Outdoor Leadership Academy - SYEP

In-Person Professional Development

Career workshops are educational opportunities designed to help youth develop and practice essential career readiness skills.

Professional Development workshops involve interactive learning activities structured to enhance participants' professional skills and knowledge in a specific area. These workshops utilize methods like presentations, group discussions, hands-on exercises, and case studies, with the primary goal of improving on-the-job performance and fostering long-term career growth. We are seeking Corporate partners to lead engaging sessions for our summer youth employment program focused on career readiness, professional development and placemaking. Partners are invited to host the following types of sessions, available in two scheduling formats: A Single-Day Intensive ( AM and PM sessions, 2 hours each) or a Multi-Day Series (4 days over a 5-week period, AM and PM sessions, 2 hours each).

FINANCIAL LITERACY

Focus: Core financial management, budgeting, saving, and investing principles.

Scheduling Options: Single-Day Intensive OR Multi-Day Series.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Option 1: Mock Interview Practice; Focus: Facilitating and providing constructive feedback on mock interview scenarios.

Option 2: Industry Insight & Career Pathways; Focus: Providing an overview of your company, day-to-day work examples, and clear guidance on how to enter your field.

WORKPLACE IMMERSION

Focus: Hosting a group (AM and/or PM) at your facility; Activity: Provide a guided tour of your workplace and lead a corporate activity relevant to your industry.

COMMUNITY PLACEMAKING & DESIGN 

Goal: Work with youth in our Summer Youth Employment Program to design a new garden space at Jefferson and Washington Houses.

Scheduling Options:

Single-Day Intensive ( indoor or outdoor )

Multi-Day Series ( combining indoor design work with outdoor implementation )

OBSTACLE DESIGN

Become a vital partner in an exciting and transformative community project: the creation of a Multi-Station Obstacle Course designed, planned, and built entirely by local youth. This is more than just a physical challenge—it is an investment in skill development, leadership, and community pride. By empowering youth to be the creators and builders, we are not just constructing an obstacle course; we are laying the foundation for future leaders.

The Vision: To transform an underutilized space into a dynamic, engaging, and publicly accessible multi-station obstacle course. That will travel so it should be light weight and easy to assemble.

The Impact: The course will serve as a traveling, healthy recreational resource for the entire community, encouraging physical fitness, teamwork, and problem-solving.

Proceeds support year-round outdoor leadership, career readiness and professional development workshops. OLA-SYEP interns are paid by the City of New York.