Welcome to IPC Pathways
A program to help young people imagine their future at
Immanuel Presbyterian Church, McLean, VA
What is IPC Pathways?
IPC Pathways is a program at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, McLean, VA. designed to help youth and young adults imagine their future.
IPC Pathways is for young people who have a connection to Immanuel, whether or not they are members. It is designed to access an under-utilized asset: the wisdom and experience of Immanuelites of all ages..
The Harraseeket Foundation (pronounced “hair-a-SEEK-it”) designed and has supported IPC Pathways at Immanuel since Fall 2017. Harraseeket is a 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is to support career exploration programs for communities like Immanuel. The program is operated in consultation with Immanuel’s Spirituality & Learning Committee, Youth Ministry Committee, Immanuel staff and an Immanuel advisory board that includes several seekers.
Learn more at About IPC Pathways.
A new dimension to IPC Pathways: Imagining Your Future (guide teams)
“Imagining Your Future” is a program being tested at Immanuel Presbyterian Church that supports teams exploring life’s important questions together. There are three members of each team: a high school or college student, a young adult and an older adult. Each team commits to regular meetings to discuss thought-provoking books, articles, videos and exercises described in “modules.”
Check out this 5 minute video testimonial from Immanuelites who are on guide teams.
The IPC Pathways Fund issued its first award to support internships for at-risk students!
The IPC Pathways Fund has made its first award! The Fund was created thanks to an Endowment Grant from Immanuel Presbyterian Church. The Fund will make grants, in partnership with Communities in Schools of NOVA and others, to support low-income, at-risk students who choose internships, and to schools, to enhance career guidance resources available to low-income, at-risk students. Learn more at the IPC Pathways Fund page.
We have a new Resource Map to direct you to great vocation and career guidance resources!
We’ve launched the Pathways Resource Map! Visit the Resource Map page for links to six Maps for high school students, college students, young adults, mentors, and those interested in financial literacy and theological perspectives. The Maps contain opinionated, annotated, organized guides to books, articles, podcasts, videos and the like. Learn more on the Pathways Resource Map page.
Get Involved
We want everyone at Immanuel to participate in career mentoring conversations. We also need volunteers and donations!
Feedback from Seekers and Mentors
My mentor conversations have been really helpful. They've suggested some other career paths that I wouldn't have considered before. I'd been getting career tunnel vision—where I could only picture myself doing a few things— my mentors have helped me break out of that thinking. I've returned to job searching with a renewed energy.
I have had a great experience with Pathways. The connections I’ve made have helped me explore job opportunities, feel more confident in my abilities, and think about my career from a fresh perspective.
My connection with [my mentor] was very successful! Through him I got to meet with three program leads at the National Academy of Sciences. Including the head of the new Climate Change program they are trying to set up. They said that I might be able to find a position open over this summer, and if that happens then I have a good chance to land it since I got my foot in the door way ahead of time. Thanks so much for the connection.
My first conversation with my mentor was incredibly organic, supportive, and fun. I learned a valuable perspective from her, that career paths aren’t always linear and are often enriched by your openness to opportunities. I intend to carry this with me on my career journey, and have greatly enjoyed our newly fostered relationship and correspondence.
Mentor Spotlight
Some of the mentors in the Immanuel Presbyterian Church Pathways program are sharing the stories of their career paths. Here is one mentor’s story of how she became a small business owner and what landscape design means to her.