More than 100 students and adult educators representing 15 high schools came together for the Future Ready Leaders (FRL) Kickoff meeting to launch a new school year of collaboration, career exploration, and student-led projects.
This year’s launch convened everyone at the Best of the Batch’s impressive facility in Homestead, allowing teams to bring more students than in the past.
During the meeting, teams began brainstorming and planning projects focused on future and career readiness. Throughout the school year, teams will continue building on their ideas that they mapped out with the help of Human-Centered Design techniques incorporated into the agenda. During the teams’ January and April convenings, teams will have the opportunity to collaborate, share progress, and discuss their projects across schools.
Students also have opportunities to participate in site visits that introduce them to a variety of post-secondary education and training options. This year’s visits are planned to Duquesne University, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center. Additional career exploration experiences are available with local businesses like Giant Eagle. These career-connected learning experiences will help students align their interests and goals with real-world opportunities beyond high school.
To further support student-led initiatives, each participating school will have the opportunity to apply for a $250 project grant to help bring its team’s ideas to life.
Seventeen school teams are participating in this year’s program, including three new teams from Burrell, East Allegheny, and Steel Center for Career and Technical Education. New and returning teams working together help expand the opportunities to learn new ideas and further develop the skills needed to work with a wider range of stakeholders.
In addition to the three new teams, participating districts this year include: Allegheny Valley, Avonworth, A.W. Beattie Career Center, California Area, Cornell, Elizabeth Forward, Gateway, Greensburg Salem, Hampton Township, Lenape Tech School, Norwin, Ringgold, South Allegheny & Woodland Hills.
With new teams joining the program and students beginning to turn their ideas into action, FRL is off to an exciting start! The year ahead promises opportunities for students to build leadership skills, explore career pathways, and take meaningful steps toward graduating with a much better chance of answering three important questions: Who am I? Who do I want to be? How do I get there?
