Like thousands of kids around the country this summer, my kid is going to go to camp. But her camp won’t consist of sailing, crafts and bonfires. Instead
there will be cow hearts, robotics, and bridge building, and hopefully a “light switch” that ignites her passion and helps her to build a plan towards her
future. She’s going to go to an Envision Career Camp.
Let me give you some background on Pathways to STEM, the
specific program my daughter will be attending. It’s a program for third through fifth graders that is a kind of “sampler platter” of careers in the
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field. The Pathways program, like all Envision programs (22 in all, spanning elementary, middle and
high school) is based on principles of experiential and project-based learning—that students learn best by doing. Hands on activities,
simulations, and lots of collaborative group work all combine to build their teamwork and communication skills.
Now, there is a clear need for disclosure here: I am the CEO of Envision, and for obvious reasons I feel passionate about what we do. But let me lay out
four reasons why, regardless of this fact, my daughter will be spending this summer “trying her future” at an Envision Career Camp.
Reason #1: I Want Her to Find Her “Light Switch Moment”
Like every parent, I want to see my child show true passion for something, and to see the spark and love of learning in her eye. Like every parent, I am
proud and excited when I see that, and concerned when I don’t. I believe that in most kids, that spark is ever-present, even if it is hiding beneath the
surface and needs some encouragement to come out. Sometimes that encouragement means banning the binge-watching of all Disney Channel TV shows in the
house, but other times it can take the form of a truly transformational summer experience. Envision Career Camps are a great example of the latter—offering
an incredible number of opportunities for students to make a connection and nurture their natural and innate curiosity.
Reason #2: I Want Her to See That Careers Can Be Fun
By the time we retire, most of us will have spent in excess of 100,000 hours involved in our jobs and careers. This is a tremendous amount of our time and
of our lives, so we should make it count and do something that we truly enjoy. This is a message I want my kids to absorb, and one that a career camp will
convey. Envision programs don’t present jobs in a boring and traditional way; rather,
students get a chance to go “behind the scenes”, to interact directly with experts from different career fields, and to get hands-on experience in what
it’s like to pursue a career. And the use of experiential learning presents topics in a fresh, new way that is different from many school districts It’s the way learning should be.
Reason #3: I Want Her to Have a Dream… And a Plan
My wife and I are not “tiger parents” and by no means do I believe that a fourth grader should have her entire college and career path planned out. But
it’s never too early for a child to have a dream and a vision for what they want to do with their lives—and many kids do. But too few kids have their
dreams bolstered with some semblance of a plan, and that can make accomplishing a goal challenging later in life. Career Camps help kids form that plan and
understand the broad brushstrokes of what’s required to pursue a given career field. So if, as a result of this summer, my daughter thinks that she may
want to be a doctor, an Envision program will help her to understand that to accomplish that goal she will need to complete a four-year college degree and
go to medical school. Simple, but powerful.
Reason #4: I Want Her to Have FUN!
Summers are transformational times in kids’ lives. Show me an adult and I will show you someone whose fondest memories invariably involve something amazing
during their childhood summers. And Envision Career Camps are the definition of fun—students are interacting with an amazing group of peers, getting the
kinds of academic experiences they don’t always get in school, and making memories that will last a lifetime.
I could go on, but these are four simple reasons why we, along with thousands of other parents, have made the choice for our child to go the “Career Camp”
route this summer. There’s nothing wrong with a bonfire- but I’ll take a light switch for my kids any day.
-Duncan Young
Chief Executive Officer
Envision Experience
background-image: a building with the American flag in front of it