Academic & Career Exploration

The Academic & Career Exploration (ACE) program aims to provide equitable opportunities for high school aged youth in Burlington with limited or no financial resources to discover their passions, gain hands-on experience in that subject, and actively start building the foundation for a bright future.

The program exposes youth to more than nine industries in Vermont, by visiting local businesses, meeting with business leaders, and engaging in ongoing conversations in the community.

Additionally, youth are supported in their post-secondary education endeavors byway of college application assistance, exposing them to life on campus by visiting local schools and nearby Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), and providing SAT tutoring they may need to ensure a positive academic exploration process. Youth will also learn of and explore technical schools and alternative certification programs that allow for a more strategic and pointed approach to a career. They will receive guidance on what they need to do in high school to get to where they want to be.

Why is ACE important?

Imagine that you're 14 years old, just starting high school, and are already being asked what you want to do when you grow up, or what college you want to go to. The truth is, you have no idea. Right now, you are just trying to navigate everyday life – social pressures, academics, and family expectations. Where would you even start? You have more responsibilities than a lot of the kids in your grade. Your parents work really hard, have non-traditional work hours, and you have to take on an after school job and/or be responsible for your younger siblings. Even if you wanted to figure out what your future might hold, you simply cannot add that to the list of things to juggle. Seeing a future for yourself right now just isn’t a reality.

Now layer on top of that, you come from a family where your parents have their own history of trauma, or perhaps they have a substance use disorder, or you have no permanent home and jump from place to place. Maybe they don’t speak or read English well and haven’t been able to support you in your academics, although they work very hard for you to have access to the education you do. Or maybe, you live in an apartment building where your neighbors are regularly engaged in criminal behavior, putting you at risk.

For many kids in all of our communities, including the kids King Street Center serves, this is their experience. The reality is that for low-income families, every member is responsible for the overall well-being of the household. Being a trusted partner to many families, it is clear that parents want nothing more than for their child to find a successful path in life. Yet, for these kids, limited financial resources can translate to little choice in life. There is only room to think about survival first, and thinking in survival mode can be dangerous.

Why this age?

The teenage years are the period in your life where your path can go one way or another. Adolescent brains are wired to take risks, and without the opportunity to see an alternative path, it can become easy to go down the wrong path. It is also an age where you have to start figuring out what comes next in life. If you can remember, it is stressful and confusing, hormones are all over the place, and we rely on people around us to help guide us through it all.

It is also the age where many King Street Center youth are expected to help their family in any way they can, whether that means getting a job or caring for younger siblings. Resourcing them to explore their future helps them and their families.

Why Now?

We’ve all seen the shift in Burlington over the past few years due to the opioid epidemic and housing crisis. We are not alone in this as many states and communities across the nation are also experiencing this dramatic shift, but there is no doubt that the increase in drug activity presents a grave problem for the youth King Street Center serves.

The kids we serve have a responsibility to help financially support their families. Right now, there is an immense amount of demand for drugs in our communities. And basic principles of economics tell us that when there is an increase in demand, there is an accompanying increase in supply. We know for a fact that drug suppliers look to poor kids to supply their drugs. It’s already happening, and it is these kids who will be their target. If kids don’t feel that they have a choice because they don’t have access to safe, positive spaces to go to during the hours they’re out of school – and because there is no other way to make money or see a future for themselves – this is their reality. Thinking about keeping youth safe and focused on a future is the critical component of our strategy to minimize youth risk.

That is where the ACE Program comes in. This program allows youth to explore different academic and career pathways in a hands-on meaningful way – and financially resources them to do so, recognizing that without that stipend, our kids may not participate and will look for other ways to earn much needed income for their families.

The ACE Program says to kids that King Street Center will resource you to explore your future because you are worth investing in. That message matters, and goes a long way towards them believing it themselves and staying on a positive path, despite the forces around them. 

Program Details

  • The program begins in April.

  • There are 23 high schoolers registered for the first cohort.

  • There are set behavior expectations and participants must sign a contract to agree to the terms.

  • Industries they will explore - medical/dental, manufacturing/trades, finance, business/entrepreneurship, IT/engineering, emergency services, hospitality, arts/media, government/non-profit/education.

  • 100 businesses/organizations list to explore with 28 highlighted as initial contacts to partner with.

  • 7 life skills trainings, including interview skills, networking, financial literacy, resume building, professionalism, etc.

  • There will be 5-10 trainings and 10-15 trips planned during the program. Participants are required to attend at least 8 trainings/trips in order to receive a stipend. All are strongly encouraged to attend every training/trip possible.

  • Participants are required to complete a “Debrief Form” after each trip that they attend.

  • Participants are required to complete a final “project” based on their favorite experience that will be featured at the end of the program showcase in the summer.

  • Participants earn $100 per training/trip that they attend to receive at the conclusion of the program.

“ACE is a really unique program that I’m proud to be in and I’m interested in learning about different careers in the workforce.”

— Mathias (9th Grade)

“ACE is important because it will give me a lot of experiences that I normally wouldn’t get. I want to learn more about how jobs work and what my different college options are.”

— Ibrahim (9th Grade)

“It’s a pathway for me to learn about careers after high school and college.”

— Hawa (12th Grade)

How you can get involved:

  • Are you a business owner or work for a cool company? We would love to tour your space and learn about what you do!

  • We are always looking for volunteers to host special workshops or trainings in the skills they are best at!

  • As noted above, this program provides stipends for all students who meet the minimum participation requirements, allowing them to choose their future over a part-time job at a young age. Your sponsorship allows us to serve as many high schoolers as possible!

Get Involved!

Interested in getting involved in ACE? Fill out the form below or reach out directly to our High School Program Manager Joe at joe@kingstreetcenter.org.