Most middle schoolers can't name five careers in their own town. In Your Neighborhood is a community-based career exploration program that connects students in Grades 6–8 with the local businesses next door — before students decide what isn't for them.
Most formal career guidance begins in high school. By then, students have already internalized stories about what counts as a "real job" — and whether the futures they want are available to people like them.
Form limiting assumptions before they've ever seen what's available — and self-select out of pathways they've never encountered.
Especially small and mid-sized local employers have no structured channel to introduce their industry to the kids growing up nearby.
Invest in workforce development without addressing the early-awareness gap. Strong pipelines start in middle school, not high school.
Want meaningful development for their kids beyond academics, but the structured programs simply don't exist locally.
Three pieces, repeating each year. Designed to feel real — not like school.
Every month, students step inside a working business in their own town — not videos, not worksheets. Conversations with the people who actually do the job. And alongside career exploration, the practical skills that rarely make it into any classroom: how a home gets maintained, how a car gets fixed, how insurance works, how to plan for a financial future. Taught by the local professionals who live and work these things every day.
Every business visit earns coins and XP. Career questions, mini-games, and reflections build the Passport as students explore — turning curiosity into a documented, growing profile. By high school, that Passport becomes something more: a real network of local employers, ready to connect students to internships and summer jobs with businesses that already know who they are.
Local employers, community organizations, and families build authentic mentorship around every cohort — connecting students to the people and places that make this community work, and making the future feel both possible and nearby.
Each grade builds on the last — explore, then connect, then lead. Tap a grade to see the full year.
A structured year of discovery for every 6th, 7th, and 8th grader.
Meet the cohort, explore the app and map the industries that exist in town.
Healthcare, trades, tech, finance, hospitality — one industry a month.
Quarterly sessions on curiosity, communication, and professional confidence.
Pick the industry that intrigued you and build something with a partner.
Students present completed Passports to families, partners, and the community.
Families, business partners, and community members — reach out and we'll match you with the right next step.
Or write directly to lori@myiyn.org