Archive for July, 2010
Youth Employment: The big payback
Jazmine Graves, 16, and her mother, Sharon Van Horn, celebrate Jazmine's first paycheck
Beginning Friday, July 23, 2010, more than 2,000 young people began receiving paychecks from the two summer youth employment programs administered by City Connect Detroit. Some youth are part of the publicly-funded Detroit Summer Youth Employment Program (DSYEP) that we run along with the Detroit Workforce Development Department. Other young people are being employed paid by our private campaign to “Grow Detroit’s Young Talent.” But no matter the source of their paychecks, they all have been working for the betterment of our city – from pharmacy to farming.
So many in our community have been touched by the nightmare of adult unemployment. However devastating that has been, the youth unemployment rate is easily three times adult unemployment levels. But at least with this payday, thousands of Detroit youth will not only experience the pride of earning money on their own, but they will also set out on the path toward becoming productive adult workers. Studies show that these summer experiences can impact their future ability to earn wages. And the relationships that youth forge with their worksite mentors can be invaluable for a lifetime.
Ozella Harbin was there when her 14-year-old daughter, Brittany Hudson, received her first-ever paycheck on Friday. “We are in such a rut,” Harbin said about the current economic situation. “If our children don’t get the chance to learn how to work now, it will be harder for them in the future.”
Brittany loves her work beautifying Cody High School this summer. “I’m going to spend some of my money and save some,” she grinned.
Youth employment is not a panacea to our broader employment concerns, but it is the piece of the problem City Connect is committed to solving. What better investment than to bring the hope of productive citizenship into a young person’s life?
Sharon VanHorn, 35, knows what kind of hope a summer job can bring. She got her first summer job through the DSYEP 20 years ago. “If it wasn’t for our summer jobs, my sister wouldn’t have been able to buy a prom dress,” she said. “A summer job kind of saved my life—back in the day, we wouldn’t have had school clothes if it weren’t for summer jobs.”
Now her 16-year-old daughter Jazmine Graves is working in DYSEP. “I like the kids I work with at Fitness Home Care for Children,” said Jazmine. “I’m going to put some of my money in the bank.”
Especially for Detroit, this is certainly a moment of celebration. When I look into the proud faces of the young people receiving their first checks, I’m filled with joy – not just for them, but for our city that is sending a message to its young people that they have a bright future right here at home.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )Nonprofit census participation is its own success
- Detroit City Councilmember Shaunteel Jenkins is present when Dr. Geneva Williams receives an award from the Census Bureau.
The 2010 Census is drawing to a close. From my discussions with the Census Bureau, our city’s 2010 population could be on par with the count for the 2000 Census, stemming concerns about deep population losses for Detroit. Such losses could mean cuts in federal dollars allotted to Detroit, as well as a dilution of the city’s political power.
This is a remarkable achievement given the tremendous hardships that have beset the Motor City since the last census. Massive foreclosures, joblessness, an increase in homelessness, and elevated suspicion of the government since 9/11, have all made it difficult to identify and count everyone who lives in the city.
Last week, representatives from the Census Bureau awarded us a certificate of appreciation for the work we have done on behalf of the Mayor’s Complete Count Committee to make sure every Detroiter was counted. Although I am deeply appreciative of the award, our city’s success is a collaborative victory. City Connect’s work would not have been possible without support from the Michigan Nonprofit Association, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Skillman Foundation, the Knight Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Because of their support, City Connect was able to make 51 mini-grants available to Detroit community based organizations, touching tens of thousands of Detroiters with messages, training and direct engagement about the importance of the census.
We are so pleased that both the Census Bureau and the City of Detroit turned to the nonprofit community to insure a complete census count. Nonprofits are trusted by the communities they serve, and often know how to craft messages that directly address grassroots concerns. They speak the same language as their constituents and often have a vested interested in maintaining federal support for their causes through an accurate census count.
We thank the many groups who made it a priority to raise census awareness and participation, including our nonprofit partners, Data Driven Detroit, Michigan Voice, ACCESS, Michigan Nonprofit Association, the Leadership Council for Civil Rights and the Skillman Good Neighborhoods. We also received strong support for the Census Bureau’s Partnership Specialists.
We await the final numbers from the 2010 Census. But we know that no matter the outcome, it would have been much lower if not for the tireless dedication of the nonprofit agencies who serve Detroit.
Thanks for your efforts to make sure that every Detroiter counts!
Avoiding a lost generation
Georgetown University Professor Harry Holzer urges policymakers to support young workers.
I was heartened to read in the New York Times last week that factory owners have been slowly adding jobs since the beginning of the year. But before I was able to celebrate the good news, I read the bad news: The manufacturing sector has also been moving toward greater automation. That means that even though factories are hiring, they’re not replacing the low-skilled workers that they employed before the recession. The low-skilled jobs have been sent offshore.
Domestically, manufacturers are looking for workers with computer skills, those who can read blueprints and those who can do higher-level math. For young Detroiters, this creates a unique opportunity. If employers aren’t hiring back low-skilled workers, then there’s a vacuum that young, prepared workers may start to fill. That’s why we at City Connect Detroit feel that now is the time for employers to look seriously at providing summer employment opportunities for our young talent.
With black youth unemployment rates soaring past 50 and 60 percent, it’s easy to understand how young people may begin to see the search for work as futile. But the truth is that, if they are willing to work hard in school, 18-24-year-olds may actually have more opportunity for entry-level jobs. With a bit of preparation and motivation, young workers can begin to leapfrog over older workers as employers look for workers with newer, more technical skills.
Just last month, Georgetown University Professor Harry Holzer testified before the Congressional Joint Economic Committee. The name of his lecture grabbed my attention: “Avoiding a Lost Generation: How to Minimize the Impact of the Great Recession on Young Workers.” Here is how he is advising public policymakers to make sure that young workers are prepared for the economic recovery:
I also support extensions of summer youth employment programs, but much prefer year-round programs linked to schooling or other skill-building components attached. And publicly paid “transitional jobs” for hard-to-employ groups should be expanded as well.
But high-quality education and training options for youth, and especially those who are disadvantaged, should also be enhanced. These options should be designed to address longer-term problems, but should be ramped up now while unemployment for young people is so high. And, wherever possible, these efforts should include opportunities for them to gain some type of paid work experience, at least partly subsidized by government.
For young people in high school, this means dropout prevention efforts, high-quality career and technical education options, and subsidized internships and apprenticeships. Programs that create pathways for high school students into postsecondary programs should be further developed.
With or without federal support for these programs, City Connect is committed to making these pathways to productive adulthood possible. Our campaign to Grow Detroit’s Young Talent is a major public/private partnership to raise jobs and money to give urban youth a constructive work experience. We can’t afford to lose another generation to a lifetime of poverty and low productivity.
With your involvement, we won’t have to.
It’s not too late! If you would like to employ a young person this summer, or donate funds so that a young person may be placed in a job, contact us at 313-879-1GRO (879-1476), or email Kathleen@cityconnectdetroit.org.
For more information on the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent Campaign, go to www.growdetroitsyoungtalent.org.
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