A Different Point of View (ADPOV) will host its first Aviation Career Program this weekend at Santa Barbara Airport (SBA). The new program is the only one of its kind on the Central Coast and will serve youth throughout Santa Barbara County.

A bold and innovative non-profit organization, ADPOV’s mission is to engage, inspire and transform underserved youth using flight lessons as a launching pad. ADPOV has been successful in using the profound experience of flight as a tool to broaden horizons, build character and develop leadership skills.

This program will offer three days of flight and leadership training, a workshop in airframe and power plant mechanics, and field trips. The students will visit SBA’s Air Traffic Control Tower and Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, Station 8. Using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) methodology, students will receive hands-on training and engage with career professionals from many aviation specialties. (Please see the attached schedule for full details.)

The primary goal of ADPOV’s Aviation Career Program is to provide youth with a viable pathway to success. Through aviation enrichment and mentoring, youth consistently show improved self-confidence and self-discipline – personal qualities necessary for excellence in their academic and professional careers. Learning about aviation provides an exciting, real-life application of the math and science principles that students learn in school. Youth who often struggle in math and science will be exposed to practical applications in the program that promote learning through hands-on, interactive experiences.

A Different Point of View literally takes youth out of their neighborhoods and shows them the world from a different point of view. Working with Above All Aviation Flight School at the Santa Barbara Airport, students will be given lessons towards a Private Pilot’s License. At the conclusion of the program, each teenager will be paired with a mentor from Freedom 4 Youth, an organization that specializes in mentoring underserved youth. These mentors, along with staff from ADPOV, will provide ongoing support and guidance to connect them to future opportunities in aviation or any other career path they seek to follow.

ADPOV targets youth who live in poverty, come from single parent homes, or who lack support and opportunity to reach their potential. Our vision is to show these youth – through aviation enrichment and mentoring – a world where opportunities are abundant and where life is a rich, exciting and promising endeavor.

For more information on ADPOV or this program, please visit ADifferentPointofView.org.

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A Different Point of View would like to thank our generous donors and corporate sponsors, who make all things possible: The Santa Barbara Foundation, Santa Barbara Airport, Easy Lift Transportation, Union Bank, Food Bank Santa Barbara County, Ruby Road Leadership, Above All Aviation, Commercial Business Consultants, Inc., Santa Barbara Air Traffic Control Tower, City of Santa Barbara-ARFF Station 8, Accurate Aviation, American Flyers-Santa Monica, Experimental Aviation Association (EAA), Rebecca Eggeman-Non-Profit Attorney, Rebecca Summers-Grant Writer, Freedom 4 Youth.

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