Annual Touchpoint Events
Kick-Off Goal-Setting Event:
The kick-off goal-setting event is the first Touchpoint event of each school year when returning mentors and students have a chance to set goals and plan for the coming year. Students identify what they want to accomplish and who is on their "team" to help them reach their goals and hold them accountable. In January, new 9th grade students meet their mentors to begin a great relationship and the journey to college success.
Work Readiness Workshop:
Students assess themselves, explore careers, and gain work skills. They identify their strengths and career interests, learn proper workplace etiquette/work skills training, create a resume, learn about skills and incomes associated with specific jobs, experience being an employee, and participate in Job Shadowing Day, Interviewing Skills training, Mock Employee Orientation, Diversity Training, Build a Company That Cares exercise, Performance evaluation analysis exercise, Managing money training, Interviewing for internships, and work with their mentors to design and implement/complete two internships.
Take Your Mentor to School Day:
AIM High mentors, take a couple of hours away from their place of work, come to their students' schools and spend a half-day “shadowing” their student around school. Mentors watch the students in classrooms and even interact with the class and instructors. To end the exciting day, students and mentors have lunch together while debriefing and evaluating the students' academic performance in classes, reviewing the students current grades and transcripts, and from there setting goals together. The entire evaluation serves as a motivator for the student to do well, and congratulate the student on what they have done, additionally, to help show the student what they have to work on.
Ethnic Cultural Event:
An event that is held mid-year of the students school year to check in on grades and other matter that may have benn discussed in emails throughout time that mentors and students had been apart. This is also a great time for students and mentor to hang out and talk face-to-face because students are about this time taking finals and other test.
Career Fair:
The annual Aim High Career Fair exposes students to a wide-range of of careers and fields of work to engage in. This event allows mentors to showcase their careers and jobs to their students and other students in the program. One of the most rewarding parts of this event is a chance to not only gain exposure to a career that interests the students, but also learn of new careers they had never heard of before. Students also practice their interviewing skills at this event and Career Representatives vote on America's Next Top Intern at the end of the evening.
Career Shadowing Day:
The career shadow day is a day where students visit their mentors in their place of work and essentially have a chance to see their mentors and companies first hand. Student receive tours of the office, meet co-workers and in some cases get their “feet wet” as they take on their mentors job. The day ends with a company provided lunch with the mentors and available employees and administration to give tips.
Arts Cultural Event:
Expose students to the wider world to increase their comfort level with others through visits to the theater, museums, college sporting events, dinners/tours in Chicago’s ethnic neighborhoods, and by incorporating contextual education (i.e. Information about a particular culture, etiquette, etc.) and instruction to match each setting.
Local College Visit:
As a constant reminder of how important college is, Aim High takes student to different college in Chicago and the Chicagoland area, that may spark more interest for students in their Sophomore and Junior years.
Aim High Fundraiser and Community Service: March to College
As Aim High is education initiative for the non-for profit organization of Center for Companies That Care, there is much funding that is needed for student participation and it is received through fundraising. Students and mentors are given the chance to raise money while having fun at the same time, and interacting with each others' family. Some fundraisers have been Bowling events and the 5k March to College.
Community Service:
Promote leadership development and self-esteem by giving students a chance to become a role model to others. AIM High students serve as literacy role models for local grade school children; they are trained as storytellers and go into local CPS elementary schools to read to children and deliver donated books.
College Simulation:
The College Simulation introduces high school seniors to real-world college experiences via a fun, competitive, interactive, half-day simulation. The objective of the College Simulation is to
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Raise college life awareness and optimize graduation outcomes
- by presenting students with situations they may face in college
- while simultaneously guiding them to seek help from resources,
- and introducing them to the people and places available in college to assist them
thereby increasing their chances of actually graduating from college (In 2007, only 42% of incoming African-American college students graduate in 6 years, and only 49% of Latinos. (Source: US Dept of Education )
The simulation is designed as a matrixed scavenger hunt for a Status Report Card for 35-40 high school students at a time. The students’ goal is to pass freshman year and get the best (comparative) ranking. During the game, students will do activities at different locations that build on past performance from other locations. As they complete activities, they are building their Status Report Card. Once they believe they have completed all the activities, they take their Status Report Card, Grades, Money and any Tokens they have received to the Registrar. The Registrar resides at the Resource Table and determines whether students pass Freshman year and their rank. Throughout the game, students will also receive College Curveball Cards as added challenges when they least expect it.
The Simulation is followed by a formal debrief to ensure students explore and process the experience and integrate it into their college expectations.
Year End Recognition:
Celebrate matriculation each year and reward specific student behaviors (i.e. public speaking, homework completion award, overall engagement award, AIM High’s Next Top Intern award, etc.). By celebrating each time the student matriculates to the next grade and involving family members (including younger siblings), students build confidence, character, and presence. Graduating seniors reflect on their AIM High experiences, advise younger students, and recognize their mentors. Of the many gifts graduating students will receive, they include an AIM High Alumni t-shirt, a college sweatshirt with the logo of the school they will attend, and an invitation to the AIM High Alumni event to be held the following January during winter break from college. Students and mentors are heavily involved in the planning and execution of these events.
Register here for the Touchpoint Events you plan to attend.