Page 2 Section I Portland Observer, May 26, 1983
Youth employment available
Grauroots News, N. W. — Thi*
week Mayor Frank Ivancic an
nounced detail* of Portland** third
annual, “ Summer Employment for
Teen* (SET).” The program is ex
pected to provide job* for 600 to BOO
youth who will work 20 hour* a
week for 13.35 hourly. "W e have
job» lined up to clean up around the
freeway*, pick up litter and paint
fire hydrant*. I think it i* a very use-
ful program to provide meaningful
work.”
Ivancie *ay* the SET program will
not conflict with union job*. ” 1
don’t think thi* program will have
any effect on any full-time union
job. The work that the kid* will be
doing is not skilled labor or compe
titive with the general labor force.”
The budget is comprised of re
source* from the recent federal
"Job* B ill," the Oregon Depart
ment of Transportation and the City
Bureau of Water Work*. " I f we
think the program ha* to be beefed
up I will go back to the City Council
and ask for some general fund
monies. I believe thi* program it so
important for our youngsters to
have that work experience. Just the
idea of doing something for the
City, at fairly low pay, is good ex
perience.”
He say* roughly 30 percent of the
slot* would be targeted to the mi
nority youth of the city who are dis
proportionately affected by unem
ployment. "W e are trying to seek
those youth out through the schools.
We have never been criticized in the
Street Beat
past because the program has been
heavily skewed in that direction.”
Other than litter collection and
fire hydrant painting, Portland's
SET worker* will clean up city road
side areas and provide clerical sup
port for city bureaus. "Generally
speaking, these jobs would not be
done if it weren't for this program.”
by Lanita Duka and Richard Brown
Education was the topic for this
week’s Street Beat with, "Should
Oregon institute a minimum compe
tency test for teachers and students?”
Youth between the age* of 14 and
19 are urged to apply for the SET
program. The jobs begin July $ and
will end September 2. The contact
person for N.E. Portland is Alene
Grice at 287-4284. For the west side
it's Miro* Hernandez at 796-5372
and for the S.E. side call Holly
Schlabach at 248-5174. The mayor
indicated that these openings are,
"First come, first served.”
Oregon opposes Salvador war
Tuesday, May 17, Oregon became
the first state in the country to pass
a bill through its legislature to for
mally tell the U.S. government to,
"stop military aid to government of
El Salvador until there is proof that
policy o f violent suppression of civil
liberties and human rights ha* been
terminated.” Senate Joint Memorial
6, sponsored by Senator Margie
Hendrickson of Eugene, gained bi
partisan support, passing the Senate
with one single dissenting vote (29-
I) and the House by a majority of
40-19.
The Eugene Council for Human
Right* in Latin America, with the
support of church and other groups,
helped carry out a concentrated
lobbying campaign. Those testifying
for Senate Joint Memorial 6 in
bearings included the A CLU, Oregon
A F L -C IO . Ecumenical Ministries of
Oregon,
Arnoldo
Ramos and
Francisco Altchul — diplomatic
representatives of the F M L N /F D R ,
and others.
The bill was also supported by
chapter* and affiliates of the
Committee In Solidarity with the
People of El Salvador (CISPES) in
10 Oregon cities. They activated
grassroots pressure from the local
constituencies in their areas.
The Portland Central America
Solidarity Committee (PCASC), a
CISPES chapter, initiated a similar
bill two years ago . . losing by only
one vote. Oregon CISPES coordi
nator Marcia Hamley said of the
vote. "T h i* shows what we have
known for a long time now — that
the majority of people in this
country (60-75% depending on
which poll you read) oppose U.S.
military involvement in El Salvador
and Central America. More and
more people are becoming vocal in
their
opposition
and
finally
Congress and local legislators are
getting that message.”
" I think they should to en
sure competency. When you go
to school you're there to learn.
We have to make sure when you
hit the streets you are pre
pared.”
“ It would be a good idea.
This way kids coming out of
school at least will know their
basic skills."
For information on other PCASC
activities, call 235-9388 and leave a
message or write P.O. Box 6443,
Portland OR 97228.
>
Voices
{Continued from page I column 4)
attitude towards life. How can they
understand what they are doing and
what it means to rip o ff your broth
ers and sisters. The purse you snatch
could belong to a lady old enough to
be your mother. And going into
your mother's purse is just like
going down the street and mugging
someone. It is all wrong, taking
from the poor. Especially, since we
all came over on the same ship."
One factor which makes these
youth on the street* invisible to local
and national statistician* is their
abrupt withdrawal from the educa
tional system. Dick Kuczek, Re
search D irector for the Portland
Urban League, says male* have a
higher propensity to drop out. "The
early-leaver rate for the last two
years has remained constant with
14.3% for Native Americans, 9.2%
for Hispanics, 9.2% for blacks and
7% for white.”
Jimmy say* he and his friends do
not care about going to school. " A t
least no one made me go to school
when I was little. I took it for grant
ed that I didn’t have to go. So, I just
quit because I didn’t like it.” Jimmy
dropped out in the ninth grade. T.J.
is still in school but says the kind of
education he received is "not a good
one.” " I 'm in my second year o f
high school and I spend a lot of time
downtown. It is like a second home.
I know a lot o f the people and if
something is going on at home I can
always come down here. 1 guess, I
can say that I'm learning something.
Like mathematics and stuff. That
all lean Figure out.”
Their presence is also not
recorded in the various unemploy
ment data that is available for anal
ysis. Kuczek says only the youth
who are actively looking for work
occupy the embarrassingly high
youth unemployment figure*.
"They are in the hidden unemploy
ment data. W ith both black and
white youth, teenage males show a
higher tendency to be unemployed.
Blacks are disproportionately hit by
(his hidden unem ploym ent.” He
adds a qualifying note by stating the
teenage unemployment figures may
seem high but the aggregate unem
ployment data for Oregon is well
above the national average. Kuczek
concluded by slating, "W e are not
dealing with simple numbers. These
kids 16-21 are in their first job hunt
ing experience. It w ill shape their
whole attitude for years to come.
The long-term impact of being told
there is no place for them in the
system or society is frightening. Ten
years down the road there w ill be
problems. And the problems w ill
come because you can't change their
minds and convince them that there
is a place for them. W hat shapes
their altitudes and behavior now
will impact the community in years
to come.”
Harry Schwartz
Painter
like the idea of a test. If
r do not pas* they should be
I back for their own good.”
Bob Moor«
Store Clark
Sammy Lathan
Mechanic
Ruby Patterson
Baautlclan
" I believe in a lest for teach
er*. If the teachers know they
could pass it on to the students.
Maybe this is why we are having
as many problems as we’re
having."
F
R
E
" I think so. We know that
the quality of education is not
what it should be. And, like all
jobs, you are tested to ensure
competency. A mandatory test
wouldn't hurt."
E
Jim Bergstrom
Unemployed
"W e have to have certain
standards o f education and cri
teria to follow. We should re
member that some people can't
retain it all and we should have
a special process for that.”
Tour child can learn to swim with
tha T . . . for fraal
O rientation sessio n s for p a re n ts and
kids will be held J u n e 4 (see pool
list for exceptions). P articip an ts
m u st atten d o rien tatio n .
YMCA
The free YMCA/YWCA Learn-to-
Swim week will be offered at the
following pools th ro u g h o u t
Portland:
Gregory and Donal dlacuaa their true faalinga.
(Photo: Richard Brown)
T .J . says, " T h e y w on’ t hire us
(youth). They think we are going to
cause problems. The people who
run the restaurants and the fast food
places just d o n 't trust us. They
think we are going to give stuff out
or steal." In response to where he
might find work. T .J . replied. " I
don 't know. That is what we are
trying to figure out.”
These young men have entered
adulthood at the climax o f the
sexual revolution. The practice of
hom osexuality, for economic or
sexual reasons, surprises many of
them. Gregory says, "There are a
lor of brothers going around playing
with other brothers. I had a couple
o f friends into (hat and I d id n 't
know until a couple of months ago.
You just got to know what is out
there. This really surprised m e ."
T .J . believe* some o f his friends
engage in male prostitution as a
means to an end — survival. "Some
of my partners are prostitutes. They
make good money. Some may even
sell a little drugs on the side."
The young black males are
maturing into a society which, on
the surface, tolerates interracial
relationships. How do Lionel and
Gregory feel about their peers
dating while girls? " I believe that
the brothers don't have respect for
the sisters and the sisters don’t have
respect for the brothers. Every
brother has a desire when he walks
down the street for a sister to recog
nize him. The brothers who go for
while girls feel a sister can't stand
up to their needs. The bottom line is
the brothers don't feel proud and
the sisters don’ t feel p ro u d ." In
G regory's opinion, some black
males are attracted to white girls
because they succumb to the domi
nation of the male. "M any guys feel
a white girl will give in more than a
sister. Me, myself. I'm going with a
black girl and we're thinking about
getting married. I don't like seeing
black guys out with white girls, but
it's happening.”
The fragmentation and disunity
of today's society stays on the minds
o f these two young males. " W e
can't talk to one another anymore.
Brothers want to shoot and kill one
another. It's not like what it used to
be. I would just like to see us get
along After all, we're in this thing
together.”
Lionel wants to see his communi
ty acting and reacting like it did in
1972. "W hen we went to the parks
and listened to good music and
everybody d id n ’ t get bold. And
everybody didn't get hit. There was
unity then and there could be unity
now. There was a time in Portland
when brothers were 'Live.' "
Buckman
320 S.E. 16th
P re -re g ia tra tle a la by M A IL O H LV
D e a d lift. la Z u e a I . B B 0 IS T B A T 1 0 H
U M IT B B
Columbia
7701 N. Chautauqua Blvd.
AO«» 8 -1»
University of Portland
Moore St. Community Center
5000 N. W illam ette Blvd. 5430 N. Moore
Other location* listed below
YWCA
1111 S W 1 0 t h
YMCA Metro Canter
2831 S.W. Barbur Blvd.
John R. Leach YM CA
« 3 8 S.E. Foster
Northeast YM CA
1 8 » N.E. 38th
~ ___
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Porti»»'1
Portland State University
Health and P.E. Bldg.
8 » S.W Hall
'Orientation June 3
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2033 N W Ollaan
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