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Building Partnerships to Educate and Empower!
The Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day program was designed to be more than a career day and more than “shadowing” an adult. It can show children not only what their parents do at work but also the value of their education and help them discover the possibilities associated with a balanced work and family life. Also, it can provide an opportunity to share how they envision the future and begin steps toward their end goals in a hands-on and interactive environment.
Working together with parent and non-parent employees is key to creating a successful day that strengthens the connection between education and work and relationships between parents and their children. Make a plan and start now to design a day specifically tailored for the children of your employees and tie it to the "business" of your company. If you’re not sure where to begin or how to organize the program, the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day Foundation can help. Each year, they develop new activities to assist you.
This year the Foundation is celebrating the opportunities that girls and boys will discover and the opportunities for parents, mentors, and the community to continue involvement in this unique educational experience. The theme for 2009 is Building Partnerships to Educate and Empower in order to shape the future for A New Generation at Work. The recommended age range for D&S Day is 8-18.
The national date for the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work program is always on the fourth Thursday in April but if that date doesn't work for your company, then pick another date and don't miss out on this wonderful experience. If you need help planning your event for this year, check out the Foundation’s web site at [URL="http://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org"]www.daughtersandsonstowork.org[/URL]. It’s chock full of resources for everything from how to recruit workplace coordinators to great ideas for activities.
In 2004 I used the Foundation’s web site to help me plan this event. At the time, I worked for a company that prints books so we set up a schedule for the day to show our employees’ children step-by-step how books are created and made (what their parents do at work). We had guest speakers from the different departments. We took the children on a tour of the departments where books are created, printed, bound and shipped. We used activities from the Foundation's web site as pages in a book and, at the end of the day, the children went home with a book they had authored themselves. The excitement in the building that day was incredible. It energized the entire company, parents and non-parents alike, and brought us together as a team more than any other single activity or event we’d ever had.
If you haven't already made plans for D&S Day, I hope you'll consider doing so. It could just be the best day at work you've ever had.
Sharon
The Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day program was designed to be more than a career day and more than “shadowing” an adult. It can show children not only what their parents do at work but also the value of their education and help them discover the possibilities associated with a balanced work and family life. Also, it can provide an opportunity to share how they envision the future and begin steps toward their end goals in a hands-on and interactive environment.
Working together with parent and non-parent employees is key to creating a successful day that strengthens the connection between education and work and relationships between parents and their children. Make a plan and start now to design a day specifically tailored for the children of your employees and tie it to the "business" of your company. If you’re not sure where to begin or how to organize the program, the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day Foundation can help. Each year, they develop new activities to assist you.
This year the Foundation is celebrating the opportunities that girls and boys will discover and the opportunities for parents, mentors, and the community to continue involvement in this unique educational experience. The theme for 2009 is Building Partnerships to Educate and Empower in order to shape the future for A New Generation at Work. The recommended age range for D&S Day is 8-18.
The national date for the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work program is always on the fourth Thursday in April but if that date doesn't work for your company, then pick another date and don't miss out on this wonderful experience. If you need help planning your event for this year, check out the Foundation’s web site at [URL="http://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org"]www.daughtersandsonstowork.org[/URL]. It’s chock full of resources for everything from how to recruit workplace coordinators to great ideas for activities.
In 2004 I used the Foundation’s web site to help me plan this event. At the time, I worked for a company that prints books so we set up a schedule for the day to show our employees’ children step-by-step how books are created and made (what their parents do at work). We had guest speakers from the different departments. We took the children on a tour of the departments where books are created, printed, bound and shipped. We used activities from the Foundation's web site as pages in a book and, at the end of the day, the children went home with a book they had authored themselves. The excitement in the building that day was incredible. It energized the entire company, parents and non-parents alike, and brought us together as a team more than any other single activity or event we’d ever had.
If you haven't already made plans for D&S Day, I hope you'll consider doing so. It could just be the best day at work you've ever had.
Sharon
Comments
Of course when the employee asks if they can bring their son/daughter to work on that day and you explain the problems, you are the bad guy. Sorry if I rained on your parade.
Sun still shining here!
I understand about the manufacturing environment. The printing company I worked for was a digital printer. If it had been traditional offset printing, we would have had to be more restrictive about touring the children through the plant. As it was, we had to get permission from the risk management department, etc.
In 2004 we started it with 20 children and each year it grew a little bit until the last year I was there we had almost 60 children participating. The planning and execution has to be led by someone in the organization who really wants it be a successful event. Otherwise, it could turn into a circus.
D & S Day doesn't have to be elaborate, or company wide. It can be at the departmental level or work groups, etc. And, for some companies, it is just not possible.
Sharon