‘Next Steps’ in Salem

The Salem Kroc Center teaches life skills to high school students.

BY KAREN GLEASON

You’ve probably heard it: “High school—it didn’t teach me anything that I actually use!” Perhaps you’ve even said it yourself.

To fill the gaps often felt after graduation, The Salvation Army Salem (Oregon) Kroc Center offered “Next Steps,” a free, four-week intensive program for teens focusing on foundational life skills and providing hands-on opportunities to integrate those skills. The program, which took place weekdays Aug. 1-26 from noon to 2 p.m., covered a specific topic each day.

“The Next Steps program is about the baseline skills that everyone needs to not only enter the workforce but also to go beyond the workforce right into everyday life,” said Clay Dunklin, Fine Arts and Education Coordinator for the Kroc Center. “If we’re only preparing them for work, but we’re not preparing them for real life, then how much good have we really done?”

To that end, the program included sessions on financial planning and credit, apartment hunting, home care and maintenance and car maintenance, as well as resume writing, mock job interviews and a Kroc Center job-shadowing day.

“We’re excited about the Next Steps program at the Salem Kroc Center,” Salem Kroc Center Corps Officer Captain Quinton Markham said. “It presents a fantastic opportunity for The Salvation Army to connect with young people in our community in their desire for career development and employability skills.”

Dunklin gives Christina Vasquez, Fine Arts and Education Rebound Program Lead, credit for developing an “extensive and robust curriculum.” Although they co-taught many topics, they brought in experts, too.

“On our financial days, we had a couple of folks from a local credit union come in,” Dunklin said. “We weren’t just relying on our own knowledge…we really wanted some folks who could share real expertise in those areas.”

Dunklin said they sought to create a “collaborative environment, one that values discussion over lecture.” He and Vasquez wanted to provide a level playing field, a platform where everyone could learn together.

“It really is about how we relate to the kids,” he said. “They're in school so often, and so