“You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.” ~Zig Ziglar

We understand that first impressions and appearance matters, especially when applying for a job. What we wear and how we present ourselves can determine if doors of opportunity will be open or close for us. Because of this it is important for us to guide and teach our children life skills and set them up for success in hopes that many doors of opportunity will open for them to have a happy and prosperous life.

One way AKP was able to do this was a walk on the catwalk in our first Do’s and Don’ts Fashion Show, teaching the importance of appearance and how to properly dress for a job interview and in the workplace. As part of the Career Readiness Program ran by Occupational Therapy student Mesha Alexander, staff was excited to participate as they modeled appropriate and inappropriate looks for the workplace. Our kids joined in on the fun as they gave staff a thumbs up or thumbs down in their role as judges, which they took very

The purpose of the career readiness program is to reduce some of the adverse adult outcomes foster youth face, such as unemployment, homelessness, incarceration, and pregnancy. By providing the youth ages 14-17 , an opportunity to develop self-awareness skills through a series of self- assessments, get a head start on career exploration, and how to actively search for and maintain employment they will have a stronger foundation for success when aging out of care.

Some of the topics includes resume building, professional work behavior, and interviewing. Along with the opportunity to visit local colleges/trade schools to explore career options and a volunteering experience at Feeding Tampa Bay to develop hands-on work-related skills our children are exploring and learning about opportunities for growth in their future.  This year we plan to expand on these topics so they are more prepared and aware of all the opportunities available for them.