Career Awareness Program

The Career Awareness Program (CAP) is a comprehensive three-year program that provides year-round opportunities for students to learn more about the relationship between education and career opportunities - and support them in making positive choices that will affect their future.

Career Awareness students…

spend three-and-a-half weeks at Camp Mariah during the summer. Activities continue during the school year providing opportunities for academic and career exploration. Children apply while in the 6th grade (and must be 11-12 years-old).

Each year the curriculum focuses on building specific skills including goal setting, public speaking, problem solving, and conflict resolution. In the final year, students focus on career exploration and civic engagement. In addition to classes like film, coding, culinary arts, fashion, photography, international relations and drama – there are dance and music classes, debate, and chess.

Students work on resumes and mock interviews in a careers class, and also participate in recreational activities including swimming, sports, nature hikes, and visiting the model farm. After graduating the program, students are encouraged to apply for our Counselors-in-Training or CAP Teens programs.

Career Awareness year-round activities include:

Three and a half weeks at at Camp Mariah
Two camping weekends each school year. One in the fall and one in the spring. The weekends are designed with a focus on developing problem solving, critical thinking, and presentation skills.
Job Shadowings where students gain a first-hand introduction to a broad range of career fields from fashion, to finance, to architecture.
A Career Fair is held in New York City each spring. Volunteers including film producers, lawyers, physicians, software engineers and magazine editors, lead interactive workshops, and discuss the educational requirements, specific skills, and experience, necessary to succeed in their professions.
Secondary Schools Connections: Individual advisement and support is provided to students to identify and apply to high school. SHSAT test prep.
One-on-one optional tutoring program matches students with volunteer mentors and helps them with academic skill building and literacy.

Interested in learning more?

Download the Career Awareness Program Brochure (in English / Mandarin / Spanish)

Questions? Contact Byllye Taylor, Director of Career Awareness Program/Camp Mariah, at btaylor@freshair.org or 212-897-8924

See resources for current participants.

Learn more about Camp Mariah