A.I.M.
ASPIRE + INSPIRE + MOTIVATE
Campus Visits
VREC is excited to host campus visits again this year for 8th Grade students. These trips are provided for free thanks to the generous support of the Vermont Community Foundation.
Summer Leadership Summit: Free for all rising 8th graders!
Join us for a tour of NVU Lyndon on July 23rd with free breakfast, lunch and snacks! Students will be able to engage in leadership workshops, meet new friends, and learn about different college and career resources.
Fall Visits:
We had students from six NEK schools participate in campus visits this past fall to UVM, VTSU Randolph, Champlain College & Norwich University
Spring Visits:
We had over 200 students from eight schools make campus visits this spring to St. Michael's College, Middlebury College, Sterling College, VTSU-Randolph and VTSU-Lyndon.
“I had the chance to visit the department of engineering at UVM and it really helped me frame my decision and next steps. ”
General Overview & Goals of A.I.M.
Rural students face unique challenges regarding career and college/post-secondary readiness. Unfortunately, many rural students either lack the aspiration or preparation to pursue and succeed in career and technical education or with post-secondary opportunities due to limited exposure or awareness. Many students have never seen a college or technical school campus or had family members who have attended college or post-secondary training. They often believe that college is not meant for them and do not consider further education or training after high school. VREC is committed to raising the aspirations of all students in the region by creating opportunities that intentionally expose students to careers and post-secondary options during the middle school years through a range within our Aspire-Imagine-Motivate (A.I.M.) initiative. Our goal is to provide students with a roadmap in high school that positions them for career pathways that include a credential of value or degree. A.I.M strives to impact the education and lives of our students in the Northeast Kingdom.
A.I.M. supports an intentional and coherent system of career and post-secondary preparation with targeted activities that lead to students’ broad understanding of their individual strengths and interests and how they relate to their career pathway. The program plans activities for grades 6, 7 and 8 and supports the ability for all students in our region to access and participate in them. We provide free visits to a wide range of college campuses in Vermont. We help to facilitate visits to regional Career and Technical Education Centers. VREC hosts an annual Summer Summit on the campus of VTSU Lyndon for raising 8th grade students to consider careers and post secondary pathways and learn goal setting strategies.
As a result of this process, students will enter high school with a clear understanding of their learning requirements and a plan that supports their overall career goals. This newly created career exploration and readiness system will ensure that each member school offers a series of activities that begin with an interest inventory and include realistic discussions with students about the educational requirement for careers. Over a period of time, students will be exposed to careers and the programs available at the high school and post-secondary level to prepare for those careers, as well as participate in job shadowing, mentoring and/or work-based learning activities.
Read more about the 2023 Summer Summit.
A.I.M. Network & Resources
VREC convenes an A.I.M. Advisory Team that helps to guide our activities. In addition, this group provides a conduit of information about current practices within their respective schools. The Advisory Team also shares resources for colleagues across the region to access.
RESOURCES: tbd