Pass the Torch is officially two years old. Although I played around for a few months in the spring of 2006 — trying to figure out what a blog was — the first post that showed my true colors here was this one. I published it on April 26, 2006. It was a reprint from an Empowering Youth newsletter I published two years earlier. Who would think that four years from the original newsletter publication, I would be poised to publish a book on exactly this subject? Oh, if only I’d discovered blogging back then! What was your first blog post?

Original publication, April 2004.

Recently I attended a conference that happened to take place on “Take Your Kid to Work Day”. My 7-year-old daughter, Darla, brought home a note from school indicating the date and inviting parents to take their kids to work that day. I was pleased that I was scheduled to attend a conference and that it was relatively close to home, so it might work out for me to take her along and only have her miss the one day of school.

The issue, however, was that in addition to exhibiting, this time I was hired to speak at the conference, so I would be facilitating a two-hour training. I didn’t worry about Darla’s ability to help out as an exhibitor, but what about a speaking engagement?

I talked to Darla about my concerns and the expectations I would have for any assistant during a conference session, and she felt confident she could meet my expectations. It was to be a rather small conference with affirming, patient and youth-centered participants, and the session was only two hours, not a half or full-day. So if there was ever a conference to attempt a “Take Your Kid to Work Day”, this was the one.

Ultimately, it was an excellent experience for everyone involved. Darla was a valuable assistant in setting up the exhibit, as she was able to roll exhibit suitcases on her own and hold open doors for me as I carried in the heavy items. I never realized how much I needed an assistant until I had one! And in the preparation for our sectional, we had only a short time between sessions, so I really appreciated her help then as well. She was the ultimate professional for the two-hour period, allowing me to do my job, while helping participants with needed training supplies. And of course, the conference participants were exactly the positive, generous people I assumed they would be.

I learned several empowerment lessons from this experience:

• Adults need to take advantage of opportunities that help empowered young people experience success;
• Some situations pose less “risk” than others, so are prime opportunities to stretch youth and adult perception of a young person’s capability; and
• Inviting youth to participate in an experience different from their usual day broadens their perspective of the world and their future.

Of course, there are usually unexpected bonuses. During the conference, Darla participated in an art project facilitated by a talented Native American woman, gaining a new skill as well as a better understanding of a culture different from her own. I asked her what was the best part of “Take Your Kid to Work Day” — The swimming pool? The conference food? The exhibit candy? The fun art project?

Believe it or not, she said it was the two-hour ride in the truck to and from the conference. Why? Because we got to talk to each other the whole time.

This summer, I encourage you to find a way to empower a young person. Engage them in something you are doing. Take a risk. And reap the benefits…

You can join me each week by sharing a time kids make you proud, or a way adults are teaching, sharing — passing the torch. Blog your story or share it in comments.Former PTT posts.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JENNY, COMMENT NUMBER 48! YOU’RE THE WINNER - PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR ADDRESS AND DEBORAH WILL SHIP YOU THE BOOK! Thanks to all who participated - this was lots of fun.

Shannon at Bloggy Giveaways is hosting a giveaway link-fest, and author Deborah Reber is generously offering to give one of my lucky readers her new book, In Their Shoes: Extraordinary Women Describe their Amazing Careers.

Deborah had asked me to review In Their Shoes and I have have truly enjoyed it, reading much of it over the shoulder of my 11-year-old daughter.

In Their Shoes is a fun, easy-to-read resource book for girls starting to explore career options. Deborah interviewed 50 women in various careers — from senator Barbara Boxer to a forensic scientist to educational psychologist Alice Wilder (Think It Ink It.) Some of the careers are well-known, while others help girls to think outside of the box — like “actionist” or “environmentalist” — encouraging them to find their passion and figure out what career might relate.

In addition to interview quotes and basics about the career, Deborah gives insight to dress code, stress factor, and the nuts-and-bolts of what it takes to get to where these women are in their careers. And at the end of each profile, she lists additional related career titles to help girls consider other paths that might fit their interests. She’s also enlisted young women to pose questions to those profiled, getting to some meaty details relevant to youth, that might otherwise go unrevealed.

In all, I see this as an outstanding resource for girls. It’s been fun to watch Darla flip back and forth through the pages - checking the table of contents and index to find the answers to her questions — her interest perked in avenues she hadn’t previously considered.

To be included in the drawing, please just click over to Deborah’s site, Smart Girls Know and come back here to comment about what you like about the site. You can participate even if you don’t have a blog. Just make sure you leave a working email when you leave your comment. A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, February 1. US addresses only please. Thanks for participating!

I’m also hosting a giveaway for the Career Expedition Boardgame. Check it out!

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Mary, at Owlhaven, gave my Career Expedition Boardgame a scrumptious review. The boardgame is a career exploration resource for teachers, guidance counselors and homeschooling parents.

(P.S. There’s a super-duper discount for Owlhaven’s readers through October. So go read about it today!)

Finally a fun Educational interactive board game that generates the discussion critical in career decision-making. The perfect tool for school guidance counselors, special education instructors and career education teachers, Career Expedition is the game you will use throughout the year to encourage youth to discover the keys to their personal career planning process.

Players read realistic examples of choices young people make during the career preparation process, experiencing in the game the consequences of those choices. And Discovery Cards guide youth through their personal career planning process, ultimately completing a log of interests, aptitudes, values and work preferences.

In this unique Educational board game the final product for each player, regardless of who wins, is a written individual profile to be included in a career portfolio, shared with parents or included with other career guidance materials.

This curriculum meets American School Counselor Association National Standards for Career Development. Each game is designed for 2-6 middle school or high school players. Classroom sets of 5 complete games in one tube are also available to facilitate up to 30 players at once.

More Information here: http://www.empowering-youth.com/career.html .

Read testimonials from students about our Career Expedition Board Game.