This action item seeks authorization for a Memorandum of Understanding between The School District of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN), to provide a Digital Career Exposure and Exploration program to students at Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center School (PJJSCS).  The program engages participants in early and intermediate level experiences and facilitates exposure to career pathways, digital literacy, financial literacy, and more. Experiences are offered in a digital setting and are tied to incentives based on programmatic milestones.

The Digital Career Exposure and Exploration program is a WorkReady School-Year initiative in which PYN funded experiences are designed to have developmentally appropriate activities that align to a continuum of experiences in the following phases: (1) Early Awareness: Build awareness about the variety of careers and career pathways available and the role of postsecondary education, (2) Intermediate Exploration and Preparation: Learn through engagement in targeted work-based experiences and solidify the foundational skills to succeed, and (3) Advanced Training and Immersion:  Develop career-specific skills and engage in authentic career experiences.  

Career Readiness Progress and Growth: As a result of engagement in experiences, participants will be given opportunities to: Follow a series of steps to complete an application for career services and / or employment; Develop and apply career readiness skills and mindsets; Set goals and develop plans to achieve them; Understand multiple career options; Increase self-awareness; Develop initiative; Develop strong relationships with peers and adults; and Increase financial and digital literacy.

The program will foster and facilitate opportunities for participants to develop key skills and mindsets along the following categories: (a.) Academic and Technical skills include, (1) numeracy, (2) literacy, and (3) technical application, (b.) 21st century skills include, skill-building in (1) teamwork and collaboration, (2) communication, (3) creativity and innovation, and (4) critical thinking, (c.) Character Development includes, (1) resilience , (2) mindfulness, (3) curiosity, (4) courage, (5) ethics and (6) leadership, and (d.) Reflective practice includes, opportunities to (1) name and understand skill development, (2) build relationships and networks, and (3) reflect on personal skill development.  Moreover, this program will help transform a student's ability to mainstream into the traditional system, allow them to acquire workforce readiness skills during their enrollment at PJJSCS, and ensure that students who graduate while at PJJSCS have additional skillsets for employment.