Healthy Communities • YMCA Youth Programs
Take our Kids to Work Day: a glimpse into the working world
28 November 2018 - by YMCA of Greater Toronto
Pictured above: Logan (right) and his mentor, Sandra Luis (left) at the Mississauga Valley YMCA Child Care Centre for Take our Kids to Work Day.
On November 14th for Take our Kids to Work Day, the YMCA of Greater Toronto welcomed grade 9 students to explore the world of work. Our YMCA employees, who are also parents and mentors, shared valuable workplace skills with our young learners and provided them with a glimpse into their working day.
Students who participated in Take our Kids to Work Day were keen to share their thoughts on the day… “I learned how to answer phone calls professionally,” says Denyka, “And I learned how to involve others in our communities.” Rogene job shadowed his mentor at one of our YMCA Child Care Centres. One thing Rogene learned about his mentor’s role is that “while she is at work, she looks like a mother of 17 kids.” He felt the best part of the day was when he got to read stories to the children because it gave him an opportunity to learn about what kinds of books most interest them.
The experience provided many young people with the opportunity to build new connections. “The best part of my day was meeting new people and socializing with them – especially the staff members,” says Jeremie. All the participants had the chance to experience work first-hand and gain an understanding of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform various jobs.
Students also got to make connections between their experiences at the YMCA and what they are learning in school. “At school, we have sports teams and physical education classes and activities,” says Aleena, one of the young participants. “YMCA also offers health and fitness programs such as swimming, basketball, track and badminton for all age groups.” Similarly, Jordan who job shadowed his mom at a YMCA Health and Fitness Centre learned that both in school and the work environment, it’s important to always know what’s happening and to pay attention. “My mentor does many different things that are essential to running the Centre smoothly,” says Jordan.
Beyond the valuable learnings and connections made, students were able to gain an appreciation for the day-to-day work of their parents and mentors and reflected on the importance of values such as patience, integrity, responsibility, timeliness and respect.
Take our Kids to Work Day provided students with diverse opportunities to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of their parents and mentors, giving them participation in the authentic context of a workplace and a good flavor of the working world.
While it gave the youth a chance to have meaningful experiences and explore different career opportunities, for the YMCA it was a perfect way to support our commitment to the education of young people and our vision to make our communities home to the healthiest children, teens and young adults.
On November 14th for Take our Kids to Work Day, the YMCA of Greater Toronto welcomed grade 9 students to explore the world of work. Our YMCA employees, who are also parents and mentors, shared valuable workplace skills with our young learners and provided them with a glimpse into their working day.
Students who participated in Take our Kids to Work Day were keen to share their thoughts on the day… “I learned how to answer phone calls professionally,” says Denyka, “And I learned how to involve others in our communities.” Rogene job shadowed his mentor at one of our YMCA Child Care Centres. One thing Rogene learned about his mentor’s role is that “while she is at work, she looks like a mother of 17 kids.” He felt the best part of the day was when he got to read stories to the children because it gave him an opportunity to learn about what kinds of books most interest them.
The experience provided many young people with the opportunity to build new connections. “The best part of my day was meeting new people and socializing with them – especially the staff members,” says Jeremie. All the participants had the chance to experience work first-hand and gain an understanding of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform various jobs.
Students also got to make connections between their experiences at the YMCA and what they are learning in school. “At school, we have sports teams and physical education classes and activities,” says Aleena, one of the young participants. “YMCA also offers health and fitness programs such as swimming, basketball, track and badminton for all age groups.” Similarly, Jordan who job shadowed his mom at a YMCA Health and Fitness Centre learned that both in school and the work environment, it’s important to always know what’s happening and to pay attention. “My mentor does many different things that are essential to running the Centre smoothly,” says Jordan.
Beyond the valuable learnings and connections made, students were able to gain an appreciation for the day-to-day work of their parents and mentors and reflected on the importance of values such as patience, integrity, responsibility, timeliness and respect.
Take our Kids to Work Day provided students with diverse opportunities to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of their parents and mentors, giving them participation in the authentic context of a workplace and a good flavor of the working world.
While it gave the youth a chance to have meaningful experiences and explore different career opportunities, for the YMCA it was a perfect way to support our commitment to the education of young people and our vision to make our communities home to the healthiest children, teens and young adults.
