Calendar

Books and Beyond: Balancing Academics with Cooking and Social Relationships

In September, join the first LightHouse Youth Employment Series (YES) workshop of the 2019-2020 academic calendar as students return to school. This workshop will focus on the importance of achieving success and independence as youth learn to juggle academics, social relationships, living skills, conflicts with future roommates and personal career goals. They collaborate with one another in interactive activities throughout the weekend to prepare for life beyond high school. Students will acquire essential skills in cooking with confidence, conflict resolution, as well as gain an increased understanding of financial aid and college applications.

YES workshops are monthly weekend-long learning experiences emphasizing the vocational enrichment of low vision and blind youth, increasing and providing access to a multifaceted array of mentorship, employment readiness skills, and alternative accessible techniques.

The YES Workshop in September will provide students with the tools to improve their interpersonal skills (soft skills), learn the ins-and-outs of meal planning and preparation, participate in a mock student residential life review board, engage in discussions around professional and dating relationships, as well as obtain further understanding of college applications and financial aid. The weekend is spent learning from blind and low vision mentors and engaging in creative hands-on activities which further support youth to explore and achieve their individualized and professional aspirations.

Workshop Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will expand their understanding of rights and responsibilities as blind and low vision youth as they explore post-secondary options after high school and prepare for their futures.
2. Transition age youth will acquire strategies on conflict resolution and effective communication as they implement these concepts using interactive scenarios in different aspects of their lives from school and college, to living with roommates, to work.
3. Students will participate in interactive activities as they plan, prepare for, and execute goals for confidence building in a variety of settings from academics, cooking, relationships, to employment.
4. The overnight nature of the YES workshop provides opportunities for students to refine their workplace readiness soft skills including effective social and professional communication and independent living, all while building community with their blind and low vision peers and mentors.

Things to Bring:
1. A note-taking device or implement (braille notetaker, pen, slate and stylus, phone with keyboard, laptop, etc.). You will be asked to complete activities electronically.
2. Necessities you may need such as any orientation and mobility tools to travel safely, money for transportation to and from the workshop, or personal medication.

If you are interested in participating in the September YES Weekend Workshop, please:
1. Contact your Department of Rehabilitation counselor to discuss workshop attendance and authorization.
2. Confirm attendance with Ann Wai-Yee Kwong, Transition Program Specialist, by email at youth@lighthouse-sf.org or by phone at 415-694-7328.

If you have any questions or would like to pay for your participation in the workshop, please contact youth@lighthouse-sf.org. Each workshop costs $950 to attend for the entire weekend. Please note, space for this program is limited to 15 students and workshop attendance must be confirmed by September 10.