Hello! I’m ShunaHayward and I’m vice president of programs here at Connect Detroit and as you begin to think about developing youth employment experiences for young people, I want to share with you about one type of work experience known as project-based learning.

Project-based learning is basically where young people have an opportunity to collaborate with their supervisors and their peers to develop a learning rich experience. It’s characterized by skill building, a tangible product and a defined time period that the young people are working within.

At the end of the day, project-based learning is really about those teachable moments with young people. We want to make sure that there’s also time built in for reflection so that they can make a meaning of the experiences that they’re having.

Other names you may have heard for project-based learning are work-based learning or service learning, but really, it’s just about the young people having an opportunity to develop a learning experience that they can build skills from for their future.