mww_landing image final-01.png

Month Without Walls is an immersive virtual experience designed to provide all Burton 11th graders with impactful work-based learning experiences. In March of 2021, our youth participated in a series of Career Readiness Workshops and Academy specific work-based learning experiences with industry partners across the Bay Area.

The mission of Month Without Walls is to elevate young people’s interaction with their career pathway beyond academic learning and to provide experiences that connect their learning to real world environments, while listening to the stories from real people in those industries. Throughout Month Without Walls, young people are encouraged and provided opportunities to envision their professional pursuits beyond high school, and are challenged to expand their skillsets to the standard set for working professionals.


student experience_header.png

During Month Without Walls, all 280 Burton juniors engaged in Career Readiness Workshops designed and facilitated by PACE Staff, as well as virtual work-based learning experiences facilitated by Bay Area industry partners. Check out the activities our young people participated in:

AOHS_button.png

Activity 1: World’s Greatest Hospital - During this activity, AoHS students built their investigative skills and utilized their background knowledge from Medical Ethics to figure out who the appropriate organ recipients should be.
Activity 2: Health Professionalism Workshop - Our FACES Coordinators, Latasha and Veronica, facilitated a workshop around Health Professionalism. During this workshop, AoHS students learned different tips and tools for communicating professionally within a healthcare setting.
Activity 3: Case Scenarios - In small groups, students were mentored by Medical Residents from UCSF Hospital, who presented different case scenarios in hospital settings. Collaboratively, students took the opportunity to take a deeper dive into how doctors respond to situations during medical emergencies.
Activity 4: Problem-Based Learning - During this activity, Dr. Magaña guided our students through the diagnosis process. Our students learned to ask appropriate investigative questions in order to properly diagnose their patient.

AOE_button.png

Activity 1: Guest Speaker - Guest speakers from our industry partner, Arup, spoke to our students about their personal pathways and journeys to becoming an engineer. During their talks, they shared how they discovered their passion for engineering and how they were able to turn their passion for engineering into their careers.
Activity 2: Career Readiness Workshop - AoE students participated in a Career Readiness Workshop of their choosing. The workshops offered on this day included Destigmatizing Interviews with Chuck and Derrick, Resumes & Cover Letters with Ms.Goyette, and Decolonizing Professionalism with Sarah.
Activity 3: Seismic Design Challenge - Another guest speaker from Arup spoke to our students about the importance to design and structural engineering. The guest speaker walked our students through the process of design thinking, then had students test their knowledge to virtually design an earthquake-resistant structure.
Activity 4: Career Readiness Workshop - AoE students participated in their final day of Career Readiness Workshops. The workshops offered on this day were Destigmatizing Interviews with Chuck + Derrick and Passions to Careers with Sarah + Ms.Goyette.

AME_button.png

Activity 1: Guest Speaker - Jaclyn, a broadcaster for Fox Sports, spoke to our AME students about her journey of turning her love for sports and media into a career in sports broadcasting. During her talk, Jaclyn also shared her future aspirations, as well as being a woman of color in a male-dominated industry.
Activity 2: Career Readiness Workshop - AME students participated in a Career Readiness Workshop of their choosing. The workshops offered on this day included Destigmatizing Interviews with Chuck and Derrick, Resumes & Cover Letters with Ms.Goyette, and Decolonizing Professionalism with Sarah.
Activity 3: Design Challenge - AME students met their [fake] client, who was in need of high school perspectives and design talents of our youth. In small teams, students used their notes and client briefs to create compelling recruitment and marketing collateral for their client.
Activity 4: Career Readiness Workshop - AME students participated in their final day of Career Readiness Workshops. The workshops offered on this day were Destigmatizing Interviews with Chuck + Derrick and Passions to Careers with Sarah + Ms.Goyette.

AOPA_button.png

Activity 1: Guest Speaker - Jostin, an Educational Specialist for Soundtrap, spoke to our AoPA students about his journey of growing up in a small town with a burning love and passion for performing arts into a career that empowers young people to do the same. During his talk, Jostin spoke about taking chances on yourself and using the skills he developed in his performing arts disciplines to in other professional settings.
Activity 2: Career Readiness Workshop - AoPA students participated in a Career Readiness Workshop of their choosing. The workshops offered on this day included Destigmatizing Interviews with Chuck and Derrick, Resumes & Cover Letters with Ms.Goyette, and Decolonizing Professionalism with Sarah.
Activity 3: Song Remix Challenge - In teams consisting of both Band and Choir students, youth used their knowledge of the web-based software, Soundtrap, to remix a song of their group’s choosing. With the guidance of our AoPA teachers, PACE Staff, and Jostin, students utilized their knowledge and passion for music and composition to create unique remixes.
Activity 4: Career Readiness Workshop - AoPA students participated in their final day of Career Readiness Workshops. The workshops offered on this day were Destigmatizing Interviews with Chuck + Derrick and Passions to Careers with Sarah + Ms.Goyette.


students feel_header.png
83_relatable.png
83_experience.png
91_positive.png

“Month Without Walls was AWESOME! I learned sooo much and felt like a real doctor whenever we were presented with cases because this is exactly what doctors have to evaluate everyday. Not only that, but I also took up the leadership position when needed and I feel like I made my experience the best it could be. THANKS!”
- Kelly, AoHS junior

“Though it was not in person, it was definitely outside the classroom and it involved helpful life skills as well as introduced us to a person who actually works for SPOTIFY?! Like I literally listen to Spotify when I study, to relax, and literally before bed! So it was a pretty cool experience.”
- Faith, AoPA junior

“It was fun to see a college experience and then get help and learn about resumes it fun and helpful."
- Sid, AME junior

“It was informative and helpful for my future in pursuing a job or any school related activity as well, since interviews are used on a common basis. The activity was also engaging and relatable, so I was able to understand the perspective of both the interviewer and interviewee easily.”
- Tiffany, AoE junior

“The presenters were engaging and the activities were relatable, involved group work/teamwork, and was kind of hands-on. That was what I wanted for my classes it all my expectations were met. I learned new terms and info that apply to me and my community which I appreciate.”
- Manda, AoHS junior

“The guest speakers had great presentations that went really in depth about their life and career. The workshop I was apart of was also very engaging and was helpful in learning about interviews.”
- David, AoE junior


Student Awards_Header.png

AoHS: John H., Tina Y., Jahziah T., Riley G., Navaun M., and Amal A.
AoE: Jonathan T., Daniel C., and David A.
AME: Darren L., Sid R., Carolina S., Edwin K., Danny O., Ever M., Oscar S., Cedric R., Tracey Q., and Linh P.
AoPA: Faith D., Ary G., Romeo C., EJ D., Kristin C., Alex I., and Rise C.

raffle winners_header-01.png

Career Readiness Workshop Registration: Yusen Z., AoE
Bayview YMCA/PACE Registration Winner: Riley G., AoHS

AoHS: Marilyn N., Michelle T., Kelly N., Kelrhon M., Gemma C., Annie L.
AoE: Allie D., Lillian E., David G., JunZeng L., Samantha M., Haoran H.
AME: Junxi X., Elian H., Jing L,. Makaylah P., Clementine L., Laverna L.
AoPA: Tiffany H., Nevaeh S., Ramiro H., Mariana H., Ryan Y., Ronald S., Kelly T.

Congrats to all winners! Please check your inbox for an email from Sarah in order to redeem your gift card!


Questions or concerns? Please reach out to Sarah Kong, Pathways and Partnerships Coordinator at skong@ymcasf.net