Future Focused Education

The X3 program run by Future Focused Education, primarily connects underrepresented youth from various counties of New Mexico with paid internships in the outdoor recreation industry, while also offering professional mentorship and support systems. Through partnerships with local Title 1 (high poverty) schools, the program attracts scholars, matches them with internships fitting their interests and capabilities, and provides professional skills training. The participants, also called interns, earn stipends, work on real-world tasks, receive guidance from on-site mentors and weekly meetings with X3 Coaches who address any potential barriers such as transportation and internet access, while also guiding them towards personal and career goals. In the end, interns showcase their experience and insights in an Exhibition of Learning. Notably, the administrative tasks such as recruitment, training, payroll, performance review, feedback processing and data management are streamlined via the smartphone-accessible ImBlaze platform, enabling employers to focus more on providing quality guidance and work experiences to the interns.