School vs. Work

During the summer, many students choose to get a job. A summer job, in

Van Crawford

some ways, can be much better than time spent otherwise at school.  But, for some it can just remind them of how much they miss school. The youth at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) have been debating on which they prefer.

Jason Barnes says he’d rather wake up in the morning and go to work as opposed to going to school. He says that work is more of a drama-free environment that allows him to concentrate on the tasks before him, without having to worry about distractions. Because Jason goes to a school which doesn’t end until late in the afternoon, he says that this leaves him tired; which ultimately makes work his choice of preference. Summer youth Anna Marie thinks differently. She much rather prefers being at school. She thinks that school keeps her more engaged. She also thinks that at school she can have more of a laid back attitude about things; whereas at work you must have more of a professional and stern way of thinking. There will always be others, such as Ahmed Brown, who has an in-between feeling on which he feels keeps him more active. He cannot decide what he’s more pleased to wake up and start his day doing. Ahmed enjoys school and work both the same. He feels that they both equally keep him busy, although if he had to choose he would probably choose school because of the level of friendships he has there.

The general analysis of choice around the office can definitely not be determined. Most kids constantly crave for summer during the entire nine months of the school year. But, in most cases, unless a child is doing something that they absolutely love during the summer, they will be anxious to go back to school. A summer job for some youth is most certainly something that takes getting used to. But, for most, anything will always be better than waking up every morning and going to school.

–Van Crawford

Preparing for the Future

Darion Parker, Writer

This past week I went around the building asking summer youth for their feedback on the professional development sessions. Overall, everyone was satisfied with the time spent on each session. The majority said that they learned a lot during the sessions about what it means to be a professional. When I asked them the most important thing they took from the sessions, almost everyone said the importance of networking. It really stuck with a lot of the youth that they cannot get where they want to go on their own. When I asked which session they enjoyed the most it was a tie between the women and men in power discussions and the most recent session on decision-making.

Going along with networking and decision-making, Kristen Cousins said “I learned you have to have people around you that want to go further. If you see that everyone around you is ok with where they are and you aren’t then that isn’t the crowd for you.” My final question to my fellow summer youth was which speaker impacted them the most. Almost everyone said that Detective Crawford was their favorite. Jeremy Bennett said, “I liked how he told stories instead of lecturing us. He actually made me think.”

—Darion Parker