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By Gideon Abadilla, Youth Development Specialist
Every summer, the Pathways School Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP) hosts a four-week long summer program for the students of Carteret High School (CHS). This program has typically focused on promoting social and emotional learning, developing team building and leadership skills, and creating connections among incoming freshmen, current students, and Pathways staff. This has been achieved each year, including this summer, by engaging in various games, evidence-based programming, and recreational and community service field trips.
The format in which these objectives have been delivered has changed slightly over the years, but this summer experience was unique to all of its previous iterations. For this year’s program, the Pathways Summer Program was transformed into the Pathways Summer Academy.
Transforming the Summer Program Into the Pathways Summer Academy
Pathways has always prioritized the social and emotional growth of Carteret High School students. This year, however, marked a significant evolution with the introduction of the Pathways Summer Academy.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Franklin Square Foundation, the program expanded its focus, providing rising juniors and seniors with specialized tools to explore careers in the human services field. The Pathways Summer Academy not only maintained the traditional summer activities beloved by students but also introduced new opportunities for career preparation, college readiness, and networking with industry professionals.
Here are some of the unique experiences that made this year’s Pathways Summer Academy a standout success.
Career Preparation and College Readiness
With grant funding from the Franklin Square Foundation, the Pathways Summer Academy was created to provide rising CHS juniors and seniors with the tools to pursue a career in the human services field.
Students who were interested in other career paths were still encouraged to apply, as the program would still provide general college and career preparation assistance. This included an information session with admission counselors from William Paterson University and a field trip to Kean University for a college tour.
In addition, students were given the opportunity to apply for an exclusive scholarship of $1000 that, if awarded, would provide financial assistance for expenses towards the college application process, such as college application or SAT/ACT registration fees. The students were allotted time throughout the program to work on their essay drafts with assistance from CHS teacher Rebecca Baker and Pathways staff, as well as a volunteer writing tutor. A workshop on personal statement writing was also provided. By this fall, up to four students will be selected to each receive the $1000 scholarship.
Networking and Community Service
Another change to the program was the opportunity to network with human services providers and gain insight into their daily operations. The program took a field trip to Perth Amboy, NJ and the first stop was to meet with the Raritan Bay Area YMCA staff at The Center for Support, Success and Prosperity. The students and staff were there to learn more about the center’s services and perform community service by assisting in the set-up of their monthly food pantry.
Then, the program traveled to the Alexander F. Jankowski Community Centre to meet Dianne Roman, the Director of Human Services for the City of Perth Amboy and the person who graciously coordinated the program’s whole trip to Perth Amboy that day. They were also visited by Perth Amboy Mayor Helmin Caba.
Last but not least, the program took a tour around the facility run by the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development. Known by most as PRAHD, the organization has been in operation for fifty years, now serving residents across Middlesex, Monmouth, Union and Hudson counties. The students learned about their many programs and services and were able to exchange contact information to stay in the loop with the programs they can currently participate in, how they can volunteer with PRAHD, or how they can be considered for a future internship.
Traditional Summer Fun With Pathways
Aside from all of the new experiences introduced into the program, the Pathways Summer Academy still incorporates the core pieces of a typical summer with Pathways. Some highlights include icebreaker activities like “shuffle your buns” and name games; evidence-based programming for social and emotional learning, such as this year’s resiliency workshop series Why Try; two guided yoga sessions; team-building activities like the team scavenger hunt and the team relay races; and fun field trips such as bowling and Six Flags Great Adventure.
Student Feedback and Program Success
Overall, the students expressed an eagerness to participate in our Summer program again. The academy was another success for Pathways SBYSP and the program hopes to replicate what made this summer a special one. Below are some of the takeaways from the post-program student satisfaction surveys:
94% of students surveyed checked YES to “Would you tell your friends to join the summer camp program?”
94% of students surveyed answered YES when asked if their experience in the program helped prepare them for life post-high school graduation
For more highlights from the 2024 Pathways Summer Academy, please visit our Instagram page @pathwayssbys.