SEEing the Future

SEE-ing The Future

I watched her come up from the subway, wait at the light and cross the street. She was looking in the windows and swinging her bag, happy, as she peered ahead to see me at the end of the block. This is my “baby” coming from her SEE project internship in New York City. This child, (who am I kidding? young adult) who doesn’t like being alone and prefers trees and rolling landscapes to the cement jungle of a city, appeared to be totally comfortable. I smiled to myself and to her – this navigation of the city is just one of the many lessons she has learned in the few short weeks of her end-of-the-year adventure.

The Senior Enrichment Experience was introduced about four years ago when my oldest was a high school senior, and I must admit, I had my doubts. The whole program is based on the premise that the senior students find or create an internship or project for themselves to complete during the final three weeks of the school year. Technically, their academic year is over before the project begins. Though there is no grade given, the students are held to a rigorous set of rules and its completion is a requirement for graduation.

I thought this was a lot to ask of kids who were in the final stages of senioritis and in the full throes of spring fever. How in the world did those teachers think they could motivate these seniors to do so much independent work? Those adults saw an opportunity to help their students get a little real-life experience that includes selling their idea to the committee and the potential internship folks, networking, managing the demands of work and personal life, reporting to a boss or supervisor, commuting, and keeping weekly progress meetings with their mentors along with daily journals. The students are trying on a career or experience for size, and learning so much about themselves in the process. I have never been happier to be so very wrong in my initial skepticism.

Right now, there are New Fairfield High School seniors helping to reorganize the Dorothy Day soup kitchen in Danbury, writing cookbooks and presenting classes to elementary school children, shadowing nurses and teachers, creating teaching tools for the English and History departments in the middle and high school, acting as guy Friday at the United Nations, assisting the assistants of a Broadway costume designer and building a website for the music department. Past endeavors have included full theatrical productions, environmental studies centered on area wetlands, technical support to local non-profit agencies, and a variety of experiments based on physical therapy and aquatic plant growth. Some of the ideas can seem far-fetched and whacky, but the key goal of the SEE mandate is to find something to do that comes from a personal passion. If counting tadpoles in a vernal pool is your thing, it can qualify for your proposed project.

That this project will become mandatory is a good thing. The early stages of the process, beginning in January, required the seniors to begin thinking about what they wanted to do in June. This is no easy task when you are focused on AP tests, college applications, weekend jobs and sports practices. A little creativity and a lot of introspection are necessary to come up with a proposal. This is presented formally to a committee of faculty who approve the idea. Next comes the difficult lesson of “finding a job” where the students are applying themselves to selling their skills and the project itself to possible sponsors. All internships are unpaid and only a few charitable projects are accepted. For those creating the cookbooks, for example, fundraising was necessary to purchase supplies. Another useful skill for later in life indeed.

As the actual internship or project is happening, students keep a journal of their experiences and collect data for their final presentation. The SEE Fair is held at the school, open to the public in the evening, and showcases all of the energy and creativity culminating from six months of toil. In light of the current dismal job climate, the kids are not just learning to do a little work, they are learning the very important skills of creative networking and truly thinking outside of the box. I know it is the hope of the school, and mine too, that such wonderful opportunities as the SEE project will help this class of 2012 navigate the rough seas ahead. They will go out into the world already having experienced a few things, met a few folks, and sweated a few deadlines. They will not be surprised by traffic slowing their way to a meeting at a specified time and they will know how to behave in a business meeting. They will have confidence when asking for an opportunity, a sale, a favor. They will know to wear a tie or sneakers, as the situation demands. They will have respect for their supervisors, co-workers and themselves. Most of all, I think these kids will emerge from their Senior Enrichment Experiences with a terrific sense of accomplishment.