THE ADULTING SUMMIT

Adulting – v. acting in a way that an adult would be expected to

When a teen lives in a group home, one of the things often missing from their lives is guidance on how to live on their own. And for many, this is a necessity once they turn 18. They will be expected to take on challenges of the real world, and succeed.

The first step to taking on the idea of adulting is to get a job. It is a pivotal task. OCJ Kids’ annual career fair, Adulting Summit, provides opportunities to prepare these teens.

RESUME BUILDING

A community volunteer guides each teen through a resume building process. Their hobbies, interests, and skills are shaped into a way that allows them to present themselves on paper. Usually in a way they didn’t think possible.

For most of these foster teens, they don’t see the value in who they are. This one-hour session can change all that.

MOCK INTERVIEWS

In a one-on-one setup, each teen works with a community volunteer to go over interview questions and practice in a mock interview session. We teach them to be confident, and to bring out their voice.

The questions are crafted to help them remove the unknown and hone each response for future success.

JOB READINESS CLASSES

Classes are taught by professional volunteers to provide tips on how to navigate their career and life as an adult. How should they be budgeting and managing their paycheck and money? What should and shouldn’t they be doing and posting on social media? How do they prepare for an interview and what do they wear? How do they keep a job once they’re employed? What are some difficulties they can expect to face in an entry level job and how do they handle it?

The many challenges that foster youth deal with is having a role model to turn to when these questions come up. Adulting Summit provides a crash-course lesson.

VENDOR TOWN

Businesses and Colleges come together to present what they do. Whether a profession requires advance education or pertains to a trade, teens are encouraged to visit vendors, and talk to them.

The goal is to spark inspiration and provide them with opportunities that interests them. Some even leave with a future interview lined up. For others, they now know what they want to study in college