WHAT IS JOBNET?
It’s a program that provides work readiness training, paid internships, GED preparation and counseling for seriously emotionally troubled youth. We work with 15 businesses that accept our youth for internships. Work prepares them for life and builds their self esteem.
WHAT KINDS OF CHILDREN COME TO YOUR PROGRAM?
Our clients are ages 16 through 21. All of them have a mental health diagnosis, and most have multiple problems. Typically, they come across as oppositional and defiant toward authority. Some are on probation. Some are depressed. Others have difficult peer or family relationships. They are all struggling to find their place in the world.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I grew up in Jamaica, Queens. I always wanted to work with the community. In graduate school, I studied community organizing. I came to The Child Center in 1996, and for six years, I worked with young children, but then I realized I had an affinity for older adolescents. You have to appreciate teenagers for where they are in their stage of development. They are not adults, but they are not kids. That’s the hard part but also the exciting part. They need you to believe in them. If you don’t come across as genuine, they know it right away, and they are not going to let you in.
HOW DO YOU DO IT?
No matter what is going on with the client or the family, I always think about the positive side. Some families feel hopeless, so I feel it’s my job to give them hope. I try to pull out the strength. I don’t let them leave here feeling hopeless, and that makes me feel good.
These teens see that we want to help them. We believe in them even though they may not believe in themselves. They focus on the past and past hurts, but I say to them, “Yes that happened. But, what are you going to do now? You can’t let the past define you.”
Our youth are capable of so many things they don’t recognize. As a social worker you can motivate and help clients realize their potential. At JobNet, we don’t focus on what they can’t do but on what they can accomplish with support.