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On November 19, 2024, The DeBruce Foundation hosted its Annual Employment Empowerment Event. The Foundation unveiled its 2024 Employment Empowerment research insights, presented new K-12 Career Literacy Resources, and showcased the work of esteemed education and workforce leaders across the country!
This convening during National Career Development Month drew more than 950 registrants from across the nation. Attendees gained new career resources, research, and tools to help empower the next generation.
Meet the event panelists:
- Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, The DeBruce Foundation
- Kirstin DiQuollo, Co-Executive Producer at Fred Rogers Productions
- Jessica Asbury, Coordinator of Elementary Real-World Learning at Piper USD 203
- Angie Castera, Chief People Officer at American Student Assistance (ASA)
- Jylon Hollinshed, Agilities© Ambassador
Research Insights from The DeBruce Foundation
Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight opened the event by speaking on The DeBruce Foundation’s mission of expanding career pathways. The Foundation develops Career Literacy resources that are based in rigorous research and data.
Over the past five years, The Foundation’s research has surveyed over 40,000 working-age individuals to gauge the state of the current workforce. As a result, the research has revealed the following key insights:
Those who are Employment Empowered….
- Consider 38% more job opportunities outside their current career paths.
- Are 23% more likely to be employed.
- Earn an average annual salary of $48,000 or more.
The DeBruce Foundation has found that developing a strong sense of Career Literacy and Network Strength are key factors in building Employment Empowerment.
Using ASA’s TeenVoice platform, The Foundation conducted a survey spanning over 600 youth aged 13-19 from across the country. The results indicated that students are eager to learn about career exploration, but lack the current tools or opportunities to do so:
- 60% of students are thinking about or know their future career
- 78% are somewhat to very confident about their career choice
- 49% have little to idea about how to prepare for a career
- 51% are considering 2 or fewer careers
In alignment with the findings of this research, The Foundation has prepared resources for youth and those looking for a change in careers to explore career options, build confidence, and expand their future opportunities in the workforce.
The DeBruce Foundation’s New K-12 Career Literacy Resources
The Foundation revealed their new K-12 Career Literacy Resources. These tools provide educators, career counselors, and parents with the support needed to prepare youth for bright future careers.
The K-12 Career Literacy Resources are free to all and can be easily integrated into any curriculum as needed. With resources for Elementary, Middle, and High School and more, the K-12 Career Literacy Resources grow with students on their way to future careers. This initiative is the latest development in The Foundation’s work to help young people understand their value, build confidence, and explore the many ways they can use their unique skills and interests throughout potential careers.
By releasing these tools to the public, The DeBruce Foundation hopes to equip educators, students, and more with the tools needed to build Career Literacy. By granting these resources to students, The Foundation hopes to start career-focused conversations early on and inspire youth to start investing in themselves now. In doing so, the next generation will be better prepared to navigate the workforce and will have increased opportunities to become employment empowered.
Kirstin DiQuollo
DiQuollo is the Co-Executive Producer of Donkey Hodie, a hit puppetry series for children ages 3-5 from Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures on PBS KIDS.
As a series, Donkey Hodie is designed to empower children ages 3-5 to dream big and overcome obstacles in their own lives, work hard and persevere in the face of failure, be resourceful and discover they can solve problems on their own—and laugh themselves silly along the way.
“Our mission is to build on the legacy of Fred Rogers by creating quality children’s media that models an enthusiasm for learning. We believe it is never too early for kids to discover the fun of following your curiosity and learning meaningful life skills along the way,” said DiQuollo.
DiQuollo’s experience in children’s media complements The DeBruce Foundation’s efforts to expand career pathways. DiQuollo’s work on Donkey Hodie intends to empower children and equip them with strategies to start thinking ahead toward future goals.
“The beauty of Donkey Hodie, and all of our series at Fred Rogers Productions, is that the life lessons we model are timeless,” said DiQuollo. “They’re timely, and they help children build a foundation for future growth and success.”
Jessica Asbury
As the Coordinator of Elementary Real-World Learning at Piper USD 203, Asbury is well acquainted on preparing students for the future. Asbury and her team at Piper Elementary have integrated the Agilities framework as a core focus of its curriculum, all the way from Pre-K to 6th grade.
By implementing Agilities-focused initiatives like play-based learning, recess games, school-wide research or service projects, and many other practices, Piper USD allows students to develop essential skills through active engagement.
“We want them to be able to connect to the feelings of joy, exploration, and human connection that take place when we dive deeply into understanding Agilities,” said Asbury.
Asbury highlighted Piper USD’s Agilities Fairs. Here, students can connect with local professionals to learn about a wide range of careers and industries – and even engage in hands-on-activities to test their interests in real time. The Agilities Fairs serve as an outlet for students to grow new skillsets and mobilize themselves towards success in their future careers.
“Agilities has created this powerful environment where students are taking ownership – they’re applying these skills and the growth in confidence has been beautiful,” said Asbury.
Angie Castera
As the Chief People Officer of ASA, Castera is dedicated towards providing resources for students to enhance their Career Literacy and Network Strength.
“At ASA, we envision a world in which all students have equitable opportunity and access to career readiness learning so they will be equipped to make informed, confident decisions and navigate a path of post-secondary education and career success,” said Castera.
Professional development and career seeking opportunities are limited for the younger generation. While sharing research from ASA’s recent report, Castera revealed that:
- Over 65% of students feel they would have benefited from career exploration in Middle or High School.
- 5% of internships are available exclusively to high schoolers.
- 32% are available to high school or college students.
To combat this gap, ASA provides resources to students as they progress through their education. Middle school students can visit career fairs, complete job shadows, network with industry professionals, etc. In high school, students can engage in ASA’s and its mission-aligned youth-serving grantees’ various “test and try” programs – where participants can take part in internships, apprenticeships, project-based learning, entrepreneurship education, and more. ASA also provides professional development opportunities for educators at all stages of student’s education.
“These individual opportunities help young people understand the kinds of things they love and hate about work, uncover the way they like to work, and begin to build the social capital that is needed for long-term career success,” said Castera.
ASA also offers its free EvolveMe® platform, which features The DeBruce Foundation’s Agile Work Profiler©, along with access to other digital career experimentation and skill-building experiences.
“Together with The DeBruce Foundation, ASA is empowering teens with a self-awareness and confidence to chart their own course and prepare for career and economic success.”
Jylon Hollinshed
Hollinshed is a current student and actor, who is featured in The DeBruce Foundation’s animated Agilities videos as part of the newly released K-12 Career Literacy Resources. As a student progressing through college, he can attest to the benefit of early career exploration.
“These videos are designed to introduce elementary students to the Agilities – their work skills – in a way that’s fun, age appropriate, and affirming of their early strengths and interests,” said Hollinshed.
The animated Agilities© videos provide an overview of each Agility, and how they develop and interact with other key skills. Through staring in the series, Hollinshed was able to see youth benefit from Agilities in real time.
“I think it’ll help [kids] be more eager about learning and figuring out who they are and what they want to do with their lives and career.”
By sharing the Agilities video series, The DeBruce Foundation and others like Hollinshed can create a community of support around youth development.
“The resources we’ve talked about today shows kids that hey, you’re not alone… You have tools and you have people around you that deeply care for your success and they’re going to prioritize helping you,” said Hollinshed.
Webinar Discussion
Throughout the webinar, Taylor Knight spoke with panelists about what innovative strategies their organizations were utilizing to generate youth development.
“At ASA we’ve learned that self-led digital learning experiences beyond the classroom are not only the best way to scale equitable access to career exploration, but also to give young people the agency they crave and to meet them where they are,” said Castera.
Meeting students where they are is necessary towards creating meaningful experiences and relationships.
“When you respect their voice, [students] bring something powerful to the table,” said Asbury. “They just need to understand the way, and you know, to know that they’re a big part in that solution.”
By involving students in these conversations, educators can empower students to be more independent in their evaluation and comprehension abilities. This dynamic does not only start in the classroom. Children’s media plays a major role in reinforcing positive messaging around developing essential skills.
At Fred Rogers Productions, “We help model those skills and give kids examples of how they can be critical thinkers, be problem solvers, feel that it’s okay to not have all of the answers and then keep working and keep trying and modeling that persistence,” said DiQuollo.
For early learners, establishing that awareness and using it to develop a bigger picture is essential. Students may not always have all the answers, but utilizing tools like the Agilities framework will allow them to work towards possible solutions.
“Being aware and knowing my Agilities helps so much of building a roadmap of where I want to get,” said Hollinshed.
Granting students access to the appropriate tools and resources will empower the next generation of the workforce. By instilling that early confidence, The DeBruce Foundation and its partners hope to empower youth voices and strengthen Employment Empowerment at large.
“It’s going to go back to building the confidence in what one does well and what they like to do and getting that early start,” said Dr. Taylor Knight. For more information and resources from the event, please visit DeBruce.org/November.
