Introductory word

Dear colleagues,

This methodological publication, which you are about to become acquainted with now, is the result of ten years of sincere work with young people, that was implemented by many specialists from three countries – Lithuania, Latvia and Belarus.

Several key aspects connect all of these professionals. Once upon a time, they all realized that the formal education system did not meet all of a young person’s learning needs and that it does not provide him or her with the knowledge they need to realize themselves in the world outside of school. At one time, these professionals also realized that they did not intend to put up with that, and took active steps by involving thousands of young people of all ages in their career guidance initiatives and activities.

These proactive people – youth workers, career consultants, mentors and educators – share another common important characteristic. It is an endless and sincere passion to create by carefully observing the needs of the young people around them and creating opportunities that allow them to discover the space, community and tools to pursue their dream career, to develop self-confidence and to feel safe when realizing their full potential and talents.

This format of the methodology was born in 2013, when I first sent a five-page program from Lithuania to Belarus to my like-minded colleague Nadzeya Putsiat, the co-author of this methodology, describing in detail all the career guidance activities I implement with 9-12 grade students. In the program, I reviewed the most relevant topics for the participants, the methods I used, the structure of the sessions, the frequency of recurrences of the sessions. I also described the specific steps I take to attract participants.

Nadzeya has successfully applied all this information and within a few years has incredibly transformed and further expanded the ongoing program, thus touching the lives of thousands of students and changing them forever. We shared our experiences and enjoyed the results together. For several years, these followup activities took place on a voluntary basis, without receiving any financial reward, supporting ourselves with the inspiration of the idea itself. The main purpose we aimed for was to help students to develop their skills they could benefit from when taking first steps in their career which would be pleasing and respond to the inner needs of self-realization. We also sought to help students build a community in which they would feel support and understanding as they are moving towards the realization of their dreams. We understood two things: students like to get involved in extracurricular self-knowledge activities, and the continuity of ongoing programs, i.e. regular organization of activities, has a fundamental meaning, as it creates a sustainable community with a microclimate favourable to the personal development of the participants.

Over time, the circle of such like-minded colleagues with whom we shared experiences of our implemented programs expanded, and their echoes settled in different organizations, names, and formats. Therefore, we are now happy to spread this inspiration and support in the form of this methodological publication even more widely.

You can choose how and where to use this publication. You can completely replicate the separate parts and the described activities, which are fully completed and ready to be implemented. It is important to emphasize that all the information you will find is based on data on the thematic sessions that actually took place and were in greatest demand and the methods used in them. You can also draw on the information provided here and create a completely unique program of your own using the methods and information that attracted your attention.

And most importantly, do not be afraid to start and try new formats when working with young people and in career guidance area. In this workbook, boldly draw, sketch, fold it, and bring it with you to the places where you work with young people. If you have any questions, wish to consult, gain support or implement joint initiatives, please feel free to contact the following contacts.

Warmest regards, Gintarė Joteikaitė

Coordinator of the project “New Dimension in Career Guidance”

zalianamis@gmail.com gintare.joteikaite@gmail.com

www.zalianamis.lt