If you’re a parent with a child in high school, you might be wondering what the future holds. As soon as you start thinking about it, the worry creeps in—sweaty palms, biting nails. What will the future be like for them? The days of a clear path are gone. No more straightforward formula for success: Go to university, do well on your tests, graduate, get a job and home. The end. That’s no longer the story. The story has changed, and the ending will be different if our children aren’t prepared for the future.

How do you prepare your children—and ourselves as parents, educators, counselors, mentors and leaders—for an unclear future? If you’re looking for a path, I may have one for you. Join me on this episode with my special guest, Jake Horne, as we talk about "The Future is Clear: It’s Cloudy." Let's make a path for our future generation—our children.

Jake Horne is an accomplished educator, mentor, and environmental advocate with a diverse background in secondary and post-secondary education, non-profit leadership, and alternative energy solutions. He holds degrees from prestigious institutions such as Harvard College, Trinity College, and the University of Hartford, and has founded several organizations aimed at supporting students and promoting sustainable energy practices.

Throughout his career, Horne has worked as a teacher, school administrator, and mentor, and has been involved in environmental mediation and hydroelectric energy policy. His interests extend to organic gardening, beekeeping, and timber-framing, reflecting a deep commitment to sustainable living and community engagement. Horne has also served on numerous boards, contributing to the development of educational and environmental initiatives in his community.

Presently, Jake is focusing on mentoring Gen-Z students in thinking more deeply and broadly about their future in a very unstable world in which they will need to develop and practice the specific skills, social, emotional and intellectual to thrive in a shifting, transformative future that is unfolding. A principle vehicle for accelerating this skill-building is through a set of unique and personal Gap Year designed experiences before heading off to college. As a result, these more experienced students are far more prepared to get the most out of their college experience and life, setting themselves up as more capable leaders and entrepreneurs. Jake has been mentoring these young individuals since 1994, through his work at The Student Compass. 


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