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Questions about Connecting to the Future
- What happens after the programs? Do you do follow-up?
- What connections are you making for these students to other organizations?
- How do you set up teens for success in community action so that it is not a one-shot deal in either direction (teens & community)?
- If students feel they missed an opportunity in high school, what is available after graduation?
- With high competition for jobs in the environmental field (even entry level), how can we address the risk of not finding a job for people of color, or not high compensation--especially in non-profits?
- "Diamonds in the rough" - what ideas does the merit scholars program (Uri Treisman) offer for this issue?
- Are classroom teachers actual or potential advocates or ambassadors? Are faculty members thinking about careers, diversity, being more welcoming (vs. "weeding"?)
- How do we get past searching for familiar behaviors to indicate potential success in new hires/job prospects?
Questions about the Student Participants and Their Growth
- How do you recruit/how do you gain traction so the recruitment takes care of itself?
- What are some common points of misunderstandings you need to translate through?
- How are you finding kids and how are you losing them?
- Do you have a lack of kids applying or a lack of diversity of kids applying?
- Are teens hopeful about themselves? the world? the city? Does this experience make them more so? Does it lead to action (e.g., on climate change)?
- Themes? Are their portfolios all iMovie Prezi PPTs? What are their guidelines? Wide open?
- How do teens get to you?
- How will the teens help plan the conference you are planning?
- Do teens also participate in either research of informal science teaching? (UIC - Learning Sciences)?
- How old are the high-school participants?
Questions about Connecting to Other Programs in the Area
- How can you train or inspire other program providers to work with the diamonds in the rough?
- How would I get one as an intern?
- Do you work with Project Exploration? The Hive Chicago?
- Does this work have any implications for engaging younger kids? For what happens in schools?
- Are you looking for participation from other institutions with teen volunteer programs in the teen conference?
- Do you know of Teen explorers - August at Powderhorn?
Questions about Evaluation and Program Parameters
- How is the teen program at the zoo well integrated versus a separate program that gets at diversity?
- Have you studied your program's effects on college/career/etc.?
- How long has this program been going on? What activity have you seen that teens seem to respond to best?
- Are there specific lessons, knowledge, or questions that spark the interest of teens, from your experience, as they related to conservation, sustainability, etc.?
- Do you get pushback?
- Is transportation an issue?
- Have you seen a change in the "face" of applicants for jobs and internships?
Questions about Emotional and Community Connections
- What did you personally get that felt like "support" for you to pursue a conservation career?
- How do conservation messages connect to faith messages for teens?
- Is it really an issue of it not being sexy? What are the real issues of "making it?"
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