YouthCare Transitions: Career Skill Development for Teens
In summer 2008, YouthCare will begin a new skill-development program for adolescents: Transitions. During its first year, Transitions will offer a seven week program for youth aged 15-18 to learn about career development in a structured, supportive environment. The program includes an internship experience, job-coaching, career skill training, college exploration opportunities, and team-building experiences. Social skill and self-awareness education is integrated throughout the program curriculum. Activities take place independently and in small groups with a high staff-to-youth ratio to provide teens with individualized social and job coaching. Transitions is based in Wellesley, with internship sites throughout the Greater Boston Area.
Applications are accepted starting December 1, 2007.
Please click on the links below to view more information
Program Goals
Transitions: Career Skill Development was developed to meet the needs of adolescents with social cognition challenges, including Asperger’s Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, and Nonverbal Learning Disorders. Based on the premise that teens learn best through “real-life” experiences, Transitions offers career and post-secondary education exploration opportunities in the community with staff support. Integrated throughout the curriculum is social skill and self-awareness education. Its goals include:
- To help teens develop the social and workplace competencies.
- To give teens an internship experience in a structured, supportive environment.
- To provide direct feedback to teens as they develop career competence.
- To increase teens’ social and problem-solving skills through hands-on activities.
- To provide opportunities for teens to explore post-secondary educational possibilities.
- To create an age-appropriate environment that supports a sense of empowerment, in which self-monitoring and self-advocacy can be discussed and practiced.
- To be responsive to feedback provided by teen participants and their families about their needs.
Schedule
Wednesday, June 25 – Wednesday, August 13
(Closed Friday, July 4)
Transitions operates Mondays-Friday from 9:30am-3:30pm.
Program Description
Transitions: Career Skill Development is a seven-week therapeutic skill-focused summer program for teens, providing structured and unstructured activities, career skill instruction, internship experiences, job coaching, college visits, community trips, team building activities and therapeutic groups.
- Small groups with high staff-to-youth ratio
- Career Readiness Instruction
- Resume and Cover Letter Writing
- Interview Skills
- Telephone and Email Conversation Skills
- Career Awareness, Planning & Job Searching
- Career Skill Instruction
- Attendance Rules
- Personal Presentation
- Workplace Communication Skills
- Time Management, Goal-Setting, & Conflict Resolution
- 90-Hour Internship Experience
- Example internships include assisting a veterinary technician, photographer, computer teacher, graphic artist, website designer, camp counselor, lighting or sound technician, librarian, inventory specialist, landscape designer, copy editor, craft maker, or researcher
- Job Coaching
- 1 coach for every 2-3 adolescents
- Assistance with necessary job skills, as determined for each teen
- Ongoing verbal feedback
- Daily written feedback at internship
- College visit once weekly
- Team-building Activities at Hale Reservation one morning per week
- Community Lunches
- Picnic or going out to lunch
- Educational Presentations once weekly
- Presenters may include college students and adults with autism spectrum disorders, students’ services representatives from colleges, and human resource specialists from local businesses.
- Therapeutic Group Meeting once weekly
- Reviewing Self-Assessments and Job Coach Feedback
- Problem Solving of Internship Challenges
- Social Coaching & Instruction for Group Work
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Teen Participants
Transitions is designed for adolescents aged 15-18 in Summer 2008. Typically, our participants have diagnoses including Asperger’s Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, or Nonverbal Learning Disorder, and have had success being supported through direct instruction. Additionally, teen participants should be interested in developing their career skills through an internship experience.
Program Staff
YouthCare programs are overseen by Dr. Scott McLeod, Executive Director and Psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. YouthCare’s Summer programs are overseen by Jennifer Harber, Ed.M., Program Director, and Transitions is planned and coordinated by Kelley Challen-Wittmer, Ed.M., C.A.S., Assistant Program Director. Job coaches have previous education and/or experience in areas including: special education, speech and language, occupational therapy, employment training, vocational rehabilitation, social work and other mental health professions.
Application and Tuition Fees
Application Procedure:Teens aand families may submit an application directly or can be referred by human service providers. Once application materials are received, they are reviewed for potential fit with the program. While spaces are available, applicants who may be a good fit are scheduled for an interview.
Application Fee: A $25 non-refundable fee is required at time of application.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling admissions basis. Space is limited.
Summer tuition: Transitions tuition for Summer 2008 is $5,500.
Application Form: To apply, both the YouthCare Standard Application (pdf) and the Transitions Supplemental Packet (pdf) need to be submitted. Applications are accepted on a rolling admissions basis.
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Location
The program is based out of our office in Wellesley, MA. Internships are located throughout the metro Boston area.
Wellesley Office: 47A River Street, Suite A200,
Wellesley, MA 02481
Contact Information
For additional information please contact:
YouthCare, 73 High Street, Charlestown, MA 02129
Telephone: (617) 726-0060
Fax: (617) 726-0064
mghyouthcare@partners.org
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