CHOICES workshops provide a powerful way for volunteers, licensing organizations and corporations to positively impact students and prepare them for a successful future in the workforce. Teachers and schools value the workshops because of the community involvement and real-world perspectives from the volunteers:
We’ve seen this program as an opportunity for leaders in our community to engage with our youth and provide them another perspective outside of the education environment on future educational and career choices.”
– Employer & CHOICES Delivery Partner
The cost to deliver the workshop is $4.83 per student served, which makes it a very inexpensive way to impact teens. Schools and students typically do not pay for CHOICES.
There are numerous ways for organizations, schools and school districts, and individuals to get involved in CHOICES.
Organizations
Businesses, civic organizations, service clubs, nonprofits and other types of organizations can get involved CHOICES in the following ways:
- License CHOICES – provide the funding, volunteers and a program manager to run CHOICES in the schools in your communities; this allows you to make CHOICES a community service of your organization and benefits not only the students, teachers and schools you are serving, but also your own organization and employees or members. Learn more
- Fund CHOICES – provide financial support for another organization that licenses CHOICES in your community or geographic giving area, or provide financial support directly to CHOICES Education Group to further the mission of CHOICES in a variety of ways. Learn more
- Provide CHOICES Volunteers – if another organization in your community already has a license to deliver CHOICES there, you can still become involved by providing volunteers from your employee or member base to join with the licensing organization in presenting CHOICES in local schools, assuming they want or need assistance. If you’re interested in this option, contact us and we can connect you with licensed organizations in your area.
Schools and School Districts
Schools and school districts can get involved in CHOICES in the following ways:
- Host CHOICES – the CHOICES workshop is typically delivered in the classroom during the school day by trained volunteers CHOICES Presenters from businesses, civic organizations, service clubs, nonprofits or other types of organizations, so individual schools and school districts can partner with these organizations to host CHOICES in their 8th grade classrooms. In some situations, CHOICES is delivered in 9th grade or 7th grade. Learn more
- License CHOICES – while this is not the ideal scenario, schools and school districts that want CHOICES but cannot secure a delivery partner from one of the above organizations can license and run the program themselves, using school budget, grant or fundraised dollars to cover the cost, seeking volunteers from the community and a program manager from within the district. Learn more
- Provide CHOICES Volunteers – while this is not the ideal scenario, if your organization cannot secure volunteers from the community, your school or school district non-classroom staff (counselors, principals, assistant principals, security staff, district staff, etc.) can become trained volunteer CHOICES presenters to assist your school/district or another organization in your community that licenses CHOICES. Learn more
Individuals
Individuals can get involved in CHOICES in the following ways:
- Become a Volunteer CHOICES Presenter – if CHOICES is being delivered in your local schools by one or more of the above licensing organizations, you can contact the CHOICES Program Manager to become a trained volunteer CHOICES Presenter. Learn more
- Volunteer at the CHOICES Office – if you live in the greater Seattle area and/or have a skill you think would benefit CHOICES Education Group, you can volunteer to help us in our office downtown or remotely. Learn more
- Donate to CHOICES – you can make one-time or recurring monthly donations to CHOICES Education Group to support our work financially. Learn more
- Connect Us to Others – you may know of an individual or organization that would be a great partner with CHOICES in one of the ways described above, either in your own community or in other locations across town, your state or the US. Please contact us about this person or organization and we will follow up with them right away.