3. Send your kid to work with someone else
I love the premise of Take Your Kid to Work Day. Since I work from home, my kids try to convince me to let them shadow me – probably so they can stay in their pyjamas.
This work day is a great idea if your child is interested in following a path similar to Mom or Dad. But if she is interested in other fields, be creative and broaden your search.
Think about people in your circle and consider who might allow your teen to shadow them.
- a relative
- a neighbour
- a close family friend
A few minutes of brainstorming can lead to surprising opportunities for your teen. We realized we know a headhunter, an assistant to a bank president, a resource teacher, a lawyer, an electrician, a musician and a chef.
One of our teens recently shadowed my sister in her Kindergarten class. He convinced the children his name was Mr. Orange and connected well with the students using his quirky humour. It meant a lot to him that they still asked for him weeks later.
Ask your teen to learn a bit about a few unique jobs. Offer a prize for the craziest job they can find.
When you are out, discuss who would work behind the scenes to make our cities function. Who is responsible for traffic lights? Who determines where playgrounds will be built? What profession designs buildings and who oversees their construction? What would you study to create advertisements on billboards? Everyday conversations can inspire.
4. Find events to inpire big dreams
This is my favourite challenge. Time to get creative and resourceful.
Search online and in local Facebook groups for unique opportunities to inspire your teenager. Our city offers:
- local college events (ex. open houses displaying projects, drama/musical performances)
- libraries (ex. author talks, graphic novel illustrator visits)
- business networking opportunities (ex. local breakfast meetings, workshops)
Or look for an outdoor leadership opportunity like this one.
