Description:

OTTP provides youth programming at Buena Vista Horace Mann, Everett, and Visitacion Valley Middle Schools. OTTP’s holistic, trauma informed, strength-based approach embodies the principles of youth development and is embedded into the school day. Career Awareness is conducted as a weekly group with six distinct cohorts (two groups of non-duplicated youth weekly at each school) of 8th graders. We support the development of youths’ knowledge and skills in the educational environment by building competencies in social and interpersonal skills, cognitive skills, emotional coping skills and critical soft skills essential for success at work. Youth are introduced to the world of work through participatory activities to build awareness of career interests and vocational skills, project-based career exploration activities, and guest speakers from a variety of fields. Through engagement in our curriculum, youth acquire soft skills including communicating assertively, teamwork, making decisions based on self-knowledge, and following through on commitments. They also manage time, organize themselves, and learn to utilize community resources. Upon completion, youth share their personal portfolio of self-discoveries related to career interests, strengths, values and personality. This portfolio presentation supports the youth in building their strengths-based personal narrative that reinforces positive, pro-social beliefs about their self and celebrates their vocational interests and goals.