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Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
First National
King Holiday
Events
Scheduled
See pages 4 and 5
PORTLAND OBSERNER
Volume XVI, Number 10
January 8, 1986
25C Copy
Two Sections
Cross-Cultural
p ,c helps youth employment
trainer to speak
M ichael L. Benjam in, from
Michael I Benjamin and Associates,
a firm recently selected to provide
Cross-Cultural training to the Port
land Police Bureau, w ill be the guest
speaker at the regular m onthly
meeting o f the Greater Northeast
Police Advisory Council on Tuesday,
Jan. 14, at 7:30 p.tn in the Northeast
Neighborhood O ffice hxated at the
king Neighborhood F acility. 4KI5
N.E.7th.
Lhe public is invited to attend, in
order to learn about techniques being
used in prom oting cross cultural
awareness and improve police coin
inunily relations l or further in fo r
mation call 246-4575.
Luther King, Jr., will air on TV stations acorss the country
by Jerry Garner
Lhe P ortland Private Industry
Council (PIC) assists youth who lace
barriers to employment. Under the
Job Training Partnership Act, 40 per
cent of all Title IIA funds arc spent on
youth, ages 14-21. The most suc
cessful P it program dealing w ith
youth employment problems has been
the Youth Em ploym ent Institute
(YFI). Lhe institute, which is located
at 1704 N .L. 261 h St., has become a
well-respected successful addition to
the resources for youth employment
in the City of Portland
Y l l is a training and job placement
facility operated year-round by PIC.
A New Year's Day explosion caused by the suicide of Don Nickerson injured 10
others. Throe homes including Nickerson's were destroyed and many others
sustained damage A nine square block area around Nickerson's 1017 N.E
Beech address was patrolled by volunteers from the Rainbow Coalition in an
effort to prevent further injury from unsafe structures and unauthorized entry
into vacated homes. Above. Beverly Stein (left) and Pam Smith. Rainbow
members, go over a map of the area that was affected by the blast. Below,
jxjssessions of the Nickerson family were scattered throughout the site of the
explosion.
(Photos: R ich ard J . B row n )
Gas explosion rocks Northeast neighborhood
Commissioner Dick Bogle pledged
whatever support he could offer in
helping a shattered Northeast P o r
tland neighborhood recover from a
New Year’s Day tragedy.
The neighborhood, located in the
1000-block o f N.E. Beech, just north
o f Irving Park, was rocked by an ex
plosion Jan I. One person was killed,
at least 10 injured, three homes were
destroyed and many more damaged.
Bogle was out o f tow n, hut was
briefed on the situation by s ta ff
members who participated in an o f
ficial tour o f the explosion site and
emergency shelters last week.
In addition to the tragedy's human
impact, one o f Bogle’s concerns is the
status o f water and sewer lines in the
area. Bogle is Com m issioner-in-
Charge o f the C ity’s water and sewer
bureaus.
"P re lim ina ry indications are that
there has been no m ajor damage to
water and sewer lines in or near the
n e ig h b o rh o o d ," Bogle said. " O f
course, we don't konw for sure until
the debris has been cleared, and our
experts can get in there to survey the
damage "
"M y heart goes out to the people of
that neighborhood," he said. " I am
convinced, however, that we w ill sec
an outpouring o f support from the
citizens and the leaders o f this city to
help them try to put their lives back
together.”
" I pledge my support to that e f
fo rt.”
“ Ihe Yt I is a business and ihe youth
trainees are the products and a suc
cessful prrxluct goes to w o rk ,” said
M arnella Bingham M o s le y , the
supervisor of VI I. I he institute otters
a full tange o f services to all disadsan
taged youth populations, including
offenders and non-offenders and
drop out youth. To date 60 percent of
the youth served by the Portland PIC
base been m inority, with 50 percent
being Black youth.
Before graduation from the in
stitute, Bingham Mosley says that
each trainee must he able to complete
application forms accurately, write
reports using occupational language,
achieve competency in the use o f
calculators, graphics and charts, and
be thoroughly fa m ilia r w ith career
choices and the job market.
Bingham Mosley said that the in
stitute can only prepare young people
to he successful on the job. "W e still
need to educate employers about the
advantages o f h iring our young
graduates," said Bingham Mosley.
PIC is active in the Leaders*
Roundtable. Ih e R oundtable is a
group o f approxim ately 15 key
leaders in the area o f youth em
ployment who were called nvgether by
the M ayor and Superintendent ol
Schools to discuss the high rate ol
youth unemployment. There is now
an executive Committee consisting ot
the M ayor; C ity Com m issioner
Margaret Strachan; School Superin
tcndenls
Mathew
Prophet;
Business/Youth Exchange Chair
Roger Bree/ely; and P ortland I’ l l
C hair Vcrn Ryles. This group is
leading a major effort to create a con
solidaled youth employment system
in the city.
Besides pro vid ing employment
programs fo r youth w ith barriers,
PIC is also active in the field o f
education. Lor those w itho ut high
school degrees. Cd I, preparation and
testing is available.
C urrently, Portland PIC has two
contracts
focusing on youth
educational needs. Ih e first is a
program at Grant High School, called
the Partnership Project, which is a
joint effort with the Business Youth
Exchange, the P ortland Public
Schools and the PIC. The purpose of
the program is to make the English
and Math curriculum related to Ihe
w orking w orld and to involve em
ployers in the educational work.
Lire second program is at ( leveland
H igh School and is called an E x
perienced Based ( arcer Education
program. In it, "at-risk” youth, who
are in higher danger of dropping out,
arc given special attention and work
experience so that there is a reason to
slay in schrx»l as well as learn to work
in the real world.
Another major effort o f the PIC in
the schools, is the step program. The
year round program is funded by the
Lord F oundation and brings work
and basic education together in the
summer for 14- and 15-year-olds. Ihe
program is fo r three years and is a
demonstration research program as
well as a direct service program.
PIC not only assists disadvantaged
youth, it also serves youth who are o f
fenders. A m a jo rity o f these youth
w ill he mandated by the juvenile
justice system to secure employment
in order to pay restitution. PIC ad
dresses the special needs o f this
pop ulatio n by p ro v id in g services
w ithin the court that w ill assess and
prepare youth for entry into the PIC
youth programs.