Jordan
Be sure to visit this site again for updates on Jordan's progress in the Summer Youth Program.
Jordan
Jordan chose to participate in football rather than finish the last week of the program.
Updated 8/26/09
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Jordan's group won the T-shirt project. When the winner was announced, he was ecstatic. He jumped up, raised both hands in the air and had a huge smile on this face.
"I had a feeling we were gonna win. It feels great to be a winner. I feel like all the hard work paid off. I was really focused today. I was stressing about it, just hoping everything would come together well, and it did," he says.
How did the group come up with the winning design, "Royal-T?" It started with having a good team. "Things work better when you get along with each other. I learned to be a good teammate - it really takes time and effort. When working with the team, there were a lot of ideas at first. We had a big cloud of ideas. We took the big cloud and we had a vote on the best idea. It was very democratic," Jordan says.
Updated 8/24/09
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A few days ago, Jordan and another student got into an argument. To help them learn from the incident, the program staff required the two to give a presentation to the teens about conflict. "I'm learning that a lot of arguments start over little petty things. The smallest thing can start a conflict. There's also tension because people have different points of view and different ideas. It's all about how far you decide to take the argument. I'm learning how to control my anger. Now, I just walk away (if people say things)," he says.
The Instructors make a point of working with the students on this. "We do a lot of scenarios to help them learn the best way to respond to certain situations. This program teaches the kids that there are consequences if you don't act right on the job. Certain things won't be tolerated in an employment situation. Sometimes, when we try to correct kids, they'll say, ‘Well, that's just how I am, that's just me.' But sometimes you have to be more positive," Instructor William Ayears said.
Updated 8/20/09
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One of the goals of the summer youth program is to make the students "ambassadors" of their community. Since many of the teens live near the parks in which they're working, the program staff hopes this will create a desire to take care of their communities.
"I'll now go to these parks and walk on the trails because of the work I've done. It makes me appreciate the parks more," Jordan says.
Updated 8/18/09
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The participants formed groups early in the program to work on a T-shirt project. Each group had to design a T-shirt and create a marketing plan to sell it. Jordan's group came up with the name "Royal-T" as a play on words. "I think kids will like it. It reminds everyone that they're important," he says.
The T-shirts will be judged next week by a panel of Goodwill employees, and the winning group will have their shirt printed and sold at a Goodwill store. Jordan likes his group's chances. "In life, there's always competition. No matter what I do, it's important for me to be the best. We've put a lot of work into this, that's why I think we're gonna win."
Updated 8/13/09
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Every student in the program has a unique background. Jordan's 11 brothers and sisters make his family life much different from other students in the program. His family is also unique in that he is one of eight children adopted by his parents. This situation is completely normal for Jordan, but many of his fellow students are amazed.
Jordan is also an impressive athlete. He plays basketball, football, baseball and other sports. He would love to earn an athletic scholarship to play basketball at a university but realizes that this particular path to college, and a career in professional sports, is anything but guaranteed. At 16, his goals are lofty, but he feels they are attainable.
As a secondary option though, he'd like to attend college and eventually start his own haircutting business. The program has helped him realize the work and expertise it will take to operate a successful business. "It's not just about cutting hair - you have to be disciplined and organized to handle the business aspects," he said.
Updated 8/6/09
