|
Dear Forum:
Thank you so much for hosting Superintendent Jack O’Connell on Forum last Friday morning. While I was listening to it, I was struck by a comment Superintendent O’Connell said. Paraphrasing what I heard, Superintendent O’Connell said that one of the most important people outside of the parent in a youth’s life is a teacher. Additionally, Superintendent O’Connell stated concerns about teacher recruitment, especially recruiting teachers from the communities for which they work. Lastly, he said communities needed to become more involved, especially parents, in educating their youth.
What was baffling to me was his non-acknowledgement of the afterschool programs across California. Thanks to Proposition 49, Governor Schwarzenegger’s precursor to governorship, approximately $550 million dollars was allocated to after school programming. Additionally, the state receives approximately $140 million in 21st Century Funding. This does not include dollars also spent in school-age care or other supplemental services. These funds support numerous programs that engage both parents and community members and promote positive developmental outcomes of youth.
I have been working in the field of youth development and after school for over 15 years. I know that $690 million is not a lot of money for the entire state, and that the impact of afterschool programming is sometimes hard to quantify. I also know that these programs are high quality and working towards resiliency, education, and empowerment. The people employed in these programs are passionate, skilled, and from the communities for which they work. They are teachers in their own right, and deserve to be put alongside teachers as important to the development of children and youth.
I currently work for an organization called the Youth Development Peer Network (www.ydpn.org). Our organization is comprised of youth workers, professionals who work with or on behalf of children and youth, and we are dedicated to promoting more awareness about youth workers and the field of youth development. We currently have a short documentary about youth workers on our website. These individuals have made deep impact in their communities, and their reasons for doing the work are varied.
If someone like Superintendent O’Connell can’t acknowledge the role youth workers play in educational reform, I know others do not understand what we do. I would love to help organize a Forum with youth workers on the role they play in our communities. I can be reached via email or at 415 509 1882. I know this Forum would be engaging, educational, and fun. I look forward to hearing from you.
Peace, Jason Wyman
Program Manager, YDPN You can listen to the Forum by clicking here. Let's get a Forum on youth workers. Email them at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
!
|
