Portfolio Workbook Younger Youth (YY) - YDI PBL YY - Week 3 - Engage & Investigate - Session 5-Session 7

Sep 12, 2026

Portfolio Workbook for Younger Youth (YY) focused on YDI PBL YY, Week 3: Engage & Investigate across Sessions 5 to 7. Guides learners through networking and career-development activities, including conducting informational interviews, drafting an email invitation, reflecting in a career journal, and recording outcomes through writing or video. Progression continues with goal-setting via a community “Define the Problem” activity, plus field notes and community data analysis prompts to identify problem patterns, underlying factors, and valued strengths within the community.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time4 min

AccessFree to download

Portfolio Step 1: Skill Catcher

Conversation starters and sharing Dream Catcher elements

Experiential learning essay or video

Portfolio Step 2: Career Journal Interests

Networking for career development

Journaling activity and prompts

Portfolio Step 3: Interview Questions

Informational interviews and purpose

Draft email invitation and interview questions

Follow-up thank you note

Session 6 Theme: Identifying the Change You Want to See

Bingo chart activities

Portfolio Step 1:1 Define the Problem

Leaves, Trunk, Roots prompts

Portfolio Step 2: Notes from the Field (Community Data Analysis)

Community strengths and motivation prompts

Data analysis and reflection

Portfolio Workbook Younger Youth (YY) ⭐ YDI PBL YY (Self-guided): Week 3-Engage & Investigate (Session 5-Session 7) NOTE: This is a “live” document. As you fill it in, the formatting will shift. Adjust to meet your needs. Session 5 Theme of the Session: You Better (Net)Work! Portfolio Step 1: Skill Catcher | ★ Talk to friends, team or school mates, family, teachers, friends of parents and others you know. Share with them some elements of your Dream Catcher.
★ You never know what suggestions they may come up with. You may also find something that you can help them with, like a computer problem etc.
Conversation Starters
I’m participating in a summer employment experience and I need your help. Part of what I am doing is learning more about myself, so that I make choose a career that is best suited for me. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
This is my dream catcher. {Explain the things you’ve put down, including what makes you happy, etc. )
I am trying to learn more about things I can do to get me closer to these goals. Do you have any suggestions about what I can do, or who I might speak to? | | --- | | Experiential Learning Essay or Video
★ Describe who you called.
★ What did it feel like to share your Dream Catcher?
★ What did you learn from the person?
★ How did this networking experience feel? | Portfolio Step 2: Career Journal Interests | When networking for the purpose of career development, this means talking with friends, family members, and acquaintances about your goals, your interests, and your dreams. Most people actually learn about job openings, scholarships and post-secondary opportunities through friends, relatives, or others who are part of their personal network, and because each person in your network has a network of his or her own, your potential contacts can grow exponentially. | | --- | | Journaling Activity: “There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what just happened.”
● What do you agree with in your Hats and Ladders work? What surprised you?
● What is a possible career interest you have?
● What can you do to develop your networking skills to get more information about this career?
Write a journal entry on your thoughts: | Portfolio Step 3: Interview Questions Let us talk about Informational Interviews! Informational interviewing is a networking activity important to the career development and career exploration process. An informational interview is an interview with a person who is doing the kind of work in which you are interested. It is an excellent technique to use when you want to: explore different career options; learn more about certain occupations; and/or begin to network with people who can help you in your job search. Although it is an effective job search tool, it’s very important to remember that the primary purpose of an informational interview is to obtain information, not a job. | Contact someone in your network to conduct an informational interview--draft your brief email invitation here: | | --- | | What questions will you ask?
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2.
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5. | | What did you learn? Write or record a video about the interview:
★What happened?
★What did you learn from the interview?
★What do you want to do next, based on what you heard? | TIP: Follow-up the interview with a thank you note. In it, suggest mentioning the specific information that you found to be particularly interesting or helpful. Let the person know that you appreciate him/her letting you ask questions and that the information provided will be valuable to you. Session 6 Theme of the Session: Identifying the Change You Want to See Icebreaker: Complete the Bingo chart below What have you already accomplished? | Create a LinkedIn Account | .
Call an adult and discuss their career path | Call a college student and discuss their journey and what it

FAQs

What is the main purpose of an informational interview?

The primary purpose is to obtain information, not to secure a job. It helps learners explore career options, learn about occupations, and begin networking with people who can support a job search.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Olivia Brown