“Put ‘em to work!” Youth Employment in McLaughlin

Sharon is 18 years old, and has an 18-month old daughter.  She dropped out of school in the 9th grade when she got pregnant.  Now a “single mom,” she is in an up-and-down relationship with her “baby’s daddy.” She struggles with academics, especially with reading.  She hasn’t spoken to her father in years, and recently was forced out of her mother’s place.  She is now in a living situation that is very precarious and unhealthy for her and for her baby.  Sharon and her daughter are living well below the poverty line and are essentially homeless.

Sharon recently became a program participant with Community enCompass’ Youth Entrepreneurship/Employment Program (YEP!).  She gets up every morning at 5:45 AM, prepares her daughter for the day of childcare, and walks across the neighborhood in the icy morning air to get to the job site.  She is always on-time.  She is a hard-worker: steady, silent, persistent.  She is willing to learn and is very creative.

The job site is 235 E. Larch, where she and seven other youth from the neighborhood are rehabilitating a home that had sat vacant for several years.   The home will be used as part of Community enCompass’ Permanent Supportive Housing Program for homeless families.

Ron Owens, a long-time builder and former Director of WISH (West Michigan Independent Self-help Housing), is the project supervisor at the job site and has been the primary teacher of construction skills for the YEP youth.  Ron is excited about the growth that he has seen in the youth over the past six months since the project’s inception.

“They’ve learned so much already: how to get to work on time, what it means to be responsible for your work tools, how to use a speed square, how to swing a hammer, what nails to use in what situation, and—oh yes—those math skills you thought you would never need, and why a lunch from home is always better than fast food. The list goes on and on.”

“When the youth first received their own tools, the biggest mystery was the tape measurer.  It had lots of numbers on it, but the confusing part was all the little marks between those numbers. At first when I asked for a measurement I would get everything from, ‘It’s the third little mark past the second big mark after the number 68′ to ‘That would be 68 and two quarter, I think.’  Often I would be waiting for a measurement, and waiting and waiting, until I would say something like ‘Can you give me the measurement before I die of old age?’  This would always bring a smile to the faces of those who were standing by waiting, until it was their turn!  Now everyone can read and use a tape measure. That deserves big congratulations to all!

YEP is more than “just a job.”  As Ron reflects, “All of the youth are facing significant adversity in their lives.  We all try to understand how each person’s daily life can impact their workday, and we work through these issues by concentrating on the job at hand.  We have all learned a great deal, not just about building and construction, not just about life skills, but about each other and how to work with each other.  Learning these things has not been easy, but the reward they get from seeing a job well done gives them a sense of satisfaction that can be hard to come by in the neighborhood.”

Sharon is taking small, but mighty steps towards a different future for herself and her baby.  We all recognize and name the obstacles that are around her, but Community enCompass—its staff, programs, resources, and PRAYERS—is committed to walk along side of her as she takes each one of those small and mighty steps.

YEP is a partnership of AmeriCorps, CRWRC, Department of Employment and Training, GoodWill Industries, and Community enCompass.  Collaboration makes things happen!

Jim Schepers