Development of Career Guidance Advocacy Model for Orphans and Abandoned Children

Career guidance advocacy model for orphans and abandoned children was developed in this qualitative study. Children’s occupational goal, shapers of career aspirations, and the process on how the career aspirations are developed were described from the perspective of 48 children of SOS Children’s Village-Lipa. The assumptions upon which the Career Guidance Advocacy Model (CGAM) are built are that (1) the orphans and abandoned children’s career aspirations are confined on the few accessible occupations; (2) loving family environmental climate, strong occupational self-concept, and presence of and sustained positive experience with role models shaped the career aspirations (occupational goals) of orphans and abandoned children.; and (3) the process of developing career aspiration among orphans and abandoned children involves sequential steps: working-out the destabilized self-concept, interpreting and implementing the occupational self-concept, and demonstrating commitment on a relatively stable occupational goal. Career Guidance Advocacy Model (CGAM) offers framework of career helping for orphans and abandoned children through advocating affirmative life space with constructive authorities; career opportunity and familiarity; and sustained positive experiences. In the realization of the advocacies it is expected that the children gain the ability of self-development and behavioral autonomy to set realistic career aspirations.

Keywords- Career Aspirations, Career Guidance, Career Guidance Advocacy Model, Occupational goals, Orphans and Abandoned Children