Hundreds of students in our region continue their education in “transition” programs through their school districts after earning alternative high school diplomas. These 18- to 21-year-olds experience varying disabilities that qualify them for extra support as they segue to work and adult life. All are receiving continuing services from their home districts, ranging from academic coursework to job training.

More than 80 of those adult students from the Canby, Lake Oswego, Molalla River, North Clackamas and West Linn-Wilsonville school districts  gathered at the Ackerman Center in Canby on April 26 for a first-of-its-kind event in Clackamas County designed to boost their readiness for post-secondary employment.

The Clackamas Student Summit, co-sponsored by Clackamas Education Service District and the Canby School District, featured a full day of building leadership skills, elevating community employment awareness and strengthening relationships with peers who face similar challenges.

The morning included workshops focused on building students’ “elevator” pitches, and participating in mock interviews with professionals from many area organizations. Interviews were scored against a rubric, and students received feedback about how they could improve. The afternoon was devoted to multiple activities coordinated by Special Olympics. In addition to the two sponsoring organizations, participating community partners included:

“This event is helping students look toward their future,” said Kriss Rita, Clackamas ESD transition network facilitator. “We’re helping them gain some specific skills and begin to build fuller lives. These are their last years connected to their home school districts. The summit helps them look at what’s next.

“It’s also an opportunity for these students to make social connections and make new friends. They learn that they are not alone — they discover others who are like them.”

Rita serves a large geographical segment of the state that stretches into northeast Oregon. She has similar events this spring planned in locations such as Condon to ensure transition-aged students throughout her service area have access to real-life networking and skill-building opportunities that are hard to replicate in a classroom. These “student” summits also benefit the post-high school program teachers who serve this population.

“It can be very isolating teaching in these programs, as students and teachers often are in the community or on different campus locations,” Rita said. “These summits present an opportunity for teachers to talk to peers who work with the same student population. They can share their struggles, as well as successful strategies that are working for them. Connecting to an affinity group is very powerful for both teachers and students.”