Professional Development: Week 3

Hello! Welcome back to another week of fun and excitement at DCRA.  As program coordinators Ms. Kristina Swann and Ms. Tania Williams informed you the first week, we’ll have a host of professional development sessions for you to participate in this summer.

This week, there are two sessions, but only one is mandatory.  If  you haven’t touched base with your supervisor or coordinator to let them know which sessions you’d like to attend, or if you’d like to make a change do so as quickly as possible.  This week’s sessions are:

Mandatory
Understanding Government Structure and Operations
9:15am to 10:30am, 2nd Floor Hearing Room
Wednesday, July 14th

DCRA Executive Panel Discussion
10:30am to 12:00pm, 4th Floor Emergency Operations Center
Friday, July 16th

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

Spotlight on: Mr. James Gray

Over the past few weeks of the summer youth program here at DCRA,

James Gray

members of the communications team have been going around to different departments trying to gain a full perspective on how the agencyworks. One of these trips was to the DCRA office located at 1900 Massachusetts Avenue–better known as D.C. General.

While on this visit, we learned how the inspection process works, and why it is such a vital part of not only DCRA, but the entire city as well. One of the supervisors of inspections is mister James Gray.  Mister Gray is the head supervisor of inspections and compliance for wards 5 and 6 in the District.  He overlooks a team of ten employees who are responsible for inspecting and making sure all plumbing, electricity, and construction is done properly. He has been working with DCRA for 22 years, and says that he loves his job. The biggest reward he gets from his job is knowing that his work directly benefits the community in a positive way.

One of the keys for his department’s success during his time here is good team work. He mentioned that without good team work from his employees, the process of inspecting all properties in wards 5 and 6 would be nearly impossible.

Although mister Gray already has a lot of responsibilities as a head supervisor, his job title does not end there. During the past few years mister Gray has also become a member of D.C.’s emergency response team. This means that during any terrorist attacks or natural disasters, it is mister Gray’s responsibility to help with the assistance of other emergency personnel to try and keep the city under control.

–Willis Bradwell

Spotlight On: Monae Sheffield

Monae Sheffield

This week, I would like to shine the spotlight on summer youth worker Monae Sheffield. Monae is 15 years old and attends Roosevelt Senior High School in Washington, D.C. This upcoming school year, Monae will be entering the 10th grade. She is a very intelligent young lady who loves to read. Her favorite subjects are math and science and she has had the honor of receiving a scholarship for science and human health. Monae has also competed in and won a science fair.

Here, at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Monae is excelling in her work. She has joined the Customer Service division, and is showing exemplary behavior in every task that she has been assigned. During my interview with Monae she gave me an overview of her normal day which consists of handling correspondence calls, scanning and making copies. She expressed her excitement for the up and coming weeks because she will have the opportunity to begin scheduling inspections. Monae also spends a lot of her day with DCRA employee Nikkia Greene. She sits at the front desk of the director’s office. Monea stated that she enjoys working there and she is also aware that the opportunity is a privilege. Working at the front has given Monae the opportunity to enhance her office skills such as; operating telephones, assisting customers and scheduling meetings.

Monae would define herself as great person who enjoys a challenge. She stated that she does not mind picking up slack for her team members. She believes in working together for the betterment of her group or team members. Monae plans to go to college. She wants to attend Princeton, Harvard or Georgetown University and she wants to become a lawyer. She also wants to obtain a degree in business. One day she wants to open a homeless shelter for women and children. She enjoys working for DCRA and is well aware that the techniques and skills that she will learned this summer is to benefit her later in life. She plans on using the knowledge she gained as a tool in high school and throughout her future.

–Dajah Blackwell

Weights & Measures: Still Showing Off

Mr. Lawrence Taylor of the Weights and Measures Department tests a scale at a local hospital.

A little over a week ago, a few of us from the communications department went to view a presentation by the youth working in the Office of Weights and Measures (OWM). The two summer youth employees that were presenting were Kenneth Allen and Duane Bumbray. They were basically trying to explain to the group what goes on in weights and measures, what weights and measures means, and the different divisions of it.

Kenneth Allen took over explaining OWM’s mission statement, what they do down on the second floor and what they do as summer youth. He was very clear and made it seem like he is really taking this job, even if for the summer only, very seriously. Duane Bumbray touched base on what it is like to conduct a gas inspection. He walked the group through the different phases/steps of the process (including safety, inspection, marketing, math, and the concluding stages), and then also explained what a truck sale inspection is like. Kenneth then wrapped the presentation up by explaining inspections of grocery stores and pre-packaged goods.

Both Kenneth and Duane explained the information thoroughly and without any help from an adult supervisor. They seemed interested in what they have done so far in the department and were willing to share it with the rest of the group. They also were open to questions (even though no one really had any J ) which also showed how they knew their information and didn’t mind sharing that knowledge. Great job guys!

–Lesley Thomas

Friday Funny

I hope you all have a great weekend! —Ms. Kemp

Benefits of Bringing Your Lunch

Fruit is always a great item to include in a bagged lunch.

Some people enjoy bringing $10 or so every single day to pick up, order, or take out a lunch. Partially because the food is good, or maybe they’re just too lazy to make their own lunch at home.  As growing teens and young adults, our bodies deserve a nutritional meal more often.  It isn’t like you have to make a Caesar salad with light dressing and gourmet croutons early in the morning, but there are surely alternatives to the meals we limit ourselves to.

So, what is a good lunch to bring to work? Well, there are plenty of yummy, healthier options that can easily be made right at home. Take, for example, the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  You can use different types of flavors and breads, or you could make a nice deli sandwich or sub; just meat, lettuce, bread, and whichever cheeses and spreads you would prefer. You can also make salads, leftover dinners, or even bring in a frozen entree.

Grocery stores and supermarkets are filled with options. It just depends on how creative and involved you want to become when making your lunch. Youth employee Sardera Thorne says that she usually brings in leftovers that she cooks herself.  When asked what her ideal lunch would be, she said, “Soup.” Everyone has their own preferences.  Jazmine Singletary, another youth employee, likes both going out to eat and bringing in a lunch. When she has brought them in, she says she eats “frozen dinners and what her mother makes,” but she really prefers going out to buy lunch during the day. Her ideal meal would be chicken.

Looking at it from another prospective, my mother, DCRA Employee Cheryl Randall-Thomas, says she “prefers bringing in lunch because I don’t like how much it ends up costing,” which makes a lot of sense in today’s economy. She stated that “When you bring lunch, you know exactly what you’re eating (wholesome, not greasy, good amounts of food, etc.)” Her ideal lunch would be soup and salad, and she usually makes the lunch herself. Mrs. Randall-Thomas believes it is better to bring in a lunch from home because she has noticed that you can get more out of bought groceries over a week’s span than one day’s meal however, she still enjoys a hot prepared meal every once in a while.  Another Summer Youth employee, Jeremy Bennett, says that he usually goes out to eat somewhere everyday. His ideal lunch would be Chinese food. “As far as finances go, it would be better to bring lunch,” Bennett says about whether or not bringing in lunch is better than buying a lunch. It all just depends on how you are feeling a particular day, or even how your personal finances are measuring up.

Also, choose foods that won’t drag your day down or stuff you. It’s better to eat a single heave or main item with snacks on the side than a few heavy items or all snacks. There are also plenty of options for drinks to bring – sodas, juice, coffee, etc. After asking the opinions of some of the other summer youth employees, it seemed as if bringing lunch is the best way to go. Once you realize how much better bringing in lunch is, you’ll begin thinking of more meal ideas, and someone else may even envy your lunch!

–Lesley Thomas

 

DCRA SYEP Polo Shirts: Hit or Miss?

The DCRA summer youth polo shirts have been well received by the young employees.

In the past, being properly dressed for work has been a problem for some of the District summer youth employees.  Summer youth have been sent home from work because they were improperly dressed or were not aware of how to dress business casual. This year, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has provided youth with polo style shirts with the summer youth employment logo on them. Youth have been asked to wear their shirts every Monday so that at least once a week the summer youth have a uniformed look. Most of the youth appreciate the fact that DCRA has given them shirts for work. Some students reported that they would appreciate some small changes in the shirts, such as a difference in color.

I asked some youth on a scale of 1 to 10 how they felt about the shirts and many of the youth appreciate the fact that DCRA has helped them with a start to dress more business casual for work. In my opinion, the decision by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to provide every youth in this program with a shirt is very helpful. It allows youth to see how much they are appreciated by the program.

I had the opportunity to get some honest opinions from summer youth workers. I asked them exactly how they felt about the polo style shirt and I got some really good feedback. Summer youth Jazmine Singletary reported that she felt the shirts were kind of masculine for females but she does enjoy the fact that she does not have to find something to wear on Mondays. If Jazmine could change the color of the shirt she would feel better if the color were lighter. I also talked with summer youth worker Chidiomimi Ukwuani. She actually likes the color of the shirt but would like to change the day that that shirts are suppose to be worn. She said she would rather wear her shirt on a Friday. After interviewing youth based on their feelings about the polo style shirts most youth appreciate them and understand why DCRA feels like the shirts are an essential part of the summer program.

—Dajah Blackwell

Exploring Your Career Options

Check out some of the highlights from last Friday’s second professional development workshop.  DCRA summer youth employment program participants were treated to some great words of wisdom and insight from panelists in four different professions.