Young people from Boys & Girls clubs from all over the city battled traffic to gather recently at the Edgerley Family South Boston Club for an inspiring event hosted by Roadtrip Nation, an educational nonprofit on a mission to empower the next generation.

It was a night filled with energy and purpose.

Opening the event, Josh Davis, Executive Director of the South Boston Club, welcomed  everyone and acknowledged the Clubs’ staffs who work tirelessly every day because they care about the future of the youth they serve. “That’s what everything is about today,” he said.

The spotlight then shifted to the team from Roadtrip Nation, who had just rolled into Boston in their signature bright green RV. But, as they explained, Roadtrip Nation is much more than a colorful RV — it’s a platform dedicated to helping young people chart their own course in life. For over 20 years, Roadtrip Nation has crisscrossed the country, interviewing inspiring individuals from all walks of life and creating videos. Their goal: to show youth that there is no single path to success and that it’s possible to turn interests into fulfilling careers.

“We believe that learning and growth can happen far beyond just the classroom walls,” one of the presenters said. The Roadtrip Nation team encouraged attendees to explore their own interests, set goals for the future, and use the resources available to them — including a new platform, The Achievery, a free resource designed to help young people build skills and pursue careers that align with their passions.

From managing an NBA arena to becoming a white-hat hacker, Roadtrip Nation shared inspiring examples of how young people can explore unconventional career paths by blending their unique interests. Throughout the event, the team stressed that every career journey begins with small steps. Whether those steps involve talking to a mentor, volunteering in the community, or simply doing some research online, each action brings young people closer to their dreams.

Those small, simple steps can lead to big, transformative outcomes.

With personal stories from the Roadtrip Nation team and practical tools like The Achievery, the event succeeded in motivating Boston’s youth to dream big, take action, and define their own roads in life.

“I think it’s so important to let [youth] know that there’s not just one correct path,” said Ezaura Mazza, teen education manager for the South Boston club.

Jannell Simon, 14, of the South Boston club, learned a lot from the sessions. “It’s really interesting,” said the Boston Latin School student. “It helps people get a sense of what they want to do. It’s not just for the money. You can do stuff that you actually like.”

Jannell is planning for a more stable job, like architecture, and singing and making music on the side, combining two passions.

Dante Cannon, 16, of Boston Arts Academy, said the session was really cool, and that he’ll be taking one step at a time to get to bigger steps.

In the words of one Roadtrip Nation presenter, “We have this idea around here that since your future career is going to be something that you spend so much of your life doing, you might as well pick something that you’re interested in so you can love going to work every day. It’s just all about being happy.”

According to the Roadtrippers, career exploration is not about finding any old job. It’s about taking what you like and trying to turn it into a career that you love.

“When you’re not sure what you want to do with your life, it can feel a bit overwhelming, but guess what? You don’t have to make the exact right choice right now, and you don’t have to make any big, splashy decisions about your future,” said a RoadTripper in a video. “You can start with just one little drip.

“Eventually, one of those drips will cause a ripple effect; it’ll create a way that pushes you in a whole new direction for what comes next. Then you can start planning followup actions that get progressively bigger, more involved, and take more time. Keep trying more and more actions, learning more and growing more. And eventually all those little drips will become one big, huge splash.”