I Close Up I IIMIIIIIIMIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII tend the LIFT program and conH tinue their studies in classrooms housed in LIFT's offices in the H Art-Is building on Seventh Street. > ? - iaiuaenis receive credit for work done while enrolled in the LIFT ., program. LIFT also provides one-on-one counseling for the youth in the project. Group counseling is also provided, allowing students time for gripe sessions to air their grievances and, Mrs. Parmon says, 44just to let off a little steam." The LIFT concept is designed to prevent and combat some alarming statistics concerning today's youth. For example? There are 68,956 young people under the age of 19 in Forsyth County, which has the highest rate of suicide among youth under 20 of any county in the state. I* During the 1984-85 school year, 1,704 middle school (sixth, seventh and eighth grade) students were suspended, and 80 students in middle school were ^ excluded for the entire year. In 1985, 1,398 youth 17 years old and under were arrested and charged with crimes ranging from armed robbery to DWI (Driving "While Impaired), and 305 young people arrested were under the age of 16. i The heart of LIFT's plan of action, Mrs. Parmon says, is to try and instill new feelings of selfworth in the youth. "We want to try and change their attitudes just a little,'* she says. "We want to help them stand up and say, 'Hey, I do have some responsibilities, and it's up to me to effect changes.' We try to motivate them to think in terms of careers. 4 4We establish right from the B _ _^_a-_^r_ _ _ Se Just a g Seibys sr ^ trimmed | new avenues do so in M |UST THE Rl( THAT FITS Y( STHATFORO OAKS - S14 8. Strati DOWNTOWN - 211 V Alto in QrMfttt 4 From Page A6 IIIIIIIUIMIIIINIUIIIMINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHinUIIIHIIIIIIIMi very beginning that we want them here and we want to know what they want LIFT to do. We let them know that-we're not going to send the police or their probation officers looking for them. We don't judge any of them or what they've done. We just try to help." LIFT is still growing, Mrs. UL: Follow By CHERYL WILLIAMS Chronicle Staff Writer The Winston-Salem Ufban League is following in its father organization's footsteps by emphasizing education and the pro .blem of teen pregnancy. These same issues were stressed in July during the National Urban League's convention in San Francisco. The two issues are related, said local League President Thomas J. Elijah Jr., who attended the convention. 'The educational process, particularly for black kids, and teen ; pregnancy are two of the things that are going to impact on our total society/' he said. "We are creating fast an underclass of people who lack educadon mainly quality education. "If you don't get an education and you can't read or write, then you suffer economically," Elijah said. "As a result of not getting a job, you will fall into the cracks. And 1 think this has an impact on teen i pregnancy. "Babies raising babies is not the way it is. It's not a bright future at all for the problems that teen pregnancy causes." At the national convention, a new educational initiative was an nounced. This is a focus on improving the educational and Pierre Brown Invites You To Come By Ed Kelly's^ On Silas Creek Pkwy. For Your TV, Audio & Appliance Needs . /*j-vpyq ^ Iby. lance tells you that nnrf rWnnf IArrfhAr I ivil l fk/VIIVI II IW4II 4VI Dump will open up ? of success. And will i mid-heel comfort! ick patent with black leather arey patent with grey leather $56.00 f! f ncs HOES jHT style I 3U |UST RIGHT! tord Rd. ? 10-6:30; Mon. ?nd Frl. til 0 11. Fourth St. - *30-5 30 ?ro In Fofum VI t IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIUdlllllllllHIIII Parmon says, and the program doesn't have all the answers. But she is encouraged by how far the program has come, by its dedicated staff and by what LIFT can still do. "We don't say we are a cureall, but we can make recommendations and referrals when we recognize a problem," she says. /'O i 1 ing in 'lather vocational skills of poor children. Elijah said that the educational initiative will be a com- / munitywide program and that his staff is still making plans for the program. He said that the Urban League Guild will play a major role in the local effort and that plans are being made to set up a tutorial program at the Urban League. Elijah said that many of the members of the Guild are retired teachers. "Wtf want to make sure black kids are achieving," he said. 4'It has not been worked out yet. But it's on the drawing board. "We don't have anv nrohlem with working with any group in the community interested in the problem. Let's stop this nonsense." Elijah said that whatever program is developed will emphasize parental involvement in the child's education. "We feel that's one of the keys," he said. "Today's society almost dictates that both parents work, so very little time is left for I HO _ y u 11 J BON I GR/ Fl FIR ONI 3 3 J imttiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiNiiitiitiiiiiiiittmitiiiiiiiiiMiititMiiti "A lot of people like to see numbers to prove success, but you can't measure what you do with a human with what you do with widgets. "If it takes one year to get a child to feel good about himself and what he can do, it's immeasurable. If you can help one somebody, then it's all worth it." V footsteps , 1 _ J - A - ? - * our kios. as a result, we nave latchkey kids. We need parental involvement." Elijah hopes to promote the emphasis on education by serving on committees. He said that hehas been invited by Superintendent Zane E. Eargle to serve on these committees. One of the committees is a task force being formed to look at the problem of underachieving.. students. -fe?? "Interestingly enough, the dropout fate is not high in Win ston-Salem," Elijah said. "But every kid can be saved. We believe that." Harvev L. Kennedv. chairman of the Urban League's board of . trustees and a local attorney, said , that he agreed with Elijah. Kennedy, who also attended the national convention, told of a radical education proposal he heard at the convention. He said that the governor of New Jersey, Thomas H. Kean, said in his speech that every child in New Jersey should have a Please see page A16 k ' JLI " m . m H ? * H M ||J _ ~ ON ALL IS7* MEVILLE W kND AM ? IERO EBIRD 2.9% rHESE REMAINII .'86 6000'S ... '86 TRANS AM'S lK&SIxE ^ The Chronicle, Thursday, September 25, 1986-Page A15 pMp- Broomfield F C.M.E. Churcli I | Pastor-Bobby Simmons I 1992 Bloomficld Drive ChJiS ^ Sladium Drive Behind Boys' Club) (I ^ Morning Worship: 11:00 a.m. ^ Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. Hh 1 1 Prayer Service: Wed. 7:00 p.m. I Services: Church Van I ^^jjjjjKjt 1 i Pastor Visitation _ J | Bobby Simmons, Pastor| -I * PMaaailWIllHWi'lHSMM The CITY-COUNTY PLANNING I HH BOARD thinks your ideas are BBSa important in deciding how our 0 community GROWS ! H | Drop in at the following meetings to M review the draft county-wide jl COMPREHENSIVE PLAN & H THOROUGHFARE PLAN "T | I SEPT. 29 EAST WINSTON 4 P.M.-8 P.M. 3 Library OCT. 1 KERNERSVILLE 4 P.M.-8 P.M. U Library g OCT. 3 THRU WAY SHOPPING 4_P.M.-8 P.M^H | OCT. 6 WINSTON-SALEM 4 P.M.-8 P.M. I STATE UNIV. Student Union H H i n ii r #f * ** T.' ?. m. ' ' i j i tmm V \ . 1 hi m- * a^W ^B"W [t+w * # APR FINANCING (l up TO 0 60 MONIHS i . NEW H 'P0N1IACS 6000 ' * ~ PARISIENNE SUNBIRD | GRAND PRIX mac : \ financing IQ 1986 MODELS... \ 2 ...'86 FIERO'S " 1 ... '86 3UNBIRD " 1

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