“The best thing about our island community is that we treat each other like family. We celebrate the success of Guamanians and we help those who need it the most. We tell our children they can be anything they want to be, and to pursue their dreams. We support those words with action. This conference does just that: empowering our youth with the tools they need after high school to succeed in the workforce.”
– Governor Eddie Baza Calvo
Conference Held for Youth with Developmental Disabilities
The Guam Developmental Disabilities Council held a conference on employment for youth with developmental disabilities at the University of Guam. This conference empowers young Guamanians living with developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy to help them gain the necessary skills to enter the workforce.
Employment Expectations Addressed in Conference
This conference featured instructors from the Guam Department of Education giving presentations on:
- Self-awareness–exploring personality and interests/identifying career clusters
- Time management and setting priorities
- Critical thinking and decision making
- On-the-job workplace and employer expectations
Trainings focused on applying for jobs and included mock-interviews to help students familiarize themselves with the interview process.
This educational conference discussed typical expectations employers have for their employees, except it spoke directly to the needs of Guamanians with developmental disabilities.
Guam DD and Others Hope to Help Ease Transition into Workforce
The UOG Professional and International Programs office together with the Guam Legal Services Disability Law Center, CEDDERS, the Guam Department of Education Division of Special Education, and AmeriCorps coordinated this for students to help them become self-sufficient. The coordinators of this conference hoped to ease the transition from school into the workforce.
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