What the Obama Administration Needs to Know About Reaching Youth

In the effort to guide our youth in a direction that promotes financial economic opportunity, continued growth, and enhanced education, it is imperative that the Obama administration take a long hard look at the signals that they send. Time has proven that the old method of doing things is simply that—old.

Youth are non-responsive to the methods that brow-beat them, and attack the popular culture that they have embraced and identify with. The fact that popular culture is often at the core of their personalization, is a fact that must be understood and dealt with in a manner that separates whatever disdain may be held by policy makers for this popular culture from the positive that can be derived and utilized in reaching them on their level.

By understanding what motivates and drives our youth, recognizing and acknowledging their concerns, and making a genuine effort to relate to them by creating some sort of common ground, policy makers open the lines of communication and begin to bridge the gap that has been ever-widening. The age old “Father knows best,” theory has been generally based on a platform that suggests that “I talk and you listen.”

This dominant and dictatorship method does not work, and often serves to make youth “turn up the volume” of the music in their heads. When it becomes clear that they are the only ones grooving to the beat of what drives them, they shut down and look elsewhere to find the answers and help they need. Often times, they don’t find it, and the downward spiral becomes a cycle of despair and inevitable doom.

Obviously as concerned citizens, no one wants to see a child fail, however not many policy makers are willing to take a step back and realize that perhaps their methodology is one of the barriers that makes success a pipe dream versus a reality for our nation’s youth and young adults. Policy makers and society as a whole have to shed their judgmental ideations about the popular culture teens have adopted, and begin to ask the hard questions. What is the message?

 The seeming fixation on fast cash and “Pimpin Rides’” don’t necessarily indicate that teens condone the methods of obtaining the lifestyle depicted, but it does indicate that financial stability is of huge importance. Teens want to have some control over their futures and having grasped the dynamics of society, they do understand that money brings power. What parents, educators, and teen programs must do is find the thread that ties the ability to gain financial prosperity with the necessity of becoming educationally, emotionally, and physically sound.

 By making this connection, policy makers have introduced a path that is alternative to the negatives that they perceive in popular culture, and still strikes commonality with youth by addressing their underlying concerns about their future. Connecting with youth is by far a task that is ongoing, and requires policy makers and practitioners to develop a systematic way of utilizing youth popular culture, peer influence and youth involvement in a way that promotes life, freedom and young people’s future economic opportunity.

 This stuff is not taught: it’s caught. Policy makes must keep their thumb on the pulse of what relates to youth. The difference is that with today’s youth, that thumb cannot be used to apply the pressure of dominance that once worked. Teens are smarter and more conscious than ever, and want to be acknowledged as the authority of what is important to them as opposed to being told that they are giving up on their country when they drop-out of school. Adults must relinquish this notion, and consider that it’s us who gave up on them.

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

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.