LETTER TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS Dear Parent/Guardian Your child is participating in an innovative, interactive and experiential career exploration program called the Be Real Game. Students will play adult roles to learn about many of the aspects of real life that they will one day face - finding work, earning money, budgeting for housing, groceries, transportation and other needs, changing jobs and planning for the future. The game teaches them to assess personal strengths and weaknesses and evaluate job satisfaction. Participating in the Be Real Game allows your child to assume and explore some of the realities of adult life in a safe, supportive environment. The Be Real Game is designed to emphasise the value of all work and the importance of ongoing education, adaptability and positive attitudes. It teaches students how to set goals and plan pathways to achieve them. Students develop positive attitudes toward the future that can help them to shape the lives they want to live. The program is designed to introduce a wide range of available occupations and give students career exploration skills they can use throughout their lives. The game gives them a chance to understand the nature of the social and economic changes affecting the world of work. The involvement of community members, parents and guardians, is a key element of the Be Real Game program. Your child may bring home exercises he or she is working on that relate to issues in people’s lives - prioritising expenditures, choosing career options and coping with unexpected changes. You may also be invited to attend class events. Any support or time you can give will help reinforce the issues and lessons that the program introduces and help prepare your child for the future. During the program, your child will be asked to find an adult who is influential in his or her life to interview about that person’s knowledge and experience in the world of work. We would appreciate your guidance and involvement in this activity. For the purposes of privacy and confidentiality, please do not include names on the interview forms, which will be retained by the students. If there is anything you would like to discuss about the Be Real Game program and your child's progress, or ways you would like to participate, please contact your child's teacher. The Be Real Game 2003 © Bill Barry. The Real Game Inc. All rights reserved http://www.education.vic.gov.au/sensecyouth/careertrans/teacherresources/realgame