By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Text in italics should be read aloud to participants. As you engage your post in activities each week, please include comments, discussions, and feedback to the group relating to Character, Leadership, and Ethics. These are important attributes that make a difference in the success of youth in the workplace and in life.
This activity is about making choices that seem impossible without the benefit of first experiencing the consequences.
Distribute the Impossible Choices activity sheet. Have each Explorer answer the questions by circling their choice and then lead a guided discussion as they share their responses.
Begin the main event by asking the following questions:
Guide the discussion toward the conclusion that we often have to make life-altering decisions without having the benefit of understanding the consequences ahead of time. Choosing a career can feel like that at times. For this reason, it’s important to gather as much information as possible before making this choice. During this meeting, Explorers will have the opportunity to find out more about some of the career choices available in the automotive repair industry.
In advance of the meeting, invite several local experts in the automotive repair industry to attend your meeting. Have them come prepared to share a brief overview of their day-to-day responsibilities, the training required to do their job, the benefits that are unique to their position, opportunities for career growth, and factors that might be considered unfavorable such as long or weekend hours or unappealing working conditions.
Have each expert give a short presentation. Following all presentations, allow your Explorers to ask questions of the panel. Make sure no single Explorer monopolizes the Q&A session.
Some sample questions are below. They are designed to help the participants apply what they have learned to their own interests. You are welcome to use these questions or develop your own questions that relate to your post or specific focus area.
Share the following quote by Kurt Vonnegut:
“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, ‘It might have been.’”
?Kurt Vonnegut
Each of us will be faced with choices in our lives that will have an effect on our futures. Today we have discussed options that could affect your income and lifelong earning potential. As important as that is, it is more important that we choose wisely who we are and not what we do.
An individual who chooses to live with integrity and be true to what is right and moral will never have to worry about making the wrong choice or regretting the past.