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

Friday Funny

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

My Experience At DC General

The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) is very active in

Eunik Jones, Writer

the District. They have two different locations–941 North Capitol Street, NE and 1900 Massachusetts Avenue, SE, better known as DC General. There are summer youth working at both locations.  Recently, I had the opportunity to visit DC General.  I was given a tour of the building and I interviewed Teresa Malone.  Ms. Malone is an administrative worker she has been with DCRA for 8 years. She explained to me that they do not receive a lot of face to face contact with customers and most of their business is handled over the phone.

Ms. Malone stated that work is enjoyable and rewarding once you have helped a customer. After having an interview with Ms. Malone, I learned that any place of business in the District of Columbia has to have a Certificate of Occupancy. Ms. Malone also told me that there are inspection codes to help protect the public.  Inspection codes are very important to DCRA because the purpose of the agency is to protect the consumer. She also talked to me about permits such as: electrical, fireworks, street vending, construction, plumbing, and elevators.

The most important step in construction is zoning. Zoning is important because it helps ensure that every building in the District is properly placed. The people who make codes are engineers, officials, politicians and firemen. The experience that I had at the D.C General was fun and unforgettable and I hope to go back one day again.

—Eunik Jones

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.