Jobs program survives economic downturn
Teens and young adults find work at local agencies, businesses
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE __
More than 250 local youth,
ages T^24 found gainful employ
ment this summer, courtesy of a
long-running program designed
to give them real world experi
ence and expose them to to a vari
ety of professions. ?
Sponsors of the program have
changed several times during the
program's more than two decades
of existence, and funding sources
and facilitating agencies have
varied from year to year, but the
gist of the Summer Youth
Employment Program has
remained largely the same.
Youths who meet the income
requirements of the program ?
which is designed to provide
opportunities for families in
lower income brackets - receive
job readiness training and then
are placed at work sites in the
public and private sector. They
work a maximum of 20 hours per
week, and their wages- are paid
not by the companies themselves,
but by an exterior funding source
provided h\ program sponsors. In
recent years, the City of Winston
Salem has helped the program
procure funding for this purpose.
"Hopefully, some of these
young people will have done such
a grand job that if there is funding
available at their workplace, then
hopefully they will get picked up
(as permanent employees)," said
Deltra Bonner, the employment
program's coordinator, "or at
least they'll have experience on
their resumes to share with their
next employers."
This year's youth employ
ment program was supported by
stimulus funding from the federal
government's American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009. Because it is backed by
the federal government, the
income requirements and age
restrictions are a little different
from that of previous years,
Bonner explained. More than
800 applied for the program this
year, but many were eliminated
because of the more stringent
income guidelines put forth by
the government, she said.
Bonner says the program is
I
Summer workers Jontille
Haney, Martin Rabb and Paris
Wagner.
Right: Bryant McCorkle with
Jaci Bradley.
beneficial for both the compa
nies/agencies and the young
workers. .
"A lot of companies are strug
gling because of financial con
cerns." she said, noting that many
small businesses are being forced
to work with smaller staffs just to
stay afloat. "...These young peo
ple can come in and do the job (at
no cost to the company)."
Youths are working at rough
ly 80 local sites this summer,
everywhere from the City of
Winston-Salem and the Forsyth
County Public Library system to
the Darryl Hunt Project for
Freedom and Justice and the
Institute for Dismantling Racism.
Goodwill Industries on
Waughtown Street had three teen
participants from the program
this year. Among them was 17
year-old Jontille Haney, a rising
senior at Mt. Tabor High School
She praised the program for offer
ing her something new and dif
ferent this summer.
"1 didn't want to just sit
around the house all summer,"
she said. "I wanted to get out and
experience more."
The interaction she's had with
Anderson--'r
\vmSSSu> c?*r
I , ? , ? ?
members of the community
through working at Goodwill has
been a learning experience for
her, said Haney, an aspiring
nurse.
"It'll help me become a better
person, understanding people
more, and not just judging people
by the way they look, but actual
ly getting to know them," she
said.
The William Roscoe
Anderson Jr. Recreation Center,
formerly Reynolds Park Rec, also
took on a team of youth this year.
Jaci Bradley, a rising senior at
Parkland IB Magnet High
School, grew up participating in
programs at the center. She has
returned several times as a coun
selor through the Summer Youth
Employment Program.
"1 thought it was pretty cool
to get a job in a program I used to
be in," commented Bradley, 17,
an avid basketball player and a
member of Parkland's Lady
Mustangs team. "I enjoy the job
on a day to day basis; I can come
up here and shoot (hoops) and
still do my job."
Center Director Bryant
McCorkle says he knows first
hand the importance of initiatives
like the Summer Youth
Employment Program. He par
ticipated in a similar program as a
teen.
"It helped me a lot," he said of
his own participation. "My first
job was as a counselor in a camp,
and 1 found out right then, at 16
years-old, that that was my call
ing."
The Summer Youth
Employment Program will culmi
nate Aug. 21 .
Vaccines
from pane M
dren should be vaccinated, there are exceptions, and
some children have special conditions, such -us HIV
or cancer, that prevent them from following a routine
vaccine schedule Your child's pediatrician should be
aware of any existing medical conditions.
- Always make sure you keep your child's immu
nization records up-to-date and keep their immu
nization card with you in case of emergency .
- It is common for children to have a low fever
and some swelling in the area of the injection in the
24 hours following a vaccine If your child has more
serious adverse reactions (for example: convulsions,
fever higher than 105 degrees, difficulty breathing!
after receiving a vaccine, inform your doctor imme
diately.
- Germs and other disease-causing agents, like
bacteria, can spread very quickly in school settings.
Assuring your children have all their v accinations on
time can help keep them and our communities
healthy.
- Contribution by Sarah Langdon. MPH, CHES
Do you need further information or have ques
tions or comments "about this article? Please call
toll-free 1-877-530-1824. Or, for more information
about the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity,
please visit our website:
http .//www.wfubmc .edu/minorityhealth .
SHS
from page A4
students to have friends who smoke and to frequent
or live in locations where smoking occurs, according
to the study. Similarly, students who binge drink
were more likely than other students to report expo
sure to SHS, likely reflective of the co-occurrence of
smoking and drinking- among
college students.
Other factors that appeared
to be associated with increased
exposure to^HS included liv
ing in residence locations
where smoking is allowed or
locations associated with
smoking, such as Greek hous
es and off-campus housing,
being female, of white race,
having parents with higher
education levels and attending
a public versus private school.
Wolfson
Nearly all nonsmokers (93.9 percent) and the
majority of smokers (57.8 percent) reported that SHS
was somewhat or very annoying.
"We were really shocked to see that 83 percent of
students reported at least some exposure during the
previous week," Wolfson said. "That said, we don't
know if the exposure was at a nuisance level or at a
level that might influence health. Either way, know
ing what we know about SHS, lowering the rates of
smoking is definitely something we should be seri
ously looking at on college campuses."
WACHOVIA
A Wells Fargo Company
With you when tycxx uf at y**
i
You're always on the move. At Wachovia, we're with you when you want to keep on top of your finances without interrupting your flow.
We'll review your ever-changing financial situation and help you find the tools you need to stay in control. Together, we'll select the right
Wachovia products and services so your finances can keep pace with your life. Put your financial goals in motion today. Stop by, call
1-800-WACHOVIA (1-800-922-4684) or visit wachovia.com.
O 2009 Wachovia Bank, N.A. and Wachovia Bank of Delaware, N.A. All rights reserved. Members FDIC.