Fall officially started this weekend, and I already find myself reminiscing about the summer days that made me feel so alive. These past few weekends have been just like that—filled with camping trips to the coast and plenty of sunny outdoor activities. One Saturday afternoon, we rented kayaks to explore the Oslo fjord, and as I paddled toward a small island with the sun shimmering on the water, I thought to myself: this is living.
Embracing fall and new beginnings
And just like that, summer is over, but I’m sure fall will bring plenty of new sweet memories as well. Here at the cottage we will have a fall coloured garden over the next couple of weeks, a few houseguests, and I’m planning on writing down an autumn ‘bucket list’ of fun ideas for this season. This list will definitely include novels to read, movies to watch, playlists to make and things to bake!
I was sipping tea behind the living room window the other day as the sun was setting, and the house was chilly enough that I had bundled myself up. I watched enormous clouds drift through the purple-pink sky while the last golden rays of sunlight touched my face for a brief moment. Right then, I knew there’s no better feeling than being home. Fall brings a special kind of comfort, and I live for evenings like this—cozy and peaceful ♡.
Shaping teen careers: collaborating with schools
So, saying I’m excited for this new season would be an understatement. Besides enjoying these everyday moments, I have some exciting work projects lined up. For those who’ve been following my Alta journey, you’re probably aware that I’ve been working on a course designed to help teenagers explore and map out their future career paths. Currently, I’m collaborating with high schools throughout the Netherlands that provide ‘Technasium education.’ In November, I’ll be offering a teacher training program with the intention of empowering schools with career path tools. During this training my goal is to ensure educators have everything they need to teach my course to their students.
During this course, students will map out their interests and strengths, brainstorm ideas and aspirations for the future, explore ways to find out which ideas fit them well and define an action plan to help them with the decision process.
This is a milestone I’ve been dreaming of, after two years of designing, testing, and perfecting this course. Last week, I ran a ‘teaser’ workshop to give the teachers a glimpse of what to expect from the training, and their excitement was contagious. I can’t wait to see my course being implemented and taught in these schools! There are so many teenagers who feel uncertain about what career to choose. I firmly believe that they’ll benefit greatly from my accessible and actionable tools for exploration.
Workshop success fuels future plans
A week after facilitating the workshop, I’m still buzzing with joy from the positive response from the teachers. The excitement I feel about this work was clearly shared by the group, which is exactly what I hoped for! This has given me a huge boost of motivation to create the best possible materials for both teachers and students for my training sessions in November.
As I dive deeper into this project, I’m more excited than ever about the impact it can have. The feedback so far has reassured me that my course would be a valuable product to use during mentor-student classes. Teachers have praised its structured approach, which makes it easy to implement, and the hands-on exercises that will engage students. By focusing on self-reflection, goal setting, and exploration of career options, the course helps students build confidence in their choices.
Shaping futures together: your thoughts?
If you're a teacher, how do you currently help your students map their future, and how could additional tools make it easier? And for the students reading this, what excites you about discovering your true interests and strengths and turning them into a meaningful career? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Together, we can refine and expand on what’s already working and make the course even more impactful. Stay tuned, and feel free to reach out!
Iris
Comments