As much as we love to read and write about designing pathways to opportunity — sharing insights and tools and data-rich reports — we know that what moves the heart is storytelling, and more specifically, video storytelling. It makes all of those ideas and people real and visible, reminding us why we’re doing this work in the first place.
Which is why we were thrilled to advise the producers of Roadtrip Nation as they developed their new video series, Many Roads Forward, which premieres March 2.
Roadtrip Nation is a career exploration nonprofit (with a TV show you might have seen on PBS) that aims to help everyone define their own roads in life, which is exactly the empowering spirit of the Lab.
In the preview trailer for Many Roads Forward, we meet roadtrippers Dafina, Ronnie, and Tawie, who are ready to explore how micro-credentials can help them upskill into IT careers and beyond.
A few soundbites from the trailer:
Tawie, 32, from Eastampton Township, N.J.: “My whole life plan just blew up in my face. I had to drop out [of college] for financial reasons, and I felt stuck in my life.”
Ronnie, 21, from Boston, Mass: “In high school, I’m just faking it. I don’t enjoy what I’m learning, so I made the decision to own my education and do this how I wanted to do it.”
Dafina, 48, a mother of three from Fort Lauderdale, Fla: “Resilience is something you can’t show on your resume.”
In the two episodes of the series, you’ll get to know these roadtrippers while they visit their hometowns and interview professionals who have used micro-credentials to change the course of their own lives.
But you don’t have to wait until those episodes stream on March 2. Roadtrip Nation provides online resources aimed specifically at learner-earners, including:
- Short video interviews under the banner, “Why choose micro-credentials?”
- The Micro-credentials Your Way Activity Guide designed for this video series; and
- A more in-depth, five-lesson course to help learner-earners explore career possibilities and connect with potential mentors.
Thanks to Roadtrip Nation for telling these stories and making micro-credential pathways more visible — and to Citizens, a Lab partner which also helped make this series possible.
