Web Posted: 05/03/2009 12:00 CDT
After more than an hour of "Hot Cross Buns" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," Maggie Raveneau was ready to rock.
So she called on her beginning strings students to play something fairly new to their repertoire: "Smoke on the Water." She met with a little resistance at first — one child said that she didn't know that one.
Raveneau smiled at her but was undeterred.
"You don't know it? Well, you'll learn it today," she said. "You've gotta learn it sometime."
After all, they've got a couple of performances coming up.
The class is part of Youth Orchestras of San Antonio's Music Learning Centers, a pilot program that started last fall at Good Samaritan Community Services on the West Side. It was inspired by El Sis? tema, an internationally acclaimed program that has provided free music education to impoverished children in Venezuela for more than 30 years.
In a 2008 "60 Minutes" interview, founder Jose Antonio Abreu described El Sistema as "a social system that fights poverty. A child's physical poverty is overcome by the spiritual richness that music provides."
YOSA executive director Steven Payne uses similar terms to describe the Music Learning Centers. "It's an opportunity for us to be a vehicle for social change," he said.
As with El Sistema, Raveneau said, the program "gives (the kids) a place and a purpose."
As Payne and Raveneau see it, the 50 budding musicians currently learning their way around cellos and violins are also picking up a lot of other things, too. They're gaining confidence, discipline and a sense of pride, and are forging tight connections with one another.
"There are a lot of pleasant side effects," Raveneau said.
Ideally, those who show talent and commitment will move into one of the YOSA ensembles. Some will take a step in that direction this summer by taking part in the orchestra's Summer Strings Camp at Saint Mary's Hall.
There is no cost to the children to participate in Music Learning Centers, and no income requirement. (Those who demonstrate financial need won't be charged for string camp, either, and transportation will be provided.) They do, however, have to register with Good Sam so that they can take advantage of the social services it provides.
"There are other levels of support that are needed by the kids," Payne said. "Good Sam can provide them."
Fundraising is under way for the 2009-'10 school year. So far, YOSA has raised a total of $180,500, which took care of expenses for the first year and covers two-thirds of the budget for next year.
For the program's first go-round, Raveneau is teaching two classes. She meets with the younger group, consisting of kindergarteners and first- and second-graders, for 30 minutes at a time, and meets with the third- through sixth-graders for an hour.
At first, they met two days a week, but she added a third day during Spring Break.
Celia Garcia, a 9-year-old violinist sporting glittery blue nail polish, is one of the most enthusiastic students in the older group. She pays attention, raises her hand often and plays at every opportunity.
Given the choice between learning the violin or the cello, she opted for the former for practical reasons: "The cello would be heavy," she said, noting that she is frequently permitted to bring her violin home so she can practice there.
Garcia, who is in the fourth grade at King Elementary School, looks forward to the classes.
"It's so fun, and it's like you want to do it on a daily basis," she said.
June Dorame, a tiny 8-year-old with glossy dark hair, signed up for the classes because, she said, "my mom always wanted to see an orchestra. I decided to play the violin for her."
Dorame, a third-grader at King, doesn't know any songs just yet, she said, but she keeps trying.
"It makes me feel happy," she said.
The classes meet after school in a bright, sunny room in Good Sam's Senior Center, which is usually pretty quiet at that time of day. Before the kids start trickling into the room, Raveneau and various helpers arrange folding chairs and music stands into a semi-circle in front of a piano. A couple of portable bulletin boards — one bearing the rules of the class, the other holding announcements — are propped up on tables.
All of those things are designed to put the kids in a serious frame of mind so that they can get down to business right away.
"Atmosphere is so important to making a class successful," she said.
Raveneau, a professional cellist who knows what it takes to master an instrument, expects the kids to take their lessons seriously. She gives off a warm, friendly vibe, and most of the kids seem taken with her. More than one has slipped up and called her "Mom" instead of "Miss" during class, Payne said.
She can identify with some of the kids' struggles. Her parents were teachers, and she grew up in a mobile home park in Kerrville. She and her sisters all got into music, and, she said, her dad worked a second job delivering pizzas to help cover the costs of that pursuit.
They were all involved with the Hill Country Youth Orchestra. Thanks to a grant to the orchestra from a woman named Mary Rohe, the girls were able to rent instruments inexpensively.
"Without music and without the generosity of Mary Rohe, my life might have gone in a very different direction," Raveneau said.
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FISCAL NOTES, May 2008:
Teens at Work Kids’ buying power packs economic punch.
by Karen Hudgins
Kathryn Glenn, 17, a senior at Anderson High School in Austin, works several hours each afternoon at her part-time job at a child care center. The job not only gives her valuable work experience – she hopes to possibly pursue a career in elementary education – but also gives her spending money.
“I’m going out of state for college, so I’m trying to save,” says Glenn, who will attend the University of Mississippi next fall. “It’s also just kind of nice to have some spending money. I like to go shopping a lot.”
Glenn is typical of many Texas teens. Of the 1.4 million Texans aged 16 to 19 in 2006, about 460,000 were employed in the civilian labor market, either full- or part-time.
This segment of young workers wields serious buying power. Annual spending of 13- to 17-year-olds is estimated at more than $30 billion, with median annual savings of $478, according to the YouthPulse report by market research firm Harris Interactive. Buying power extends to younger kids as well. In the United States, kids aged 3 to 11 comprise a population of 36 million that had a collective $18 billion in purchasing power in 2005, according to a report from market researcher Packaged Facts.
Employment Status
The number of Texas teens aged 16- to 19-years-old working full- or part-time jobs has fluctuated over recent years.
Teens in the Workforce
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Year
|
Total population
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Labor
force
|
Employed teens
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Unemployed teens
|
2006
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1,359
|
552
|
460
|
92
|
2005
|
1,260
|
489
|
388
|
101
|
2004
|
1,274
|
477
|
389
|
88
|
2003
|
1,219
|
495
|
389
|
106
|
2002
|
1,275
|
582
|
471
|
111
|
2001
|
1,246
|
605
|
507
|
98
|
2000
|
1,289
|
629
|
532
|
97
|
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Summer Jobs
Logan Gibbs, 17, a junior at Round Rock High School, works two nights a week at his job at the pro shop at Westwood Country Club in Austin. His part-time job extends to almost full-time during summer breaks.
“Usually over the summer I work Monday, Wednesday, Friday and sometimes Sundays,” Gibbs says. “Over the summer I work a seven-hour shift, sometimes more.”
Toward the end of May, thousands of Texas teens like Gibbs will start their summer break and hit the job market, hoping to gain valuable work experience as employers begin hiring for the busy summer season.
From April to June 2006, more than 80,000 people entered the Texas labor force, including teenagers eager to gain valuable vocational experience or earn their first paychecks, according to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
“Texas employers rely on teen workers each summer and recognize youth as integral to their success,” says former TWC Chair Diane Rath. “The experience young workers gain will help them determine which work opportunities enable them to better develop and showcase their strengths.”
A TWC youth employment contractor, Good Samaritan Community Services, helps youths in three counties in the Lower Rio Grande Valley region find work with participating employers. The nonprofit works with more than 200 employers, including grocery chain H-E-B, says Meg Ballantyne, communications manager for Good Samaritan Community Services.
“We help place them with an employer and they work 120 to 180 hours,” she says. “Our clients that are in school will complete their 120 to 180 hours during the summer. They learn ‘soft skills,’ or employability skills that employers look for such as interviewing skills, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, customer service skills and work ethic.”
Earning a Paycheck October 1999 and April 2007
More Workers
While Texas’ population has increased in recent years, the number of working teens has fluctuated. The 460,000 teens employed in Texas in 2006 represented an 18 percent jump from the 388,000 employed in 2005, but was a 13.5 percent fall from the 532,000 teens working in 2000.
Neither the Bureau of Labor Statistics nor TWC break down workers’ age groups by industry, so there are no statistics available on which specific industries draw the most teen workers. But traditional summer jobs in retail, restaurants, hotels and hospitality and amusement centers rely on their cadre of teen workers during the summers and on evenings and weekends throughout the year.
Each year Schlitterbahn hires more than 3,000 seasonal workers, many of them teen-agers, for its three water parks at South Padre Island, Galveston Island and its flagship park in New Braunfels.
“What makes it fun for our associates is not only that you’ve got a job and you’re saving for college, but we actively tout that you’ll make 2,000 friends this summer,” says Jeffrey Siebert, director of communications for Schlitterbahn. “You’re surrounded by folks your age, not only from a working standpoint, but you’ll meet guests your age from all over the world.”
Siebert says Schlitterbahn parks offer a fun working environment for teens but also provide a positive starting point for their entry to the work force.
“For so many of our associates, it’s their first experience in the working world,” he says. “They’re going to learn life-long skills. The biggest thing you get besides a paycheck is a nice summer tan.”
Earning and Spending
Teens say they have an average of $27.60 – $2.40 more than in 2003 – a week to spend on themselves, according to the 2005 Roper Youth Report, a nationwide poll from consumer research firm NOP World. Teens are increasingly choosing to spend their money on technical gadgets. The report found that 18 percent of boys aged 13 to 17 surveyed owned an MP3 player and that 37 percent owned a DVD player. Digital cameras were also popular, with 23 percent of girls aged 13 to 17 saying they owned one.
Glenn says she makes around $300 every two weeks at her part-time child-care job. She likes to spend her money on clothing.“I like dresses a lot, purses and shoes,” she says.
Gibbs says he works mainly to earn money to pay for things crucial to a lot of teenagers – gas for his car and outings with his friends. “I like to have money on the weekends,” he says. “It’s for gas and food. I basically live at Chipotle [Mexican Grill].” FN
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Alamo WorkSource Board Meets At St. Barnabas
The Fredericksburg Standard December 27, 2007. |
The Alamo WorkSource Board of Directors met Dec. 10 at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church where they were hosted by Good Samaritan Community Services, a San Antonio-based nonprofit organization whose regional Get2Work programs are funded by Alamo WorkSource. A total of 48 board members, staff, friends and affiliates attended the regular monthly meeting.
Good Samaritan Community Services, formerly known as the Good Samaritan Center, was founded in 1951 by the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas and, ever since, has been the primary social service resource for residents of the near west side of San Antonio.
At the center, a myriad of services are available for children, youth, adults and seniors. In recent years, GSCS expanded its youth development programs to serve all of San Antonio and Bexar County, as well as 11 outlying counties (Gillespie along with Atascosa, Bandera, Comal, Frio, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Medina and Wilson) and three counties in the Rio Grande Valley (Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy).
The mission of GSCS, changing lives through excellent community services, is carried out through the delivery of programs designed to foster education, character development, healthy living and self-sufficiency.
The Alamo WorkSource Board serves as the governing board for the regional workforce system, a network of service providers and contractors that brings people and jobs together, and represents the taxpayers of the 12-county Alamo region. Board membership reflects the diverse constituencies of the regional community: business, economic development, education, labor, community organizations and government. The mission of Alamo WorkSource is to build a premier workforce in America by providing employers and residents with the opportunities, resources and services to develop and gain a competitive edge in the global economy.
By providing funding for the Get2Work programs of Good Samaritan Community Services, Alamo WorkSource enables GSCS to provide services to rural youth, ages 14-18, who because of low income and other socioeconomic barriers are at high risk to become high school dropouts, teen parents, juvenile offenders, homeless or a part of the foster care system.
Many have learning challenges, especially in reading or math, and many are the youth of migrant families.
Through its case management, mentoring, academic instruction, substance abuse counseling, character development curriculums, leadership training, supportive services, and college and vocational services, Get2Work attempts to ensure that each participant obtains a high school diploma or GED, gains foundational skills, and either enrolls in college, enters vocational school, or is successfully placed in employment.
GSCS partners with area employers willing to sponsor youth for short term, real-world work assignments and youth are paid by GSCS during their assignments. In its first year in the rural counties, Get2Work has assisted 77 students in obtaining high school diplomas or a GED. Work continues with these young people to ensure their future employability and these numbers are expected to increase as the program grows to meet the need.
The Good Samaritan Center, headquarters for these services, is located at 1600 Saltillo Street in San Antonio Office locations for the outlying rural Get2Work programs are in Fredericksburg, along with Hondo, Pleasanton, Kerrville, Bandera, Seguin, Kenedy, Floresville, Pearsall, Boerne, Comfort and New Braunfels.
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