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A new youth outreach Web site was quietly launched in May at the NW Youth Careers Expo in Portland. There was a lot of interest in the site and the young street team running the campaign got a lot of great feedback from youth, employers, teachers and career counselors. Plus, they were located right next to the WorkSource booth - what luck!

WorkSource Oregon has been working with Pyramid Communications to help younger Oregonians get the training and education they need to have the life they want. We are now proud to announce that the campaign – MyPath Careers – will officially launch on June 1, 2010!

What is MyPath Careers?
It's a first of its kind Oregon website – http://www.mypathcareers.org – where teen and 20-something Oregonians can explore careers, connect to education and training, and learn about job opportunities. The site is robust, edgy, and loaded with information about how to get started. It's also a comprehensive and integrated portal that connects directly with all of you ... our staff, education and workforce development partners.

• 250+ career profiles based on data from Oregon Career Information System and OLMIS
• 450+ videos and photo diaries of real people talking about their work and giving advice
• Career-specific schools and education opportunities
• Links to Career Pathways Roadmaps
• Additional resources for financial aid, mentoring, internships and more

"The Expo really was a great place to do some initial message testing for the street team and test out different approaches," said Anne Ozols, Project Coordinator for Pyramid. "The kids loved the Facebook quiz and were really interested in checking out MyPathCareers to help them figure out potential careers. Even for those who already knew what they wanted to do, it was a great source for additional information and real-life advice."

The new effort seems to be right on the money with the featured jobs and the overall approach, which is really reassuring for the contractor, Pyramid Communications, and the Oregon Workforce Investment Board's Communications Committee.

Street Team staff poses with Anne Ozols of Pyramid Communications at NW Career Expo	Street Team interacts with Expo Youth

Starting in June, the MyPath Careers street team will be spreading the word about MyPathCareers.org at community events across the state – from the Rose Festival to the Pendleton Round Up. The job is big, and that's why we need your help spreading the word.

Here is the schedule of events:

Event                                             Date                                 City
Northwest Youth Careers Expo      May 11 2010                     Portland - Oregon Convention Center
Rose Festival                                Jun 5 2010                         Portland - Waterfront Village
Rose Festival                                Jun 12 2010                       Portland - Waterfront Village
Oregon High School Rodeo Finals  Jun 17 2010 - Jun 20 2010  Prineville
St. Paul Rodeo                              Jul 2 2010                          St. Paul
Ashland 4th of July Celebration      Jul 4 2010 Ashland
Jackson County Fair                      Jul 20 2010 - Jul 22 2010    Central Point
Willamette Celebration                  Jul 23 2010 - Jul 24 2010    Albany - Timber Linn Park
Washington County Fair                Jul 29 2010 - Jul 30 2010    Hillsboro
Trail Blazers Street Jam                Jul 31 2010 - Aug 1 2010    Rose Garden Portland
Dune Fest                                    Aug 4 2010 - Aug 8 2010    Reedsport/Winchester Bay
DEW Tour                                  Aug 12 2010 - Aug 15 2010 Rose Quarter Portland
Pendleton Round Up/Main Street  Sep 14 2010 - Sep 18 2010  Pendleton

Here are some ways you can help spread the word about this innovative new tool:

1. Forward this information to your own network of partners, teachers, career counselors and others

2. Print and display posters where they'll be visible to the young people you serve and to your partners. Download or request posters at mypathcareers.org/mypath-action

3. Stop by and meet the MyPath Careers street team this summer when we're in your community. The full event schedule is also at mypathcareers.org/mypath-action

4. Include an article about MyPathCareers.org in your organization's newsletter. Find templates starting June 5 at mypathcareers.org/mypath-action

5. Submit an OpEd or letter to the editor to your local paper. Find templates starting June 5 at mypathcareers.org/mypath-action and work with your organization's communications office if needed.

Thanks in advance for your support. This resource is a powerful step forward and helps all of us rally around a shared vision: improve Oregon's homegrown talent pool by helping more young people get the training and education they need and the careers they want.

As background: this project was started at the request of the Oregon Workforce Investment Board (OWIB). Thanks to a grant from that organization through the state Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, and funding from the Oregon Employment Department, the OWIB Communications Committee partnered with Pyramid Communications to develop and implement a marketing campaign to 17-24 year olds around the workforce development and training system in Oregon. Oregon Career Information System and the Employment Department's Workforce & Economic Research Division were instrumental in the project's data.

The site is officially LIVE now. Just visit www.MyPathCareers.org to sample the site.