HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Hopkinsville Rotary Club is helping empower local high school students by teaching valuable life skills with Adulting 101. Hopkinsville Rotary has been sponsoring the program for the last three years, but Christian County Public Schools launched it about five years ago.
“The Rotarians use their professional strengths to facilitate the workshop that matches their areas of expertise. They get to know and are able to mentor the scholars throughout the year,” said Kelly Gates, the Hopkinsville Rotary Vice President and Auction Chair.
Around 30 students participate in the program which consists of a series of workshops that teach them subjects they may not learn in school. They learn a variety of things like money management, applying for scholarships, resume writing, interview skills, and explanations of paychecks and taxes.
On the long list of subjects, one of their workshops aims to teach students what to do if they are ever stopped by the police, which is led by a former HPD captain. While another workshop has a marketing director explain how to manage their social media presence. This month, there was an emergency preparedness workshop where they learned how to change a tire and jump a dead car battery.
“It is an honor to mentor students in subjects like how to complete their own tax return, how to get and keep good credit, how to tie a tie, give feedback on their resume, how to change their own tire,” said Gates. “It feels like we are giving the gift of independence in some ways. We were all young once and remember the, ‘I wish I had known’ moments.”
Students that attend all the sessions are rewarded by the Rotary Club with a professional interview outfit at the end of the school year. Plus, they receive a blue and gold cord to wear at graduation. Gates says that no matter what these students pursue after graduation, the skills they learn will be beneficial in the real world.