It starts with the question - what do you want to be (or do) when you grow up? We hear this question around second or third grade, at school and/or at home. We answer it with what we find most interesting at the time; something fun and something we believe we would enjoy. We say Astronaut, Veterinarian, Musician, Basketball Player, Artist, Doctor, Singer, Lawyer, Chef, Mathematician etc. At some point our teachers, parents, guardians, and other adults who care about us help us to modify or change our answer to their perceptions of our skills and desires. "You are great at music so you should be in a band." "You are great at science so you should be an engineer". "You are very articulate and great with people, you should be a lawyer."

However nicely intended, these answers are usually formed because these adults believe in the future demand of these roles. So what happens to our authentic interests? We adapt. We trust the adults who know the world and know what's best for us. Additionally, we like the attention of the discussion and compliment to our skills. And naming and claiming our interests help us to become stronger when defending them. But how much of this dialogue is one way? Are youth 7 - 12 years old participating or agreeing? It seems when a career is introduced, children begin to repeat what was heard without really understanding why. So when the question 'what will you be when you grow up?' is asked in the future, the answer becomes "I love math so I want to be an engineer." And so on.

If these suggested careers are within a child's passion, Authentic-i can strengthen these interests by providing connections in that industry. If not, Authentic-i is listening to what our youth are screaming to us about themselves - which is that they can be in touch with their true authentic selves at a very young age. Authentic-i's objectives are to provide kids with the fundamental exploration of why their uniqueness matters, how to accept and be proud of who they are, why they should do well in school, and how to find the life path to what matters to them in order to be successful.