AVID Brings Roadtrip Nation
Rally to Local Schools

SAN JOSE--Roadtrip Nation, a program designed to launch students on a career exploration journey, is bringing its trademark bright green RV to San Jose, Santa Clara and Salinas on November 19 and 20.

Hundreds of high school students in the cities will gather at three rallies to learn about Roadtrip Nation from two of its creators and observe on-stage interviews of local guests about how they found their career paths. Students also will tour the RV to view interactive media presentations.

Roadtrip Nation has been presented this year to 983 high school sophomores by the Region V AVID program. AVID-- Advancement Via Individual Determination--is an in-school academic support program that prepares students for college eligibility and success. Participating schools in the Roadtrip Nation program received free teacher and student materials as part of a Hewlett Foundation Grant. The teachers have been trained to implement the program and have begun using the curriculum and online materials. Now the schools are gearing up for the RV Tour & Rally.

Three college graduates developed Roadtrip Nation after they graduated not knowing what do to next. They embarked on a three-month, 17,000-mile cross-country trip in an RV painted green to find people who were passionate about their work. The mission was to find out how they turned what they loved to do into a job, a career, a business, a foundation, even a multinational corporation.

After the local rallies, teachers will use a Road Trip Nation curriculum to prepare students to embark on their own “road trips” to find people to contact, research and interview. Students tape the interviews so they can be shared with other students and Road Trip Nation. Nearly 1,000 students from 22 schools, including 16 in Santa Clara County, are participating in the program.

Rallies will be held Thursday at Alisal High School in Salinas; and Friday at Wilcox High in Santa Clara, and Independence High in San Jose. For more details on Road Trip Nation, visit www.roadtripnation.com. For more information on AVID, visit www.regionvavid.org.

Date last updated: November 17, 2009