2023-Cairn: Career Exploration Day @ Growing Gardens

Start Date-End Date: 01/21/2023-01/21/2023 Land Manager Office: Growing Gardens Land Manager Contact: Lauren Kelso Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Summary: The goal of this event is to provide students with a unique opportunity to meet professionals working in diverse environmental fields and explore what experiences, skills, education, training, and personal qualities might be needed for these careers. Description: Students will have the time to visit every table and have conversations with the organization representatives. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask them about their educational background, current and/or previous roles, organization's opportunities for youth engagement, and anything you are curious about as it relates to their job! Latitude/Longitude: 40.0341885, 105.2758794 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 100 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 14 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 14 Total Unique Volunteers: 14 Total Volunteer Hours: 40.5 Staff Hours: 0 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: On Saturday January 21st, 2023, VOC hosted a Career Exploration Day for 4 youth groups: Cairn, WRV-Wild Youth Group, Left-Hand Outdoor Challenge and The Greenway Foundation. The event was hosted at the Pollinator Pavilion in Growing Gardens (Boulder). Speakers: 31 Organizations: 20 Youth participants: 49 Adult volunteers: 5 Successes and Challenges: Successes: Communication with organizations was simple and effective Only 2 organizations cancelled before the event Students were very excited to talk with representatives Challenges: It was challenging to have an accurate count of participants early before the event. Organizations sent more that one representative, youth groups did know how many mentors/adult chaperons were planning to attend and students register closer to the event date It is difficult for VOC to pay for venue and food for all participants (org representatives, adult leaders, students, VOC staff) Lessons Learned: It would have been ideal to have a training to prepare Cairn students before the Career Exploration. A training that gives them some resources on how to start a conversation, what questions to ask, how to network, etc Invite volunteer photographer Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: