August 20, 2024
As part of the ongoing Summer Career Institute program at Mercy Home, our young people visited the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), hosted by leading proprietary trading firm Optiver. There they learned how the company and its traders make fast and effective decisions.
A presentation by CBOE employees gave our young people valuable insights into the decision-making process and how to assess risk. They then applied these new skills in a risk-assessment game. Players were given situations where they had to determine whether a decision was a high or low risk and explain their reasoning to the group.
Some of the youth shared their decision-making process.
“I look at what’s being asked, the time limit, and the amount of effort I need to put in,” Josh said.
Another youth, Nathan, said “My risk taking is valued by risk and reward, and whether or not you value the risk you are taking.”
At Mercy Home, we show our kids how to make healthy decisions to set them up for success. So an experience like the field trip to Optiver can have an impact on them far into the future.
“[We want] to let them know that there is always going to be a reaction to whatever they do, whether it’s good or bad,” Candace Brown, a post-secondary options and career resources coordinator, said. “But our goal is to say that we want you to have a positive response, rather than a negative response.”
Toward the end of the visit, the youth witnessed the ordered chaos of the trading floor, where traders used elaborate hand signals and lots of shouting to buy and sell commodities.
“My favorite part was learning about how trade works, and how they prevent hackers and scammers,” Shawn said.
Mercy Home prides itself on exposing our kids to new educational and career opportunities and connecting them with experienced professionals for their growth and development.
Throughout the summer, our young people have made strong efforts to actively participate in field trips to businesses, respect their peers, and act professionally.
Every youth is given a timecard that they turn into the Education and Career Resources staff after each visit to a company. They also bring folders on their visits that contain questions about the company’s mission statement, values, and job responsibilities that they can ask.
When our kids make good decisions, exhibit professionalism, and kindness at the Home and on these professional field trips, they are rewarded for their positive behavior.
“The main goal for all of our Summer Career Enrichment trips, is [for our kids to have the] opportunity to see beyond what Mercy Home is,” said Brown. We are so grateful to Optiver for giving our kids a wonderful experience and encouraging them to have the confidence to make the right choices.
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