Pilgrim program aims to put young adults in jobs

Matt Bower
Posted 10/9/14

After collecting information and doing extensive research on a number of different programs for 18 to 21 year olds with Individualized Education Programs (IEP), Pilgrim High School special education …

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Pilgrim program aims to put young adults in jobs

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After collecting information and doing extensive research on a number of different programs for 18 to 21 year olds with Individualized Education Programs (IEP), Pilgrim High School special education teacher Kerri Walker designed her own program, the Working Activities Transition Program, to help prepare these young people to transition from high school into the working world.

Dennis Mullen, director of secondary education for the Warwick School Department, said students with IEPs have until age 21 to graduate and the department is responsible for them until then.

Mullen said programs like the Working Activities Transition Program are extremely important.

“We have a responsibility to all students, so anything we can do to help them be successful as they transition out of the school system is important,” he said.

“I went to six different districts and collected information on different programs and took pieces of what I saw that worked and combined them and proposed it to the district,” Walker said.

The program, which serves a diverse population of students, is now in its third year of existence and numbers between 10 and 15 students each year.

“The administration determines who enters the program, which changes every year based on the students and what their interests are,” Walker said.

In order to be eligible, students must complete their high school requirements, including academics; senior project; e-portfolio; and state tests.

Walker said the program contains three components: Citizenship and community; work readiness; and self-determination.

“Students work toward academic advancement and [developing] life skills,” she said. “They cook breakfast and lunch items, shop for the items they cook, visit job sites and go on vocational tours to learn about different jobs and responsibilities.”

Walker said students spend three days a week in the community.

“We’ve gone to museums and theaters, stores, the post office, Resource Recovery, dairy farms, and adult service agencies,” she said.

Walker said her students are also heavily involved in community service, including holding food drives; donating to the elderly; working with elementary schools by helping students design art projects and playing games; and holding holiday fundraisers.

Walker said students even got to have their own RIPTA day, which allowed them an opportunity to learn how to ride a RIPTA bus, which took them to Kennedy Plaza. She has also worked with Secretary of State Ralph Mollis to have students use a modified voting machine to learn how to vote.

In addition to learning daily living skills, Walker said the program provides young adults an opportunity for social interaction.

“A program like this is an absolutely essential part of transitioning from completing high school and handling classroom responsibilities to the adult service world,” she said.

Walker said the program gives participants an opportunity to develop the skills they need to acquire before leaving school so they can be more independent when they leave.

“Self-advocacy helps with speaking up and controlling your life,” she said. “Students become active members of their community and get to know their surroundings.”

Walker said her students also run a classroom store, which they stock and count inventory, which allows them to “actively work on job skills when they’re not in the community.”

Walker said it’s fun to see students come out of an academic structure and be exposed to opportunities to do different things.

“Seeing their growth and readiness to leave [school] confident and not be scared of what’s to come; they have an awareness of what’s to come and they’re ready to go and move on,” she said. “It’s great to see them become active members of the community.”

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