4 Troubled Teens Blog

The Toledo Botanical Garden has developed an outreach program aimed at helping troubled teenagers. The program, Toledo Grows, helps teenagers develop good work habits and other skills that can benefit them their entire lives.

Toledo Blade food editor Kathie Smith reported on the program in a Nov. 15 article:

The chickens were raised for eight to 10 weeks by Toledo Grows, which employs about 100 youth in partnership with the Community Integration & Training for Employment (CITE) job-training program of the Lucas County Juvenile Justice Division. Toledo Grows is an outreach effort of Toledo Botanical Garden.

"The program helps teenagers form work habits and transferable skills that will benefit them throughout their whole lives," said Michael Szuberla, Toledo Grows manager. "Some of the things are punctuality, reliability, attention to detail, team work, pattern recognition, and delayed gratification. The teens are at risk for poverty, pregnancy, drug addiction, and delinquency.

"This program is an oasis for them. It's like going to the farm in the country. They are safe. It's a relaxing place to be. It allows them to think about who they want to become and to formulate career goals and formulate a plan to achieve them."

Labels: troubled_teenagers, jobs

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Many of the young people who filed into conference rooms at the Access Business Center had never attended a job interview. All six young men had just been released from Camp Joseph Paige juvenile detention center in La Verne, California.

"To prepare them for life in the real world, members of the La Verne Chamber of Commerce participated in mock interviews with the teens... Each of the six boys sat across from a panel of two business owners in each of the two conference rooms."

The boys were asked such questions as "What qualifications do you bring to this job?" and "What would you do with your salary?" Following the sessions, the boys were given tips regarding everything from body language to overall appearance.

Randy Herbon, director of Camp Joseph Paige, thinks the program is invaluable because it teaches the boys "that they're not destined to fail." Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Labels: jobs, juvenile_crime, skills

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People who experience mental problems as children or teenagers have more career problems as adults, according to a study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Researchers used data from over 8,000 people all born during one week in March 1958. Those who had mental problems when they were young tended to end up in low-paying jobs. The authors believe that they may choose less demanding jobs to relieve stress. However, their jobs actually cause more stress in the form of low pay, little control over decisions, and job insecurity.

Labels: mental_health, jobs, careers

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A $5.3 million project is aiming to help 850 Toronto teens find paid summer jobs. One hundred of those jobs will be with the Toronto police force.

"Wexford Collegiate student Tara Omorogbe, 18, said she sees officers in a new light after doing filing and computer work for the Toronto police last summer as part of the Youth in Police Initiative... Omorogbe said she learned communication skills that applied to her co-op as she works toward a career as a midwife."

The summer job program is part of a large-scale initiative called Youth Opportunities Strategy. When choosing potential work places, Youth Opportunities organizers look for employers that want to offer more than just a job. The ideal employer is interested in mentoring young people as well. Source: TorontoSun.com.

Labels: jobs, police, summer_programs

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A $125,000 state grant is allowing a Massachusetts program to continue helping at-risk teens find jobs. The program, Youth Build, exists for the sole purpose of getting kids off the streets and into jobs where they can develop marketable skills.

"'The initiatives that we're putting in place with the funding is to really help these youth get back on track, help them and guide them to find their way so they can be successful occupationally, educationally, and throughout their entire lives,' said Berkshire Regional Employment Board youth director Heather Sherry."

Not only do the kids benefit from this program, but so do local businesses who are feeling the pinch of a depleted workforce. Read more at CapitalNews9.com

Labels: jobs, at_risk, skills

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James Shelby, president and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Urban League, unveiled a plan last Tuesday called the Year-Round Employment Program. With the help of 150 businesses, the plan will employ 300 at-risk African-American teens and provide mentors to teach them life skills.

"The businesses - which have yet to be recruited - will provide the jobs and some of the mentoring. For the first three months, churches and community groups will provide mentoring on topics including how to handle money, workplace ethics, conflict resolution and birth control."

An estimated 25 - 30% of young black men live below the poverty line, and 19-44% of them drop out of high school and never finish. The Year-Round Employment Program hopes to reduce those numbers. Read more at SacBee.com.

Labels: jobs, at_risk, employment

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