At CareerVillage.org we use crowdsourcing to provide personal career guidance to students at massive scale. We do this through an open access platform that anyone can use to ask a question related to a career. Our web platform matches the career questions students ask to our volunteer corps of over 15,000 working professionals with relevant expertise and a wealth of experiences to share. The advice students get is tailored for them, it’s reliable, and it’s encouraging and inspirational. The more students from different backgrounds use it, the more young people are exposed to careers they may never have dreamed existed.
 
To truly level the playing field, however, CV provides additional services through partners in communities in which the lack of resources (information, networking, mentoring, etc) is the largest and where students are underrepresented in their desired career, face discrimination in gaining access to their desired career, or face huge hurdles outside their control which block their ability to get into their desired career. We especially work to support youth in low-income communities, students who plan to become the first in their family to attend college, students who are first generation immigrants, young people of color, and young women interested in STEM careers. Working more intensively in communities traditionally lacking the most access reinforces the power of the CV website, enabling the most underserved youth to find new pathways, ask better questions, and forge more connections with peers and mentors using the website.
 
Our club has chosen Career Village as our banner Vocational Project this year. We have several members who have registered on their website (career village.org) and they receive questions from students weekly.  On the website, simply select "Sign Up" and then select "Professional" to begin your journey of providing information and advice to students as they plan their future.  They will need your email and additionally a LinkedIn.  Next, you will set up your Professional Profile so screening will direct appropriate questions to you for advice.  If you do not have time to answer three questions, then simply answer one.  Sometimes you may choose to answer more questions, or you may simply pass and someone else may address the questions.  Like our club, it is 100% flexible.  We do have the benefit of a monthly report on the time spent with Career Village and ask that you please complete our Attendance form on the website so we may track the time donated by our members.  
 
Special thanks to Nicole Wycislo, Vocational Director, for bringing us this online program!