(24) Building Purpose-Driven Pathways: Preparing Colorado Students For the Future of Work

8.30am – 9.30am MST, 27 February 2025 ‐ 1 hour

Room: Iris

Quality: Special Education

Today’s youth need more than academics to thrive. This workshop will explore how to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the 21st-century workforce.

You’ll learn about innovative approaches to blending classroom models with technology to foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. By incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) and career exploration into your curriculum, you can help students develop a strong sense of purpose and identify their unique strengths.

This workshop is designed for educators, counselors, and administrators who want to:

• Empower students: Learn how to guide students in developing essential SEL skills, such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
• Inspire future careers: Discover data-driven strategies to expose students to a wide range of career pathways, aligning their interests and skills with potential future opportunities.
• Implement practical solutions: Gain actionable insights to integrate SEL and career exploration into your school or classroom, fostering student success and well-being.

Join us to explore the future of education and empower your students to thrive in the workforce.

Speakers

James Cryan

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Jabali Sawicki

NXU

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James Cryan

A seasoned education leader and social entrepreneur, James is revolutionizing college and career counseling by empowering guidance counselors to help students discover their passions and find the best-fit educational paths. Before founding Willow, James successfully led Rocky Mountain Preparatory Schools, a network of high-performing charter schools in Colorado. Recognized for his innovative approach and commitment to student success, James has received numerous accolades, including being named one of Colorado’s “Public Education Game-Changers” by A+ Colorado and “Leader of the Year” by the Colorado League of Charter Schools. He actively serves on various boards, including the Middlebury Area Land Trust, and has been a mentor and lecturer at prestigious institutions like MIT, Middlebury, and Colby.

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Jabali Sawicki

NXU

Jabali Sawicki is the founding Compass Director at nXu where he serves as the lead facilitator for nXu’s purpose development programming and educator trainings.  Prior to nXu, Jabali served as the Senior Director of Inspire at Relay Graduate School of Education and the lead on-camera instructor for Zearn, an online math program used by more than 2.5 million students.  He also served as the founding principal and Head of School of Excellence Boys Charter School of Bedford Stuyvesant, the first single-sex public charter school in New York State.  Jabali currently sits on the advisory board for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy located in South Africa, the Leadership Council of the Robin Hood Foundation based in New York City, the National Board of Summer Search, and the Board of Uncommon Schools in New York City.  He earned his B.A. from Oberlin College, and his Masters in Educational Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Jabali joined nXu in 2017 and has been responsible for designing and facilitating school- and organization-based purpose & SEL curriculum implementation and facilitation trainings.  He also serves as the lead instructor and facilitator for all student and adult-facing, virtual and in-person programming.