written by Drew Hammond, Bhutanese Middle School Apprentice
We strive to help our students think creatively about their potential careers; to help them see that there are more jobs than just working in factories and shipping plants. To expose the Bhutanese youth to more careers, we took our Teens Club students to the Kansas City Kansas Police Academy. Our students learned about a new career and they received warm welcome from the team of officers that gave the presentations.
Not only did the officers give fun and dynamic presentations with many of the tools and gadgets they use in the field, they worked hard to connect relationally with our students. I was encouraged by the officers asking our students about their stories, past and future. The officers expressed how they love hearing about other cultures and how they wished they could spend more time with our students.
The officers were clear about the tasks they do. Anything from paperwork to making arrests. We were also given a look into various departments, ranging from Community Policing to the SWAT Team and Bomb Squad. They focused on our greatest tools being our minds. Both in the importance of higher education and the ability to diffuse situations with relational skill before resorting to force.
We received more than we thought we would in our trip to the Kansas City Kansas Police Academy. We knew our students would receive exposure to the career of police work. By the end of the day our students had not only learned what it means to be a police officer, they also came away with a deeper feeling of trust with the officers who strive to protect our homes.
