BrightHouse headed back to Indian Creek Elementary School to help out at Career Day letting the kids know all about careers in the creative arts. The field trip happened to be the week our Associate Creative Director Paa Coss started, so we asked her to tell us what she learned from the kids and from her first day at BrightHouse.
Volunteering for Career Day at Indian Creek Elementary was my first day at BrightHouse. As a newcomer, it was an opportunity for me get to know my coworkers and see BrightHouse walk the talk, by living its purpose in the community.
BrightHouse worked closely with the school before, but this was the first time we were invited to Career Day. Many of our volunteers had questions going in.
How do we explain to Kindergarten to 5th graders about the responsibilities of strategists, writers, art directors, director of photography, producer, and creative directors? Are they going to understand what a creative consultancy is?
Our solution was to simplify. Instead of talking about what we do, maybe our job on Career Day is to get students thinking about their own unique purpose. We made interactive cards with our Purpose Framework, illustrated with a venn diagram with our playful icons. We hope that these kids would take the cards home to fill it out with an adult.
On the day, we were led into a busy cafeteria with hundreds of kids. The room was buzzing with curiosity and excitement.Our team initiated conversations with each student to discover what they enjoy doing and why they get excited about it. The students loved hearing that we shared similar interests. We further encouraged them to think about how they could help others. Many students felt driven to share their talents with the world. We encouraged them to pursue what they’re passionate about and helped illuminate that a job is multifaceted – you can be a writer who loves dancing or a CEO who is also a poet.
To our surprise, a lot of children intuitively understood the concept of Purpose. Many wanted to fill out their cards at our table. They were excited to share their strengths and what they think the world needs.
Career Day at Indian Creek Elementary was a great opportunity for me to get a glimpse of BrightHouse’s uplifting culture. We all left with special memories of these bright and curious students. Invigorated, the team decided that at BrightHouse, Career Day will be called by its new synonym, Purpose Day.
Look for more information about our culture here at BrightHouse on the blog. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest insights on purpose.