ARTS/EDUCATION/CULTURE
Kids on the Go is a free summer camp for special needs kids, which focuses
on their IEP (special education) goals. They have many needs, but right
now they are focusing on their Teens to Work Program, where teens with
special needs learn the skills that they will need to be successful
workers as adults.
In our Life Lessons Lab, Teens to Work (TTW) participants, with a range
of disabilities, learn the skills and experiences to navigate in the
world independently and to secure paid employment. Teen participants
will have multiple opportunities to learn job-related skills and post-secondary
education skills. Participants will learn life skills such as money
management and job-related skills for the service and manufacturing
industries. Students will receive hands-on training and have
opportunities to job shadow. Students will learn practical application
of academic and pre-vocational concepts in Engineering, Manufacturing
& Industrial Technology, Food Service Industry, Marketing, Retail
Sales and Management and Technology career pathways.
Kids On the Go recognizes that when students with disabilities approach
adulthood, most have received little or no assistance in the critical
skills and experience they will need to be contributing members of
the community, to earn a living, to help alleviate the financial burden
on their families, to continue working at improving their abilities,
and to live as independently as possible. Teens To Work fills that
critical void for families by providing teens valuable experiences
with a range of specific work skills as well as exposure to and practice
of the interactions that typical adults encounter in day-to-day life.
The long-term impact on the target population and overall community
is positive and significant. When these teens have graduated, they
will be better prepared to navigate the adult world in a more independent
manner, including finding and maintaining employment and handling day-to-day
interactions. These outcomes benefit the students, their families,
the economy, and the entire community.
