Faux Youth Worker

City gives summer youth jobs to suburbanites - The Michigan Citizen

Boston people complain too much.

Apparently, Detroit's own elected representatives thought it OK to give our summer youth jobs to suburbanites. Womp womp.

"Only Councilwomen JoAnn Watson and Brenda Jones voted against the measure. Why would any council person vote against a summer jobs program? Because nine of the positions filled went to non-Detroiters.

Federal money for Workforce Development and summer youth employment jobs sent here, to the nation’s poorest city, with the highest unemployment, went to non-Detroiters by a vote of the people’s representatives.

The city provided no explanation to tax payers as to why city government felt it had to hire non-residents to do jobs city dwellers not only could perform, but desperately need."

Raise your hand if you own my fucking city.

Ageism gets shat on (from NYTimes)

Supreme Court Says Child’s Rights Violated by Strip Search

The Supreme Court yesterday determined, 8-1, that searching a child while they weren't suspected of carrying any illegal substances, and then not apologizing to them when you don't find said legal substances, is unconstitutional. Gr8, I say.

Wondering who the dissenting opinion was? Yes, "our" very own Clarence Thomas. He says,

“Preservation of order, discipline and safety in public schools is simply not the domain of the Constitution,” he wrote. Justice Thomas also said Thursday’s decision provided the nation’s students a court-sanctioned hiding place. “Redding would not have been the first person to conceal pills in her undergarments,” he wrote. “Nor will she be the last after today’s decision, which announced the safest places to secrete contraband in school.”

Thanks, Clarence Thomas - you've once again proved to tons of people that it's acceptable for people to be morally ambiguous, as long as they're black (we've got the genetic trauma thing going on, and we're all from the hood, so that makes it OK to be oppressive assholes). Poor white people.

Also, thank god this wasn't a black kid being strip-searched. At least since it's a white kid, some precedent might be set that authority figures don't always have to suspect youth of being up to no good.

Voicing Pain Through Performance - NYTimes

I love teens. They're the coolest thing ever. And are generally much more resilient than most other types of people (meaning adults, older adults, and old adults). Check this out - kids dealing with trauma in a much more productive way than I did at that age.

History IS a Weapon, Mom!

Don't know how I never linked to this. It's called History is a Weapon, and it has probably the most comprehensive online list of leftist/revolutionary/marxist? literature I've seen. Lots of writings by a lot of different people - really useful to my boys a few summers ago, when they wanted to/needed to be informed of the many different ways fighting has been done. It's kind of lacking in BGLTQ lit/more modern material, but that's OK for right now. It has a much cooler interface here.

Funny story - I showed my mom this website, and she freaked out, and goes "Christian, have you ever seen this website?!?!?!". Oh mommit and her funny little connections...

Detroit parents voice concerns to board (over the closing of 23 Detroit Public Schools)

When do the protests start?

Detroit Parents voice concerns to board (over the closing of 23 Detroit Public Schools)

Mass. Expanding Summer Jobs Program To 10,000

Mass. Expanding Summer Jobs Program to 10,000

"Gov. Deval Patrick announced Friday that he plans to combine workforce development and public safety funds from the stimulus package with money from the state's summer jobs program, totaling $30 million over the next two years.

The state's summer work program for young people, called YouthWorks, places young people in jobs that include administrative, camp counselors, landscaping and maintenance."

What this story doesn't say is that Mayor Mumbles was there to announce that funding would "remain constant" for the Boston Youth Fund for last year, and has committed to "5,000 you-ufh jobrsh". Better than what we have in Detroit (proportionately at least). What this story also neglected to mention was this conversation that I had, incidentally, with both the Mayor and city councilor Jeff Sanchez:

Man of Power: "Good job today, son"
Me: "Uh...thanks. But what do you mean?"
Man of Power: "You really represented the youth of Mission Hill well today".
Me: "I'm 20."

the fucking faux youth worker strikes again.

MCAS results released today

MCAS results released today - Boston.com

"He added that "this year's results are a reminder that we need to do more in this area. As a Commonwealth , we can learn from schools like the Hooks that have found the right combination of focus, innovation and improvement in curriculum and instruction. As a result, their students are making great gains.

The DOE reported " the student population at the Hooks school is nearly 90 percent low income, 25 percent limited English proficient and 12 percent of the students are listed with disabilities. Nearly 78 percent of its students are Hispanic and just over 9 percent are African American."

At least there were no pictures of little brown kids holding up their new, improved, super-awesome MCAS scores

(I mean that in a semi-serious, irreverent way. Prepping kids to go to college, whatever way they can get in, is fine by me, for right now [yeah scoring high on the MEAP!]).

Thoughts?

Middle Management and being a Faux Youth Worker

I've been doing a photo project in Mission Hill, honoring a beloved tradition called "imperialising with a camera". Anywho, I figured that, if I'm going to shoot a photo project, it should be about something I care about, lest it end up here. I've been told by the (truly) great Chris Killip that this is a good project because I'll be able to have lots of "insider info". Insider info my black ass - what kind of  insider info can I have living at Harvard University, Chris? I'm hanging out in the darkroom with you and the rest of the photo geeks, dog, drinking thai teas WITH SOY from my neighborhood coffee house and listening to the yeah yeah yeahs and noise bands and wearing my SB dunks wrong and shit and not being a real youth worker- and I'm often harshly reminded of that fact.

Por example - I went up to the library a few days ago to shoot some pictures for this project. I go in and say hi to the beautiful ladies behind the desk, who all know me. "Hi Ms. Librarians", I say. "Hey Christian!" they say. I set up my camera and start shooting the panorama, after pertaining the permission of Ms. Librarians. Right. Ms. Librarians. As I'm looking through the viewfinder, my camera is lifted from in front of my face. It takes me about 3 pitiful seconds to actually register what's happened. 2 security guards are standing over me, dangling my poor camera, looking at me like I'm reeking of gentrifier art student (oops).

They ask me what I'm doing - I say "Oh hi, I think we've met before [we had]". "No, I don't think so, kid [kid? wtf :-(] . "Um, well, I'm shooting this project...erm...I got permission from the librarians... this project, um....I work with kids....?". They say, "are you sure you work with kids? Usually when any of the youth workers need anything from the library, they know to go to Becky, our head librarian. You look like an art student." Ooh, right. "Who do you work with?" "The Phillips Brooks House Association? No? Mission Hill Summer Program? Mission Hill Youth Collaborative? No? Maria Dominguez-Gray? Maria Dominguez-Gray!"

"Oh, OK. We know her. She's great."

Oh, well, that's because she's an actual youth worker.