By Michael Booton
In high school, few opportunities are given to teens to develop skills needed outside of a classroom setting. A chance to explore what job they really want, experience with the demands of a realistic job, and decent wages are not a match found easily. Youth Mobilizers, a new program administered by The Family YMCA and funded by the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board (JJAB), will do just that. Seeking to provide teens with this invaluable exposure, Youth Mobilizers will empower teens to overcome the obstacle of their age and engage with their community.
To create the atmosphere of a true job, a youth must first submit a project proposal to Youth Mobilizers. This idea must fulfill one or more of the program’s goals:
· Celebrate teens and their interests/accomplishments
· Further teen skills and experience in an area of teen interest
· Empower teens voice in the community regarding topics that are important to them
An adult from the program then reviews the proposal. After approval, the adult and the youth work to create a plan for the project. This is a crucial part of the program. Teens are expected to construct a realistic timetable and quantifiable goals. This may be out of the teen’s current skill set. The program will provide training necessary, and an adult to act as an advisor when needed. A job application then must be submitted for the teen’s first project, complete with references and YMCA employee conduct agreements. Finally, a contract is drawn up with the goals and timetable, and the stipend. The stipend is respectable, one-time or recurring as called for by the project.
The second incarnation of this program, many things have changed. Beginning in 2007, the program began as a series of teen lifestyle surveys and was directed by Lindsey Millgan. Barb Marcille brought the idea from a conference she attended for JJAB. She returned with the idea for a program where teens would make these surveys, and then address the problems found. Originally, three to four teens were paid eight dollars an hour to work in a kind of think tank from 3:30 to 5:30 pm Monday through Thursday to accomplish this. The program had several successful projects, including starting a school newsletter, presenting a poll on high school dropouts to the school board, and beginning Senior Sidekicks, a program that links seniors and freshmen for mentoring. Due to budget cuts in JJAB, priorities had to be decided. Seeing the limited number of teens that could be directly impacted, with only the three to four employed, Youth Mobilizers was cut.
Once funding was again available, the idea of Youth Mobilizers, teaching job skills and giving teens an active voice in the community, grabbed attention and funding was immediately reinstated. First, the program went through restructuring with the idea of the stipends, allowing a greater amount of teens to be recognized. More teen initiative is allowed, with more creativity, with a wide variety of persons.
Youth Mobilizers is staffed by adults that are passionate about teen formation. School and other activities are taken into account when formulating the plan. Shaping a plan for each individual is an important part of the process. The adult mentor and teen meet personally to discuss the project. To maximize the effectiveness of the program, the teen’s perspective of the problem is widened as much as possible, imparting problem-solving skills. The term “trainee” is given to the youth, giving the clearest idea of how the teens are assisted. All the resources possibly needed are guaranteed to the teen. The mentor is available through every step of the project as needed while maintaining distance for the teen to develop the project in their own fashion.
Director Tony Stidham is passionate about working with teens. Working as a youth minister for thirteen years, he enjoys engaging in the creativity and energy of youth. He has overseen fifteen projects in the four short months since beginning. “I work with teens full time; I have a heart for the teenage community. When this opportunity came with Youth Mobilizers, it was just right,” Stidham said.
Open to any teen, the Los Alamos Teen Center is the hub of the program and has applications available. Already with many participants, Youth Mobilizers is shaping the community from the teen perspective.
In high school, few opportunities are given to teens to develop skills needed outside of a classroom setting. A chance to explore what job they really want, experience with the demands of a realistic job, and decent wages are not a match found easily. Youth Mobilizers, a new program administered by The Family YMCA and funded by the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board (JJAB), will do just that. Seeking to provide teens with this invaluable exposure, Youth Mobilizers will empower teens to overcome the obstacle of their age and engage with their community.
To create the atmosphere of a true job, a youth must first submit a project proposal to Youth Mobilizers. This idea must fulfill one or more of the program’s goals:
· Celebrate teens and their interests/accomplishments
· Further teen skills and experience in an area of teen interest
· Empower teens voice in the community regarding topics that are important to them
An adult from the program then reviews the proposal. After approval, the adult and the youth work to create a plan for the project. This is a crucial part of the program. Teens are expected to construct a realistic timetable and quantifiable goals. This may be out of the teen’s current skill set. The program will provide training necessary, and an adult to act as an advisor when needed. A job application then must be submitted for the teen’s first project, complete with references and YMCA employee conduct agreements. Finally, a contract is drawn up with the goals and timetable, and the stipend. The stipend is respectable, one-time or recurring as called for by the project.
The second incarnation of this program, many things have changed. Beginning in 2007, the program began as a series of teen lifestyle surveys and was directed by Lindsey Millgan. Barb Marcille brought the idea from a conference she attended for JJAB. She returned with the idea for a program where teens would make these surveys, and then address the problems found. Originally, three to four teens were paid eight dollars an hour to work in a kind of think tank from 3:30 to 5:30 pm Monday through Thursday to accomplish this. The program had several successful projects, including starting a school newsletter, presenting a poll on high school dropouts to the school board, and beginning Senior Sidekicks, a program that links seniors and freshmen for mentoring. Due to budget cuts in JJAB, priorities had to be decided. Seeing the limited number of teens that could be directly impacted, with only the three to four employed, Youth Mobilizers was cut.
Once funding was again available, the idea of Youth Mobilizers, teaching job skills and giving teens an active voice in the community, grabbed attention and funding was immediately reinstated. First, the program went through restructuring with the idea of the stipends, allowing a greater amount of teens to be recognized. More teen initiative is allowed, with more creativity, with a wide variety of persons.
Youth Mobilizers is staffed by adults that are passionate about teen formation. School and other activities are taken into account when formulating the plan. Shaping a plan for each individual is an important part of the process. The adult mentor and teen meet personally to discuss the project. To maximize the effectiveness of the program, the teen’s perspective of the problem is widened as much as possible, imparting problem-solving skills. The term “trainee” is given to the youth, giving the clearest idea of how the teens are assisted. All the resources possibly needed are guaranteed to the teen. The mentor is available through every step of the project as needed while maintaining distance for the teen to develop the project in their own fashion.
Director Tony Stidham is passionate about working with teens. Working as a youth minister for thirteen years, he enjoys engaging in the creativity and energy of youth. He has overseen fifteen projects in the four short months since beginning. “I work with teens full time; I have a heart for the teenage community. When this opportunity came with Youth Mobilizers, it was just right,” Stidham said.
Open to any teen, the Los Alamos Teen Center is the hub of the program and has applications available. Already with many participants, Youth Mobilizers is shaping the community from the teen perspective.