The Boy Scouts of America Caddo Area Council is laying the groundwork for additional career education for high school students.
The Learning for Life Explorer program had an Impact Meeting on Thursday with area law enforcement agencies, fire safety and emergency services to garner their support for the program. The goal is to help young people make a more informed decision about the career path they choose.
"So you're a young person sitting at home watching TV, trying to figure out what you want to do with your life. How do you really know until you know?" asked Anthony Escobar, Caddo Area Council scout executive. "Exploring gives those young people the opportunity to figure out if this is really for them. They get real experiences."
"One of three things is going to happen when kids are exposed to a career. They'll figure out it's not for them, or they'll figure out it's what they want to do. The third option is they get together with some friends, have a good time and gain some respect and understanding."
The program has benefits for the host organization.
"They get to see these kids in action," Escobar said.
It's not unusual for participants in the Explorer program to eventually be hired by the host agency.
"The importance of this is it gives participants the opportunity to work with professional, experienced people in careers they're interested in," said Fred Markham, president of the National Learning for Life executive board. "They get to be mentored and come to understand what makes up the job they're interested in and explore that career field."
It's also a win for employers, Markham said.
"They get to know kids well, and often the kids rise to jobs in the organization. It's a great place to start if you're interested in a particular career."
The first impact meeting focused on law enforcement and emergency services, but future meetings will bring in other professionals.
"Exploring covers a wide range of career paths," Escobar said. "We'll probably have impact luncheons quarterly, and they'll involve other skills and trades. We base it on career surveys from high schools. We figure out what the kids are most interested in."
Josh Marrs of the Longview, Texas, Police Department spoke at the event about his department's Explorer program. He's been program adviser for eight years.
He emphasized the importance of considering policy, funding, time committment, the need for dedicated advisers and a policy for ride-outs.
"It takes a lot of time to make this work. It's not easy," Marrs said.
There are already three Explorer posts in the area, including the Texarkana, Ark., Police Department, Ashdown City Police Department and the Cass County District 2 Fire Post.
Linda Willis, director of the local Explorer program, is hopeful there will soon be more Explorer posts in the region.
"There was interest from several organizations," Willis said.
For more information about the Explorer program, call Willis at 903-793-2179.