A Facilitator’s Perspective
This blog was developed and provided by Perry White, Facilitator of the Reboot Plus program at College of the North Atlantic in Stephenville Newfoundland.
*This is part one of a two part blog.*
Why This Work Matters: A Facilitator’s Path to Reboot Plus
Prior to joining the Reboot Plus program at College of the North Atlantic I was the principal of an Alternate High School for students who were unable to attend the regular school system or who were at risk of not graduating from the regular school system. A big part of this role was to develop transition plans for youth. I was always researching opportunities for my students. I was disappointed that Reboot Plus, offered at Douglas College in BC, was not available in Newfoundland as I was a big fan of the program and its approach.
After my retirement from the K-12 system I became aware that the College of the North Atlantic was attempting to offer Reboot Plus. I jumped at the opportunity to be involved as I felt it was needed in our area.
Responding to the Realities Facing Vulnerable Youth in Newfoundland
One of the problems we face in our community (Stephenville, Nfld.) is a high degree of unemployment and a limited job inventory. Students who are motivated and successful generally move away due to a lack of local employment opportunities which leaves a void of role models.
As a young person, I saw older neighbours and relatives get jobs at the local mill. I then saw them with money, new vehicles and status. It made me want to be like them and get a job at the mill. The mill has since shut down and has not been replaced by another industry.
Our youth are not seeing the fruits of success in the job market as most of our successful youth have moved away. Instead, they are seeing youth who live at home, are unemployed or under employed and are unmotivated. We don’t want this to become the new normal.
There is also limited job diversity in our area, so students do not get exposure to a wide variety of jobs. Reboot Plus remedies both problems. It allows students to be exposed to a much larger number of occupations and to make connections with people in those occupations through the interview component of the program.
They get to hear stories of how people moved forward in their life and into their chosen careers. Where possible, we like to link youth to people from our area so that they can see firsthand people doing well as a result of completing high school and getting some post secondary training.
Program Elements That Make a Difference
One of the program elements of Reboot Plus that is important is the college location. Reboot Plus is a transition program and as such shouldn’t be taught the same way and in the same location as high school courses.
By being in the college, Reboot Plus can serve as a bridge between completing high school and entering post secondary. There are many benefits of youth being in the college but the biggest is the slow transition they are afforded.
Instead of being plunked fulltime into a college program youth can get comfortable in the college setting while completing Reboot Plus. Reboot Plus participants get to go into post secondary classroom settings, meet post secondary instructors, spend time in the common areas and get to know what it feels like to be a post secondary student. By the time they start a college program they are already comfortable in the college setting.
A second element of the Reboot Plus program, that has been important, is the development of filters. Traditionally, the focus of Career Development programs has been on providing information as it was believed that more information led to better choices.
While this is still true, we have reached a point where youth have access to an amount of information that can be overwhelming. Our goal is not only to provide information but to help participants create filters to navigate the available information in a way that helps them make their best career choice.
Observed Impacts and Transformational Outcomes
Reboot Plus is a transition program for career development. Developing a career development action plan is the primary reason for participants to become involved in the program. We have been very successful helping youth transition into post secondary. This part of Reboot Plus is measurable.
However, many vulnerable youth have other challenges. Some participants have come with anxiety so severe that they required support or a transition plan to attend the program. By the end of the program, they were far more comfortable and no longer required the supports.
Some have identified not wanting to be around people but then attended every class, participated in group work, supper club and attended the final group dinner. Some have identified barely leaving their house prior to the program but attended school or got a job after the program. Some have identified only having online friends. It is a pleasure seeing them chatting during supper club, planning interviews together, playing pool at supper club and hanging around after class to talk about the class activities.
A common theme expressed by participants in the intake meeting is the desire for a positive change of direction in their lives. I often hear that today’s youth just want to sit at home, but I don’t believe that to be true of the majority. I think youth of today, just like youth of the past, have big hopes and dreams.
I think that we live in a time where transition into adulthood is challenging. Research shows that belief in oneself and one’s plan is a strong predictor of future success. Reboot Plus is a great program to help youth make positive changes in their lives.
I recently had two former Reboot Plus participants visit me at the college. Both indicated that they are doing well and attributed many of the positive changes in their lives to Reboot Plus.
From my vantage point, both are doing fantastic, especially when you consider how far they have come since starting Reboot Plus. I am very proud of them both. Neither of them are following exactly the action plan they had when they completed Reboot Plus. Both had to react to challenges and opportunities which came up in their lives.
The goal isn’t for participants to leave Reboot Plus with a plan for the rest of their lives but rather to have the ability to plan for the rest of their lives.
The Reboot Plus project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre.
Le projet Reboot Plus est financé par le Centre des Compétences futures du gouvernement du Canada.