Youth Workshop – Ask a Small Business Owner

The Youth Team at BCIL is excited to offer daily workshops on different topics throughout the month of May. Topics cover a range of independent living skills and skills needed to think about different kinds of employment, and how to get and keep a job. These daily workshops are for youth with disabilities ages 14-22.

Please email to register, and then we will provide the link and password for the Zoom meeting: Mary-Kate Wells at bcilyouthservices@bostoncil.org

The workshops include:

Informational Interviews: Meet people who are working in different careers. In these informational interviews, students will have time to develop questions they want to ask the person in the specific career. The Interviewee will then join for Q &A. Bring some questions!

• 5/4- Ask a Small business owner- Learn about owning a business.
• 5/18- Ask a restaurant manager and waitress – Learn about working in a restaurant from a manager and waitress.

5/4- Time Management: Managing our time is an important skill as we think about leaving high school. Join us as we review different strategies to help us manage time. Students will leave with some ideas to try.

5/5- Leaving High School with a certificate: Are you leaving High School with a certificate of completion? In this workshop, student will be given the opportunity to explore what leaving high school with a certificate of completion means and different post-secondary options.

5/6- Exploring a Gap Year: Gap years, often a year taken between high school and college, can be a great opportunity for personal growth. In this workshop we’ll explore some gap year programs, as well as discuss different options for structuring one’s time and learning during a gap year.

5/6- Personal Finance: Credit: What is credit and why should I care? In this workshop we will provide a basic overview of credit, why it is important, and identify resources for future learning and exploration. If you’ve hoped to rent an apartment, or take out a car loan, this is a good place to start!

5/8- Self-care group: Join us to connect, share ideas about how to take care of ourselves during stress and difficulty.

5/11- Meal Planning: In this workshop we will discuss meal planning- how to eat well on a budget by planning ahead. Youth will leave with some tips and techniques, as well as a worksheet to plan lunches for a week.

5/12- Disability Disclosure and Accommodations at work: Have you ever wondered if you should disclose your disability at work? Do you need accommodations to support you at work? During this workshop, we will talk about disability at work and your rights and responsibilities.

5/13- Exploring the College Application Process: Interested in attending college? In this workshop we will explore the college application process. Students will leave with an idea of key dates.

5/15- Staying Connected while Social Distancing: In this workshop we will explore how we stay connected to friends, family, and our larger communities while we are staying at home.

5/18- Decision Making: In this workshop we will discuss some ways to make responsible decisions for ourselves.

5/19- Trades Pathways- Are you interested in learning about Trades such as carpentry, plumbing, electricity, cosmetology? In this workshop, we will explore different trades and trade programs.

5/20- Student Life, or Making Friends After High School: In this workshop we’ll explore ways to make friends in college and making friends outside of high school.

5/20- Personal Finance: Reading a Paystub: Why does money get taken out of my paycheck? What are taxes and why do they matter? Join us as we deepen our knowledge of personal finance.

5/22- Discussion on online dating and safety: In recent years, online dating has become more and more common. In this workshop we will explore safety tips for online dating.

5/26- Setting goals- What are your future goals? Students will have an opportunity to identify a short-term and long-term goal using the SMART goal method.

Job Skills Series (Thursdays)- In this interactive job skills series, each week students will have the opportunity to learn and practice job skills such as communication, answering interview questions, problem solving, and conducting a job search. We will use videos, interactive games and activities.
• 5/7- Communication
• 5/14- Answering Interview questions
• 5/21- Problems Solving: Dealing with difficult situations
• 5/28- Conducting a Job Search

5/27- Disability Disclosure at School or Work: In order to request accommodations at work or in college, we need to disclose some aspects of our disabilities. In this workshop we will explore the complexities of disclosure- the when, how, how much, and why. We will also explore potential benefits of disclosure.

5/29- Self-care group: Join us to connect, share ideas about how to take care of ourselves during stress and difficulty.

Please email to register, and then we will provide the link and password for the Zoom meeting: Mary-Kate Wells at bcilyouthservices@bostoncil.org