Interest. Not only will the workbook be used in the context of the TFIM: Student Project but it will be distributed to middle and high school students in eleven counties.

TFIM has also collaborated in a partnership with the Pennsylvania State Education Association to create a website, www.thefutureismine.com, that will act as a portal to the variety of educational/career related resources available but rarely accessed.  The launch date for this website is summer of 2005. Currently work is underway to establish the appropriate and quality sources of information to be included.

The Future Is Mine Conference, is the signature event of the overall initiative. The 2006 Conference will be held on Thursday, April 27 & Friday, April 28 at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center. This Conference will mark the 6th consecutive year that 300 students in grades 9-12, from across southwestern Pennsylvania will be invited to attend.  The Conference is a celebratory event for all member TFIM: Student Project Teams (currently 18). Breakout sessions, created and implemented by Student Teams, are focused on teamwork skills, workplace insight, and/or career awareness. Students also engage in an in-depth career exploration of one of 10 Pittsburgh based organizations/businesses in effort to learn about the many careers existing in one organization, make connections between what is learned in school and the real world, and to interview various employees who love what they are doing and learn from their personal journeys. In addition to these various career exploration activities, students are given the opportunity to meet with their peers from all other TFIM: Student Project schools to share best practices, apply newly acquired networking skills, and form new friendships.

TFIM: Designing Our Destiny will become the culminating event of the annual TFIM Conference beginning in 2006. All TFIM: Student Project Teams in our member schools will present one of their four projects created during the school year in a public event held on the evening of Friday, April 28, 2006.