Are you 16-25 years of age, motivated to jump-start your career and ready to enroll in the seminar? Download application and contract.
Getting Beyond the System® seminar is a nationally recognized class that enables youth to begin taking responsibility for their future. Participants learn the critical self-advocacy skills that are key to transitioning to independence and negotiating.
These skills include how to:
- establish short and long-term career and personal goals and develop strategies to achieve these,
- identify and present personal strengths,
- understand and analyze the needs of adults and organizations who are in a position to help youth reach their goals,
- ask good questions and obtain useful information when meeting with an adult in an educational or professional setting,
- present a positive image,
- develop workable solutions to problems and situations; and identify, develop, and maintain mentoring relationships.
This unique and challenging course utilizes the Socratic method and a casebook to provide youth with the opportunity to develop and practice critical thinking and problem solving skills. Please see the GBS seminar learning outcomes for more information. Future Link, Inc. offers the GBS seminar in Montgomery County in collaboration with the NYC Youth Advocacy Center.
GBS graduates report that the seminar is a life altering experience; one that really provides a boost to their future. Here is what Kendall Franklin, 2005 Graduate says he learned from Getting Beyond the System®: "When I began the GBS Seminar the facilitator asked what I was striving to be, and I replied, 'A CEO of a Fortune 500 company.' However, I can't just jump to that level, especially considering that I did not know what being a Fortune 500 executive entailed. With GBS I came up with a bunch of smaller goals, such as graduating college, figuring out what kind of corporation I would want to run, etc. Now I feel as if I am actually on track to reaching my long-term goals."
The culminating project of this 10 week, once a week, 2 1/2 hour educational seminar is an Informational Interview, a 25-minute opportunity for GBS students to meet with a leader in the profession of their choice to learn more about career preparation. Recent Montgomery County GBS graduates have interviewed with a police detective, a former Redskin, an accountant, a soccer coach, the lab director of a biotech firm and others. Graduates of the seminar are also eligible for scholarship funds from Future Link to support their post-secondary education.
Are you interested in volunteering to facilitate a GBS seminar? Please see the seminar learning outcomes and contact us if you would like to learn more about this opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young adults.