Summer Jobs Article Debate- Join in

Mark, thank you for your response. I welcome the free flowing debate that the internet offers and democracy provides. I am in total disagreement with your conclusion that the Washington Post is a supporter of youth employment, namely the summer jobs program. They have consistently refused to write anything about the high youth unemployment rate and the need for more youth employment services. Moreover, the majority of the Post’s articles regarding the summer jobs program have been nothing but acrid criticism.

Now Mark, I am going to assume that you have been in youth services for quite some time. As a youth service advocate , I have been trained to use an asset based approach to working with, and supporting youth. A main part of this approach entails looking at what others don’t see. Here’s what I see:

1. 200 youth wanted a job!

2. DOES had only a “1%” disqualification rate. (201 out of 21,000) They are doing better than the Obama administration!

3. A major lesson was learned: “youth workers are incredible people. How were they able to get serve so many youth in such a short of time?”

Mark, I would never excuse a poorly run program nor would I ever criticize programs for policy mistakes.

In New York , I met Mr. Smith, the Director at the new River Bank State Park in Harlem . Mr. Smith had more than 40 years of youth service under his belt and I admired him for his commitment. For opening day, the State brought in 1000 children from all over Harlem to participate in a day of festivities and fun. The state spent thousands of dollars on new flowers and shrubs to beautify the park. On opening day I stood in Mr. Smith’s office as his staff came screaming in: “Mr. Smith, Mr Smith!” They yelled. “The kids are destroying all the flowers, the kids are destroying all of the flowers!” Mr. Smith calmly looked over his shoulder at his staff and stated in a smooth clam voice: “They are not destroying all of the flowers, they’re destroying 30% of the flowers.”

99% of the youth served by DC and those served in the summer of 2009 will be served well. Will 1% fall through the cracks? Probably. Will we get the policies and resources to make things right? Probably not?

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I would say that you have seriously misinterpreted the Washington Post article article, which I also read this morning. The article was > about the serious mis-management and mis-operation of the summer  youth employment program in the District last summer, that  resulted in many poor quality employment opportunities, lost  opportunities for employing additional youth, and wasted financial  resources, the combination of which will likely discourage youth,
 employer, and provider participation in the program this coming  summer unless significant corrections are made to program  management and operations. There was nothing in the article
 indicating that summer youth employment programs are not  important, and, in fact, the Post editorial staff has long been a  proponent for increased and enhanced summer employment
 opportunities for youth in the District. The problems in last  summer’s program as reported in this article point to the need for  the District to run a more effective and efficient program, not to
do away with the program. What, you would choose not to run the story because some yo-yo reader interprets a poorly run program to mean there should be no program at all?

Michael Steele – Forget Hip-Hop—Get Culturally Competent

Michael Steele is not the only one confused about how to relate to our nation’s youth.

Many republicans, as well as Democrats, fail to realize that by using commercial hip-hop, they inadvertently promote many of the behaviors that they rave against. Bottom line: politicians have little information on how to connect with young adults, and Michael Steele incorrectly thinks he has to dress, act and talk like young adults to connect.

Yes it’s true Michael Steele, we have to many 8 track political parties in a MP3 world. Politicians, policy makers and educators all have been slow to catch up to the rising waves of youth interests and ways to use those interests to promote political participation and educational achievement. They might as well stuff a Bee Gees eight-track into the machine and get ready to do the hustle. Just realize, young adults won’t be willing to join in.

But they will join in, not through hip-hop, but through Youth Cultural Competence.

YCC is not about hip-hop. It’s about the conscious and strategic use of the following three elements to produce youth participation in the electoral process.

Youth Involvement – Listen to youth and get them involved. In order to reach youth you need help from the youth.

Positive Peer Influence – The power of peer influence is much stronger that that of the republican party. Use it as a force to promote political participation. Hire youth to send a message out about the importance of the political process. After all, they live in public housing, attend public schools and take public transportation – it just makes sense.

Youth Popular Culture – For the most part, current youth popular culture has had a limiting and destructive impact on the future economic life chances of the youth served in programs across the U.S. Turn this tide around, developed a strategy which uses the current interests of youth to emphasize political involvement and empowering values.

YCC is not multi-culturalism, which focuses on general ethnicity and race. YCC understands that young adults have their own cultural capital, and it uses that capital to reach and engage youth. Hip-hop is just one from of youth cultural capital. Not every young person is into hip-hop or wants to rap.

Also understand that commercial hip-hop has been misdirected and misguided by corporate interests and greed – just like Wall street. . If you use the culture, make sure to take out the commercial. The simple rule: if it does not promote life, freedom and future economic opportunity; it’s not entertainment. It’s attempted homicide.

Finally being YCC means continually adjusting to the cultural interest of the youth. Remember jazz? What was once rebel music quickly became the choice of the older generation.

Young people connect to adults who respect their youth culture. They appreciate adults that validate the cultural capital that they have taken on as part of growing up. When politicians negate the cultural capital of young adults, they devalue the young adults. In an urban culture, where respect is premium, consider the inevitable turn-off to politicians when young people’s culture is “disrespected.”

So relax Republicans – or you will find yourself trying to Krump dance. Get connected to our youth by connecting to them.

Edward DeJesus is the author of Countering the Urban Influence – Reclaiming the Stolen Economic Fortunes of America’s Youth. He can be reached @ www.ydrf.com.

Senate Committee Approves Solis as Labor Secretary

By Mike Hall
In One week after postponing a confirmation vote on Hilda Solis as secretary of labor, the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today approved on a voice vote President’s Obama’s choice to lead the Labor Department and sent the nomination to the full Senate for confirmation. That vote could come tomorrow.

The Solis nomination was announced in December, and her confirmation hearing took place Jan. 9. But Big Business groups and a number of Republican senators have loudly, and at times almost hysterically, complained about Solis’ long record of support for working families and unions.

Committee Chairman Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has called Solis “a tireless champion for working families.”

After eight years of the Bush administration’s Department of Labor under Elaine Chao—trashing workers’ rights, weakening workplace safety rules, ignoring wage and hour violations and siding with Big Business at about every juncture—the idea of a labor secretary siding with workers must be terrifying to some.

Most of the criticism centers on Solis’ support of the Employee Free Choice Act, which she has co-sponsored in the House. Republican senators have even suggested that if confirmed, Solis should be barred from advocating for the restoration of workers’ rights to form a union and bargain for a better life, as the bill provides.

Says AFL-CIO President John Sweeney:

Senate Republicans can’t just oppose a secretary of labor because she supports working Americans and favors curbing excessive corporate power.

Article printed from AFL-CIO NOW BLOG: http://blog.aflcio.org

What No Youth Workforce Program Wants to Talk About

Recent data suggest that workers’ rights training and education substantially improves the pay and benefits received by young workers. The question is how many job training programs teach participants about worker’s rights?

 

On average, unionization raised young workers’ wages 12.4 percent – or about $1.75 per hour – relative to young workers with similar characteristics who were not in unions.

Read the report:

http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/unions_and_upward_mobility_for_young_workers.pdf

What Programs Need to Teach: Staying Alive

In an era where workforce development providers are trying to reach hard to serve youth, there is a growing percentage that face a tremendous barrier to obtaining gainful employment – death.

A new report by professors at Northeastern University finds murders of African-American teenagers have risen 39% since 2000 and 2001. What implication does this have for workforce development systems? In a system that is trying to reach a large percentage of African American males whose lives in essence are in jeopardy, programs are hard-pressed to incorporate lessons of survival along with the designated job skills. Is it possible to prepare them for the workforce without first preparing them to stay alive and free? Read study:

http://www.neu.edu/nupr/news/0109/Fox_Swatt_Homicide_R.html

The Community College Debt Trap

During this very harsh economical time in our country, working adults and parents are not the only ones feeling the strain. A growing number of students are finding themselves strapped with the financial burdens of credit card debt before they even leave for college. A recent Congressional hearing highlighted the marketing practices used by credit card companies to unfairly target students, pulling them into the abyss of high interest debt before they have acquired a substantial means of income.

In addition to the weight of credit card debt, upon arriving at an institution of higher learning, several students acquire the added responsibility of student loans. This creates an enormous strain which is exacerbated when those students do not complete their course of study.

Given this growing problematic trend, it is crucial that Youth Workforce Programs educate youth about this situation and warn them of the pitfalls of credit card debt. By preparing them early and teaching them to deal with this issue in a responsible manner, we can bring this trend to a swift end.

Watch Congressional Testimony

Don’t Let Change Stop On Nov. 4 – Create Jobs for Youth

 

America needs change. We’ve all known this for years, and we finally have a President Elect who shares the vision of a better America. The change campaign swept through this country, prompting millions of youth to take make their voices heard at the polling place, emphatically declaring that the time is now. However it’s one thing to talk about change, we must also be about it. Now that we have the power to effect change, what will we do with it? The time to roll up our sleeves is upon us and we all need to get busy. With an economy that is plunging daily, we must now examine the roots of this problem and devise a plan that effectively and inclusively involves all Americans in restoring our country and spreading the wealth equitably.

 

Presently, the employment rate is at rock bottom. Layoffs abound, and the unspoken last hired, first fired rule is in effect. At the same time, drop-outs rates are escalating, community college completion rates worsen and many youth workers who find themselves competing with college educated adults for a minimum wage job that will barely keep gas in their cars. Despite these facts, we’ve always known that large companies don’t hire those under age 25 for career level positions, not even at the entry level.

 

When the current outlook is so bleak, is it any wonder that youth are wondering why they should strive to enter the workforce or complete their education?

The recent election created a movement within the youth community that encouraged them to act, that convinced them that they matter, that change could occur. In fact, President Elect Obama got 23 million youth to the “polling place.” Now the question is: What will we do to get them to the “market place.” What do we need to do to ensure that the most disenfranchised of our youth get a chance at opportunity?

 

Change is coming, but where will it land? Will it hit the schools and youth programs? If we were tired of 8 years of backwards administration, we must be sick with 30 years of backwards youth policy. Although youth culture and the economy have dramatically changed in the past 30 years, many of our programs have not.  We have to many 8-track programs and policies in a MP 3 world. I am not talking about computers and Star Trek distance learning systems (they don’t work), I’m talking about the technology of youth engagement – a science that for many program programs means nothing more than letting youth rap at the local youth conference.

 

Our youth facilities are still trying to crank up the 8-track player and wondering why youth aren’t listening. Sadly, we think technology is the answer.  The youth who need our help want “High Touch and High Tech.” We are just getting the later. The cracks in misunderstanding between your average middle class teacher and hard to serve student have turned to craters.  It is a sad state of affairs when we have invested more research and time in making the things  of our world work better, but our interpersonal relationships remain stagnant. We are losing our youth, and unless we continue to promote change in every aspect of our lives, we will only be talking about it, and as we all know, talk is cheap.  

 

 

If President Elect Obama got youth’s attention through bottom up, grassroots efforts and organizing; then we need a bottom-up grassroots approach to youth education and workforce development.

 

At no time in history has the challenge to the future economic opportunity of out nations’ youth been most at-risk.  The rising cost of college, and the lack of any tangible success for the sacrifice perpetuates the cloud of despair that is the reality that many youth face. Has it ever been more apparent that we need change? There is a glaring neon sign that says now is the time, but where do we start?

 

Here are some suggestions:

 

-Encourage active participation of youth, obtaining their input in redesigning current programs and policies.

-Create a service corps of well trained and properly supported youth in the community promoting life, freedom and FEO (credentials, skills, degrewes, networks and work experience).

-Invest in research to determine why our youth and workforce system has been unable to engage the youth they are intended to reach.

-Incorporate workers’ rights training and education in all curriculum and job training programs

-Ensure that youth culturally competent mental health and substance abuse counseling is made readily available.

-Guarantee transitional jobs for all program graduates.

-Promote the use of the youth cultural competence approach to change program climates and community direction.

 

Engaging and supporting disconnected youth comes with many challenges. Yet the results of our success will impact all facets of society and rebuild stronger communities. Let us listen to their voices as they share their ideas for eradicating the perpetual cycle of poverty and inequality that they are caught within. Let their voices guide us to learn new ways to replace this despair with hope, healing and confidence in a newer, brighter tomorrow.

 

Reach all Youth

 

Edward DeJesus

 

 

What the Election Means to this Youth Worker

A major reason for my denial was the conditions I experienced during my travels from state to state. Not much consideration is given to those who are left behind, the discarded inhabitants of this country, the poor, undereducated, in short, the primarily black and Latino communities. 

 

If you asked me yesterday, no mater what the polls said, I would have declared that there is no way a Black Man will become President in America, at least in my lifetime.

 

 “If you can’t see it, how can you fix it?” I often inquire during my numerous keynote speeches. The conclusion I came to, was that America was not interested in fixing what is broken, but rather that it was content to allow the status quo to remain. After all, America’s constant disregard for those matters of importance to me were smacking me right in the face on a daily basis. If I can see it, then so too can America, and yet they chose not to act. What more proof was needed?

 Education is grossly underfunded, and the best practices and ideas often never make it to see the light of day. Funding of other programs that make no real impact seem to garner more attention and action. Income distribution was important as long as it was going in a direction opposite those communities that needed the most help. As far as I was concerned America not only didn’t get it, they probably never would. 

 

 But last night, America set me straight. Now don’t get me wrong I am not a sophomore when it comes to interpretation of polling results. There is still a gap in those who chose change and those who did not. I am not naive enough to believe that those of the old guard will now open the floodgates of opportunity to those communities who have been calling on it’s country to show them support, however I think we are embarking on an incredible journey. No matter how I (or the Pundits)  slice it, this election  has renewed my faith it America’s willingness to make things right and the possibility of a community organizer’s struggle.

 

Reach all Youth,

 Edward DeJesus

A Youth Worker’s Letter to Wall Street

With all this talk about streets in the recent political debates, I think it’s time for a person with mad experience helping young adults off the streets to weigh in on the current economic situation. The advice that I’m offering is the same I offer to youth.

 

1.  Let go of (Wall) Street Values

The sole focus of corporate structures on excessive profits is one of the main reasons why this problem is so prominent in the first place. It’s called the Fast Money Disease, or perhaps you may recognize it a little better as something called Dividends and Bonuses. Power driven executives are often the recipients of these perks while those employees stuck a little lower on the totem pole suffer the same crushing effects that the common folk are dealing with. That’s not business, it’s robbery. The primary mission of a corporation should be the uplifting of society and the community it operates in, not the maximization of profits. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you shouldn’t make that money, I’m saying do it legally and ethically.

 

2.  Stop Hanging with the Knuckleheads.

Straight to the point! You’ve got a bad case of negative people connection (NPC), and that’s going to lead you absolutely nowhere. The old saying, “Tell me who you hang out with and I’ll tell you who you are,” isn’t just a myth. The company you keep not only reflects on you, you start to assimilate to it if you stay in it long enough. Who do you hang with? Are they a good or bad influence? If your answer is the latter, you need to invest in a new peer group. Start with the positive people in your community, elect them into positions that can help make a difference, like your Board of Directors or the Federal Reserve Board.

 

3. Fight Fast Money Disease (FMD)

I know you got it.  Everyone knows. Look what you’ve done did. C’mon you know quick money is no money. The problem is that you were going after that quick money and got caught up. Now, if the Feds were on you like a local brother on the corner over a bag of weed, you would have something to think about, and I would have something to stand on. In the real world of the streets you lose your life, freedom or future economic opportunity over FMD.  Breaking it all the way down, you either die, go to jail, or get so messed up with legal fees, restitution, fines and a record, that future success becomes a difficult if not impossible task. You might think you’re immune, but I suggest you watch your back. I heard the FBI is looking out and I think a lot of people are ready to snitch.

 

4. Hustling is an Addiction

Once you get caught up in the game it is hard to get out of the game. Most dealers are addicted not because of the money they make (the majority still live with their mothers), it is the addiction to hustling, that fast life, that gets you. Are you addicted to the economic profits of the stock hustle? Apparently so. Let me be the one to tell you that you need to get help now. This road is a no-win situation with a short lifespan. After all, how many successful retired hustlers do you know? Oops don’t answer that!

 

5. You got my Back; I got Yours

In the streets, if someone gets your back then it goes without saying that you’ve got theirs. America, for whatever reason, backed you up with over 750 billion. The question is, will you ever have theirs? In the streets you know what people are willing to do when they are disrespected, so what do you think America will do to you when you disrespect them (like you haven’t already)?  With an over 750 billion dollar bailout, you better make sure you do the right thing.

 

Please don’t take this the wrong way. On the street there’s a saying that goes, “If you’re not trying to help the struggle; don’t knock the hustle.” Since my tax dollars went to help your struggle; I guess a little knocking is appropriate.

Jobs and Training for Poor Black and Latino Youth

 While the lack of skills of young adults is clearly an issue that needs to be remedied, there are three other critical issues that are rarely addressed – employer discrimination, the hidden labor market, and the segregated communities that many poor young adults are forced to survive in.

 

Employer discrimination not only encompasses the obvious lack of diversity in the workplace, but also includes the ill-treatment of young adultsonce they are within the company. Preconceived notions, stereotypes, and bias, play a huge part in the manner in which employers select their employees, and the often undue scrutiny to which young black and Latino males are subjected. These obstacles don’t make the corporate ladder hard to climb, but rather make it unreachable.

 

Though we’ve all heard of the “good ol’ boy” network, mainstream society refuses to openly acknowledge its existence, often promoting the façade of equal opportunity employment in public, while opening back room doors for their chosen candidates. This hidden labor market snatches employment opportunities away from African American males that most times they were never even made aware of in the first place. The existence of this exclusionary network forces these poor young adults black men to fend for themselves in an already diminished job pool.

 

Our inability to deal with these issues of inequality, cultural competence, and the structural issues that impact the economic life changes of the youth we serve is a main reason why young people are not feeling our programs in the first place. In a country with only 250,000 publicized slots for 5.4 million out-of- school youth, our programs should not have a recruitment and retention problem.

 

I will give it to you straight no chaser. It doesn’t matter who signs your youth development certification credential, unless the aforementioned issues are dealt with, we are not ensuring jobs for the youth in our service, but rather for ourselves, the middle class professional youth service worker. The truth of the matter is that the majority of middle class youth workers are youth culturally incompetent.

 

At a recent conference where I spoke about the need to do basic things like change our voice mail system to make them a little more appealing to youth, one youth worker told me that employers are not interested in hearing youth culture when they call his office. I’m sure he meant well, but it is this type of thinking that keeps young black males estranged from their programs, but at the same time confused by society’s message. A particular example of this is Nextel’s commercial that states “WHERE YOU AT????????” On the surface this message indicates that Nextel gets it, that they know how to reach the young people. The underlying message, however, is that of suburban America telling young black males, “We can use your culture to draw you in and take your money, but we don’t want you working here.”

 

“If you can’t find the solution, it’s because you can’t see the problem, and if you can’t see it, how can you fix it?” If this statement that I use in many of my speeches is remotely true, then for the past 40 years the workforce development policy has been in need of laser eye surgery.

 

Training has been a cruel hoax on the poor and Negroes, as the trained are not placed on jobs and are shifted to other training programs or allowed to drift in the limbo of the irregular marginal economy. -Dr. Martin Luther King

 

If Dr. King had this type of insight in the sixties, why is it that we are still floundering around using the same ineffective methods, looking for a solution that is right in front of us? When is someone besides the young person going to stand up and say, “This isn’t working?” That time must be now. Youth service providers must shake off the cobwebs of their old systems, clear their goggles, and advocate for the following changes:

 

1. Increased Job Creation for Poor Young Adults. The emphasis here has to be jobs now, permanent jobs. Given the incompetence of the middle class youth worker, the lack of hope to address this competence, the unwillingness of employers to hire young adults, especially young black males, and the current economic crisis, it is imperative that we employ a nation of Young Adult Human Service Workers (Peer Support Workers (PSWs)) to provide much needed services in the battle for economic opportunity for America’s youth. PSWs can serve a role in human services that the middle class youth worker can’t. They can reach the youth because they haven’t forgotten what it takes to reach them. PSWs can: · Get a credible message out in the community where the youth are. They’re willing to go to the natural environments at times when the middle class youth worker does not want to be present. ·Attend weddings, funerals, cook-outs, krump battle sessions, showing their interest in the things that interest youth while promoting the FEO message at a time when the message will be well received. ·Inform and train the workforce and education system in how to respect the community. ·Reach the hard to reach because they don’t have to validate who they are and why they are there.

 

The PSW position can be invaluable if given the latitude and resources necessary. The PSW position must be integrated into every budget and made into a full-time permanent position with room for advancement into counselor, case manager, job developer, and director positions. Advancement must not rest on the acquirement of any traditional degrees, however. Non-traditional pathways to higher position must be created and legitimized by the research community.

 

2. Workers Rights Training. This training is a crucial part of equipping youth and yet is often overlooked within employment programs. Information regarding what youth should expect and what is expected of them inside the workplace must be integrated into every workforce curriculum and program. See my last article – The Forgotten Competency Workers’ Rights.

 

3. Office of Youth Cultural Competence. The creation of this element within a program is imperative in order to gauge, monitor, support, and sanction the use or non-use of youth culturally competent educational and workforce approaches within workforce investment areas and school districts. The focus must be on reaching these youth and boosting them into success rather than on satisfying the needs of employers who don’t want them and community colleges that can’t keep them.

 

The bottom line is that unless we are willing to step out of our collective comfort zones and embrace the culture where our youth reside, we are going to continue to lose them through the cracks. The only question is will we be the ones creating them?