Well Rounded Americans
CETA 1977
I had just graduated from high school at age 19 and was an orphan with no job experience. The child welfare agency put me in touch with CETA and within a week I had a job working at Hogan Berry for the Developmentally Disabled. It was during these three months I realized I had a way to afford college and I learned many valuable lessons.
In three months:
I learned what it meant to get up and go to work each day.
What it meant to be a responsible person.
What it meant to choose my words carefully.
What it meant to listen.
What it meant to measure improvement on the smallest scale.
What it meant to appreciate what I had.
What it meant to observe.
What it meant to make a difference in another persons life.
What the value of a dollar meant.
What it meant to manage my time.
Today, 32 years later I watch the government reaching out again to provide the funds to put many people to work. There are many needs. There is no lack of jobs to create. In education alone there is tremendous need for teachers aids, teachers for a reduction of class sizes, arts, music, physical education, and tutoring. In the restoration of lands, park maintenance, and cleaning up polluted sites, there are years of manual labor by thousands. There are wait lists of people in need of in home supports in the thousands. The numbers are great and the funds will only go so far but for the next two years there is much that can be accomplished.The cost of most any program, project, and item is 65%-75% related to employee compensation.
The scale of Change 32 years ago by a smaller scale jobs program created the building blocks for a number of individuals like me. The Public Works projects from the Depression I see every day. They built my son’s public school, built flood control aqueducts in my spouses hometown and thousands more thorough out the USA which stand strong today. I look forward to measuring the effect of this stimulus of jobs and Change for America.
Proud to be an American. Proud to be part of this time of Change.
Nonprofits are able to offer a lot more than what government programs offer when job training means sitting in a room and going through the steps for applying for employment. It is time to utilize more of the job training money to accomplish work while awaiting for opportunities. Unemployment benefits should require a balancing of work and applying for the perfect job. On the job training is the best way to create opportunities for those whom wish to be employed and those employers who are looking to test out employees. Temp to hire should be a concept that government pushes more to enable the building of a persons resume with work experiences. It also provides an opportunity to support the accomplishment of goals in ones community.
