Teach us the skills, mentors.

Earn $100, Make a New Friend, and Coach Them to Victory!

Teach us the skills, mentors.

What Does Participation Look Like?

Participating in this event looks like… FUN! And the only requirement for getting in on that fun is being 14-21 and willing to mentor a competitor (who just so happens to be different… you know like how each of your other friends are different in their own unique way).

Ok, there are a few other requirements. For example, we do expect you to be present at each portion of the event that takes place over a multi-day period. The good news? You get $100 just for having fun, meeting a new friend, showing up, and helping them train to victory!

Sounds great right?! Here is how it works…

First, go through orientation!

The first step is to attend Peer Mentor Orientation. At orientation, we will just be going over your role as a peer mentor. You will learn about your responsibilities and obligations. We will talk to you about the best way to train and support your competitor. And we will answer any questions you may have. It is also here that you will complete your pre-event questionnaire. It is just to gauge what sort of experience and knowledge you have about people with disabilities and different jobs in the area.

Second, meet your competitor!

Immediately following your orientation, we will bring in the competitors and you will get to meet the competitor you are assigned to. This is a chance for you to get to know one another. During this meeting, your assigned competitor will be filling out a pre-event questionnaire that is similar to the one you filled out. They may need your help, but you shouldn’t answer it for them. After they fill out their questionnaire, the two of you will choose 5 tasks from a list. These are the tasks that will be at the different business workstations on competition day. It is your job to help your competitor not only learn these 5 skilled tasks, but also become REALLY REALLY good at them. They will be competing against other competitors from multiple counties on the same tasks. The competitor who can do the task the fastest and/or the most accurate has a chance at winning prizes! Which means, their mentor also has a chance to win a prize… because YOU ARE A TEAM!

Third, train with your Competitor!

At the meeting, there will be time to get started on training and even get a game plan set on future training sessions you can do together. These other sessions can take place during free time at school when you are allowed to get together. Or, you may even want to meet up after school, hang out, and train. We encourage spending time with your teammate outside of school, if possible. Get to know each other. Maybe become friends.

We will tell you whether the task will be judged on speed, accuracy/quality, or both. This will help you know how to train the best. We will also have a breakdown of each task to help you teach your competitor in small actionable steps. We call this break down “task analysis.”

Fourth, compete!

On competition day, you will come to the Job-a-Palooza event at Cherry Lake 4H Camp in Madison, FL. You and your competitor will check-in together, as a team. This is where you will get your t-shirt, team number, and workstation schedule. Then, you will be directed to the waiting area. Once we get everyone checked in, we will greet you with a welcome speech. This speech should get you pumped up to win! But, it will also tell you rules, your responsibilities, etc. After this, the competition begins!!!

This is where you will help your competitor follow your workstation schedule, in order, to make sure you compete in all 5 of your tasks. You can cheer for your teammate and verbally coach them through difficult parts from the sidelines, but you cannot help any other way (especially physically doing a task). Do your best to train them and coach them through… top winners of the day will get prizes!

After you get through all of your team’s tasks, turn in your workstation schedule back at the same table you checked in. You and your competitor will each be given a post-event questionnaire to fill out. It will be similar to the pre-event questionnaires you each completed at the meeting. Answer it honestly and to the best of your ability. Afterward, you are welcomed to explore the different business tables and meet other teams. When everyone has finished competing, we will enjoy lunch and an award ceremony.

What sort of tasks could businesses have at their workstations?

Mechanic Shop: Change a tire, Check a tire for holes, Patch a tire, Take apart and put back together a simple part.
Grocery Store: Stock shelves, Bag groceries, Scan items, Accepting cash and making change
Office: Alphabetize paperwork, File 10 items, Sort uncollated copies, Prepare packets
Restaurant: Roll silverware, Bus and clean tables, Take a food order, Serve food, Clean menus.
Farm: Move/stack small square hay bales, Repair fence, Paint barn wood,

Why Should You Participate?

  • Get $100 Stipend just for participating (think of it as getting paid to be a mentor, trainer, and coach)
  • Make new friends/connections with your competitor and other competitors/peer mentors
  • Gain a new skill to showcase on your resume and applications (mentoring)
  • Show businesses that you are a fantastic potential job candidate who has the ability to train people
  • Win prizes when your team (you and your competitor are a team!) competes against other teams
  • Earn bragging rights when you take home a prize (because we know your team will bring it!)!

REGISTER BY AUGUST 27TH!

 

The Schedule

9am – 9:30am: Check-in
9:30am – 10am: Welcome
10am – 12pm: Competition
12pm – 1:30pm: Lunch & Awards

What is Provided

T-shirts/Team Number
A Task Analysis to Assist You
Prizes & $100 Stipend
Lunch

You Should Bring

Your Inner Coach
Your Positive Energy
A DRIVE to get your team a WIN!!!
Friends/Family (optional)

More Info

(850) 973-4614
generalinfo@thearcbigbend.org

Download a Registration Form

THIS EVENT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

The Arc Big Bend Logo.
Vocational Rehabilitation Logo
This event is sponsored by the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
The Arc of Florida Logo