Last week I was very fortunate to be a part of a first of its kind 3 day event sponsored by Apprentice University [apprentice-university.com] – Orienteering * Map Your Journey After High School.
Orienteering is actually as Swedish sport. I did not know that until late 2015! Here is how Dictionary.com defines Orienteering: [see definition]
This event was the brainchild of my long time friend Ron Brumbarger. Ron is a skilled entrepreneur and a status quo disrupt-er – who also is a champion for effective change in education. I believe, as Ron does, that the modern educational system is broken – especially higher education. It seems one cannot go a day without hearing a news story about the crushing debt that students and families accumulate in the pursuit of a college degree and the ultimate, and sometimes elusive, prize of a job. Those fortunate enough to land in a job are often under employed or frankly in work that is unrelated to their degree.
As a career coach I frequently work with individuals in the time frame immediately after college where they find themselves wandering, lost, frustrated, and disillusioned. How did they get to that point? There are of course a variety of stories. The most central theme is that they really end up there as the result of not having a plan. Orienteering, through a group experience, seeks to change that situation by thoughtfully coming alongside students while in high school, and even in college, to allow each of them to create a personalized structured plan and action steps. It is an excellent curriculum and is analogous in some respects to a portion of what I do with individuals in personal coaching.
I had such a great time as the official Orienteering career coach and helping to guide students through the curriculum and their own personal plans. What an excellent experience! So many Ah-Ha moments! Do you have a high school aged family member? Do you know one? Invest in them and compel them to create their own personal road map. Connect them up with the Orienteering program, a program like Orienteering, or a career coach. It can be literally life course changing!
