Experiential Education/Training
Experiential learning is as valuable to the growth and development of a young person as is academic learning. The League’s Education Services Division administered three internship programs giving the participants hands-on learning opportunities.
Pre-Employability Education and Training
The League provides youth, ages 12 to 19 with pre-employability education and training through its administration of three summer programs: The Computer Education Program, the “Do the Write Thing” Intern Program and the OPM Summer Internship Program. Each program offers the students the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and experience about career choices, work requirements and the differences between for-profit, nonprofit and government employment choices.
We design the Computer Education Program to provide students, ages 10 - 15, with an introduction to computers. During the 8-week program, they give the students classroom instruction, computer lab opportunities, oral communication training and field trips to businesses to see how they use computers in today’s business world. The Royal Embassy of Saudi has funded the program. The League’s Education Services Division and the Information Processing Training Division co-administer the program. In 1998, fifty students participated in the program.
Another pre-employability program is the “Do the Write Thing” Intern Program that gives the students positive alternatives to violence. They provide each of the 50 participants with a three-week internship in local businesses and a three-week internship at community-based organizations. During the 8-week program, the students also complete community service assignments and participate in educational and cultural enrichment field trips. Forty students completed the program in 1998 and were assigned to 25 business and community-based organizations for internships.
We design the OPM Summer Internship Program to give the participants an introduction to employment options in the federal government and the career options that exist. Each participant serves a one week internship at an assigned federal agency. Two one week internships are offered to 200 students ages 14 – 19 during July and August. Internships have been completed at the White House, OPM, the Defense Department, the Labor Department, the US Department of Agriculture and the Federal Elections Commission. In 1998, 189 students participated in the program and were assigned to 20 federal agencies.
Annually, two West Point cadets are assigned to the League to complete a two-week internship. The cadets are assigned to the affiliate to learn more about the agency, its role in the community and to introduce the United States Military Academy to interested students and their families. During their internship period, the cadets participate in workshops, make presentations to youth groups and carry out administrative assignments for the Education Services Division.
School-to-Work Education and Training
During 1996, the Hitachi Foundation awarded the League a three-year grant to administer an Inter-Generational School-to-Work program for junior high school students residing in the southeast section of the city. We will bring twenty-five students into the program each year until a total of 75 are participating during the third year of the program. The program is designed to give the students senior citizen mentors, tutors, community opportunities and education and training in business ownership through the business and economic Careers Program (BEC), a partnership with Junior Achievement. During the 1997 National Urban League Conference held in Washington, the students participated in the Minority Vendors Showcase. They produced 300 product units and sold 290.
