Coping with Uncertainty: Cultivating a Sense of Purpose Among Youth Through Innovations in Work-Based Learning Experiences

Abstract

Young people in many countries across the globe are facing increased competition for meaningful and decent work. In the context of rapid social and economic change, young people are often uncertain as to how to best prepare for their futures. Career development education (CDE) and work-based learning (WBL) can be instrumental in preparing youth for the future, but do not generally give attention to the rising inequity and uncertainty in the world of work that can undermine youth purpose and engagement in school and work preparation. In this chapter, we report on efforts to develop CDE/WBL drawing from PWT and life design perspectives, with an intentional focus on helping students to identify their sense of purpose and to foster personal and social agency in school and future planning. More specifically, we present the findings from interviews of twelve students enrolled in a summer CDE/WBL program, with a focus on offering opportunities to youth who may not otherwise have access to the career and workplace mentoring. We build on prior research examining the cultivation of youth purpose by exploring students’ construction of purpose and their pathways to lives of purpose and meaning through CDE/WBL.