Opportunity
Partners expand 2005 Career Camp
by
Julie Peters
When you
think of summer camp, you usually picture exploring nature and writing
letters home – not exploring careers and writing
resumes. But a summer program at Opportunity Partners has students
in transition studying the world of work – and getting excited
about it!
Opportunity Partners, a Twin Cities nonprofit that provides job
placement, education and residential services to people with disabilities,
launched Career Camp in summer 2004 with the support of several local
sponsors. It plans to expand the program to four sessions in summer
2005 with locations in both Hennepin and Anoka counties.
“Teachers and parents indicated to us a need for structured
activities for students in transition during the summer break,” said
Julie McGinley, manager of transition services at Opportunity Partners. “At
Career Camp, we call it ‘Career Training in Disguise’ because
you can learn about careers and have fun, too.”
The camp, geared
for students ages 16-21, is exciting because it offers something
new each day for students. The camp covers many activities such
as filling out job applications and successful interviewing techniques.
It also includes tours of companies throughout the community. “The
employers share with our students what they are looking for when
they make a hiring decision, and how to make the best impression
during an interview,” McGinley said. “We are fortunate
to have supportive employers who are eager to help with a project
such as this.”
Last summer’s tours included ECMC Group, Seasonal Concepts’ corporate
distribution center, Fairview Southdale Hospital, US Bank, Minnesota
Public Radio, Classic Provisions, Inc., and the U of M Raptor Center.
Jayne Spain,
transition specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education,
said, “I
believe this is an incredible program for youth and want to support
it as best I can.”
In addition to
visiting local companies, students discuss what types of jobs appeal
to them and their career goals. “We use a game
show model for an activity that teaches job concepts, and we do an
exercise where the students play the role of a manager critiquing
applicants who are really staff dressed up – some appropriately,
some not so appropriately,” McGinley said. “Students
learn professional attire is important in making a good impression.”
The students
who participated last summer found the experience fun and informative,
McGinley said. “My favorite thing at Career
Camp is going to other work sites because it gives you some ideas
about different jobs,” said Sean Maher, who was a camper last
summer. Camper Laura Casey added, “Career Camp was so much
fun! I learned so much from going on the different field trips. I
learned what jobs I might be interested in doing.”
The cost for Career Camp is $400-$600 per session, depending on
staff support required. The camps run Monday through Thursday for
two weeks (eight days total from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and will be based
out of Opportunity Partners in Minnetonka and Crooked Lake Branch
Library in Coon Rapids. Transportation options are available.
Sponsors of Career Camp include the Patrick and Alice Rogers Family
Fund of the St. Paul Foundation, SUPERVALU Foundation, St. Louis
Park Community Foundation, Kopp Family Foundation, Richfield Rotary
Foundation, Rosemount, Inc., and Lieberman-Okinow Foundation.
Opportunity Partners’ Career
Camp will hold an information day with activities for potential
campers on Monday, Jan. 17 (Martin Luther King Jr. holiday) from
9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Opportunity Partners in Minnetonka. Reservations
are required. Contact Julie McGinley at 952-930-4277 or via email
at jmcginley@opportunities.org.
More information on Opportunity Partners is available at www.opportunitypartners.org.
