THE MICHELLE WONG

Friday, February 4, 2011

Career Day

The Mayor's Youth Employment and Education Program's offers three program wide event of the year. The first, MYEEP in San Francisco, partners with local businesses to offer participants a glimpse into the working world. A city-wide career day - if you will. We gathered all the youth at a centralized meeting venue - to kick off the event with a program-wide feel and a "look at the magnitude of this event" type show. Then youth went off in small groups, accompanied by a chaperone and youth leader to an assigned host site based on their preference as indicated on a survey.

Now I must preface this story with the warning that the boss gave me the insane goal of reaching out to and securing 80,000 work places in San Francisco to host our kids for a two hour career talk about their work - the number was later reduced to a still ambitious 80! I can attribute the only failure of this event to my literal interpretation of achieving this goal.

Getting people to take a small group of kids into their office to talk about their job for two hours, all on the same day - it just sounds like an impossible task. I mean, what are the chances that people would want to host a career day on our terms? If one wanted to offer a career day at his/her work, he/she would plan their own so they could have it on their terms. So, it's a good thing we started early - three months early. I started with the 30 host sites we had the previous year. I received surprising phone calls of confirmation from companies I'd least expect. I sent out more recruitment materials than I can count and emails from me @jcyc.org unfortunately goes into people's spam boxes now - if not from last summer's worksite effort.

As I began receiving surveys from the participant attendee of their career field of interest, we began to target our host site outreach. Surprisingly, the top choices were Sports and Veterinarians - which left me in a rut with no sports related or veterinary related sites to offer. Since we were very clear that youth who submit their permission slips early would receive their top choices, I did not want to disappoint. I wrote to every local sports team: our beloved World Champion Giants charged us a whopping $250 for a tour and chat with AT&T Park front office staff, the 49'ers are in Santa Clara, and the Warriors never responded... After emailing Cal's entire Athletics Department, they came to our rescue with sports medicine and physical therapists of the golden bear athletes. I searched desperately for a veterinarian which fell into my lap when I discovered from my old high school principal, Dr. H, (who stopped by JCYC after running into my parent's at a function and discovering that I worked there,) that my neighborhood veterinary hospital was family-owned by a JCYC family!

In the end, we secured 60 worksites but a new problem arose of not enough participant attendees. My boss would assure me that this is actually a great problem to have - but it did have its frustrations. First, we began allowing late permission slips so that we could fill the groups from 3-4 to our goal of 6-8 which contradicted our life lesson of respecting deadlines. Second, I was torn by forceful hand of placing youth in their lowest choices - not because their top choice was full, but because we needed to fill the host sites of their lower choices. At the last minute, we partnered with more youth groups to offer the opportunity to the youth served by Mission Graduates and JCYC's Japanese Youth Leaders. The list remained non-finalize-able to the very day before the event, and worksites kept demanding to know who and how many to expect - I was a hot mess!

The final hiccup of the entire event, with the expected exception of flakey youth, was the venue. We reserved the Elks Lodge at the Kensington Park Hotel with the belief that the room would be set up as requested - the Elks did no such thing. We scrambled to set up turning stacked chairs in a locked closet into 30 small + 2 large circles with a balloon to indicate the group number - 100 youth, 300 sandwiches, and 2 reporters from the SF Chronicle to arrive within the next 30 minutes! Fortunately, we have some amazing participants - those arriving early were eager to help and later rewarded for their moxy.

Ultimately, some groups were dispersed on account of a high ratio of no-shows - but each group left for a rousing visit to a worksite. Below, please enjoy the press release I wrote and now stole from the www.myeep.org blog!

Hundreds of youth spent their day off from school supplementing their education gaining insight about the careers that interest them. Over fifty local businesses generously opened their doors to provide a glimpse of their work setting and allowed youth to dig their hands and minds into work representative of those careers.

Over 50 local businesses voluntarily filled the San Francisco Unified School District schedule/budget gap with career guidance, industry insights and a small sample of real-world job tasks and training.

The career day is an annual event put together by the Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program and serves the youth from several of the Japanese Community Youth Council’s programs, all focused on providing high school youth with resources for college and career success.

Following a series of projects that asked program participants to consider their career and education goals, each student completed a survey that indicates which industries they want to learn more about.

On February 4, 2011, they gathered at the Elks Lodge to discover what business would host them for a career day visit and departed in smaller groups.

Many local businesses have toyed with the idea of having some sort of career day, but they just did not know where to start. As the largest employer of youth in San Francisco, MYEEP in SF not only gives young people a chance to learn more about careers that aligned with their interests, but also allows local businesses to create their own event for a group that has already expressed interested in that industry.

Additionally, the event’s success is largely attributed to the team of volunteer chaperones. MYEEP’s partnership with several community-based organizations recruits volunteer chaperones that have a background in youth development and can assist with discussion facilitation and reflection.

Here are the organizations that participated in 2011:

Here are some quotes, poems and drawings taken from the youth reflection activity winners:

– Kaythari Phon on Bi-Rite Market & Creamery, MYEEP Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center

– Sean FitzHoward on Arguello Pet Hospital, MYEEP Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center

“What I liked most about this site was that it had many extraordinary things that you don’t see in everyday life such as different sharks, fishes, mammals, and other kinds of animals. Learning about biology will someday make me successful in this type of career.”
- Ivan Yu on Aquarium of the Bay, SF YouthWorks

“Me gusto acariciar a los gatitos. Tambien me asombre bastante cuando mire operando a un gatito me di cuenta de algo que me hizo reflexionar bastante fue: Que ha estas personas realmente les ofrecen carino y si en el futuro me gustaria ayudarlos ya que ellos no recibien ayuda del gobierno. Gracias a MYEEP pude conocer cosas asombrosas.”

English Translation: I liked petting the kittens. I was also was really amazed when I watched them operating on a kitten. I realized something that made me think a lot: these are people who really care. Yes, in the future I would like to help them, since they don’t get help from the government. Thank you MYEEP for allowing me to encounter these marvelous things.

- Zindy Rodas on SPCA San Francisco, MYEEP Jewish Vocational Services

“When I first learned I was going to Salesforce I wasn’t exactly pumped. But when I got into the office I was amazed at how beautiful and lively the office was that alone got me interested. The presenters were AWESOME. They took seemingly boring jobs and broke them down into easily understandable language and made the jobs sound more meaningful.”
- Helen Totterdell on Salesforce, SFYouthWorks

“I got to see how heavy the equipment actually was. I also learned that the total weight of the equipment is like 100+ pounds. Also, the truck carries 750 gallons of water and it costs like $750,000 – $1 million. I liked how the vibe was and that the firefighters were really nice and friendly.”
- Wendy Wong on SF Fire Department, MYEEP Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center

Science for A Day

A day at a science field I feel great

Sitting on a bench writing my reflection

Science is great, wide and broad

So explore the doors that open to you

Science is no limit

You could be sitting in lab writing your research

Or check the cool behavior of mice

You could do this or the things you like

Because the science is in you.

- Soknay Lim on UCSF, MYEEP Vietnamese Youth Development Center

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Read more about the event in the San Francisco Chronicle here.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Family Cruise along the Mexican Riviera

The summer of 2009, the Chiu family embarked on a 7-day Royal Caribbean cruise – destinations: Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. They came back with tales of sliding down waterfalls, dancing with dolphins, and cuddling with lion cubs. I, on the other hand, could not afford to take a week off work if I wanted to pay my rent. I remember my grandmother’s pride and joy puppy, Tara, was in my care for three days when my boss sent my on a 15-hour work day journey around Los Angeles county, bring 700 DVDs here, pick up 1400 DVDs here, drop off 2000 DVDs here, and pick up 200 DVDs here – only to be chewed out the following day because the traffic that prolonged the tasks made it cheaper to have just had all these transactions carried out by mail. It was then I decided: I hated my job, hated being a dependent upon it to make rent, and it was time to move home.

A year later, my other side of the family celebrated our triumphant battle against cancer with the same cruise during the cheapest time of year to sail – January 2011. Despite the plethora of challenges to getting the Wong gang together, we set sail on a mission to experience all the stories we heard, first hand.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Of course, the excursions offered by the ship were ridiculously over priced and legitimate zip lining services cost arms and legs figuratively. We risked our arms and legs literally by negotiating with shady tour dealers on port securing the lowest bidder. Thus our day of gliding across canyons began on the set of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s film, Predator, supposedly.

We also saw a baby porcupine!

Mazatlan, Mexico

In Mazatlan, most of the family stuck together, sharing a tour van and seeking a cheap massage. For $18 an hour, I single-handedly ruined everyone’s tranquility with my AK-47 full of questions. I needed to learn more about my masseuse - twenty three and beautiful, how different our lives could be… She was actually born in Mazatlan but raised and attended public education in Texas, attained her diploma. Our lives diverge a bit at 18 when she gets married, divorced, then forced to move back home with her parents massaging tourist for $50 USD a week. Who am I to judge, living at home with my parents – I can only wonder why the United States public education system couldn’t prevent her from returning to a “cheap labor” life from which she was born into. She seemed happy though. I left a big(ger) tip, ate a street tamale at the flea market and boy did my stomach pay for it later.

Cabo San Lucas

I love to ride the waves aboard the ship’s tender, especially when entering such a beautifully developed port as Cabo San Lucas! I almost decided on a major career change when I cuddled up against the most adorable creature I’ve ever hugged. I would like to make a point, at some point in my adult life, to spend a week volunteering with baby lion cubs in Africa. This thought also follows a documentary I watched while aboard the ship of a team who cared for a rare species of tigers.

This final day of the cruise most successfully kept our group together. We, then, harassed some dolphins in the marine aquatic center, tapping hastily at the glass for their attention. Uncle Toby got a great shot, see below. The town was clean with tiled roads and clear street signs. We spent most of the day at Happy Endings Bar (great place!) before hunting up and down the main road for the cheapest massage.

Other notes

Before departure, I took some time to chat with our room attendant that I casually and politely said “Hi” and “Bye” to each day. I knew that this international business’s recruitment of crew and staff depends on the desperation of people from third world countries that would be happy to work below the United States standards for minimum wage – I just didn’t know exactly how it worked. I fired question after question to discover this Filipino man from the northern part of the country (like Edward’s family) spends 10 months out of the year at sea and away from his family, working 12 hour days for roughly a thousand dollars a month. They do venture onto land, every so often, but dine several decks below the rest of us because, apparently, some cruise-go-ers would be appalled to dine with the staff that serves them.

Another thing I kept noticing during this trip, the people expected tourist to give them money for every little task person helped us with - tasks that Americans would consider general courteousness or simply expect from most polite passersby. When our taxi pulled up at the Walmart (I know, who goes to Walmart while on vacation?) two young boys hurried to our door to open them, followed by open palms anxiously awaiting a tip. You couldn't so much as take a photo of something without being hounded for a tip: sand castles, rock divers, etc. The one that surprised me most was a man who owned a pet iguana, walking around with it on his shoulder in his shop, who then allowed us to take photographs with it. He said, "no charge, just tip!" This wasn't this man's livelihood, he had a shop selling knick-knacks, it was just an opportunity for him to see if we would give him money. Worst of all, we did.

Here's my dad's photo. It'll cost ya a tip to look at it.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Michelle & That Damn Bridges Program

A good 50% of the reason I’ve disappeared is in great gratitude to the Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the Japanese Community Youth Council. After volunteering a few hours with San Francisco YouthWorks, 10-hour weeks of casual employment, bumped up to 15-hours demonstrated not only my desperation for employment, but also the talents that would come to serve 186 at-risk youth throughout San Francisco.

It came as an honor, really, when the directors of San Francisco Youth Works and the Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program came to me with the scariest of endeavors. Understanding my fear and inexperience of direct service (to inner-city youth, yikes) and my knack for talking my way into anything I wanted, they paired me with a fellow JCYC youth program alumnus to design our very own youth employment program for the summer - San Francisco Bridges To Success!

Now it may not be common knowledge that the San Francisco Unified School District and City College of San Francisco were unable to provide summer school. That means that millions of youth were left to wander the streets (an exaggeration) against the common belief that summer should be utilized to “get ahead.” But SOMEHOW, money came to JCYC, experts in youth employment, in every direction to fund the Summer Work Experience Program, the Summer Youth Employment Program (for 17-21 year old), and our own SFBTS (16-18 years old.)

Here I learn, first-hand, the bittersweet Workforce Investment Act, which provided this great opportunity, comes with the expense of hours wasted monitoring, reporting, and auditing. I don’t mean to knock the program, but there were many times where things were asked of me that I regrettably saw as time that could have been spent assisting youth and ensuring actual programmatic accountability – rather than chasing down documentation of it. I suppose that is why I served as the project manager and not any sort of direct service or case management staff, initially at least. But we carry on.

The program operated through 4 (briefly 5) subcontracted community-based organizations. On our side, my partner and I were ensure our program met the contract’s requirements: 50% academic enrichment and 50% work experience revolved around Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). This meant developing STEM-related curriculum for a 6-week program for the CBO’s to conduct, provide pre-job readiness training and a placement for them to work as temporary subsidized workers.

A teams of us was 100% behind worksite development meeting the challenge of there just not being enough workplaces in San Francisco willing to accept temporary assistance from a high school youth because it meant training the skill-less while tolerating unreliable and, often-times, poor work ethic for not much reward. Not to mention there were several programs looking to put youth to work – must of had over a thousand youth came from JCYC’s programs alone! Not to mention that a good chunk, about 40 participants spoke little or no English and needed a supervisor that could accommodate them.

Our second challenge was designing curriculum that would re-engage a young person who has already suffered disappointment and lack of goals/motivation from our low-budget public school system. Under the ambiguous guidance of MYEEP’s director, we provided activities aimed at real world application of STEM concepts: the science of the human body and engineering of a bridge through building miniature models, technology through basic computer skills, and math through understanding budgets, saving, investing and credit. The 48 hours we wrote up sounded like a fun and educational summer – the bureaucratic delays complicated their execution.

What was supposed to be mid-way through the program, many youth still without worksites attended academic enrichment workshops 100% of the time, upset because they had signed up for a summer job – not what it felt like to them: summer school. I finally stepped out of what we called “The War Room” and into the Bridges battlefield, observing youth workshops and visiting youth worksites. Worksite development continued even past program end dates, when another program ended the supervisors were offered interns from our program as replacements. At the programs proposed end date, August 13, youth continued to enroll and sub-contractor contracts extended. We eventually met our numbers and my boss alleviated my concerns with, “we succeeded - kids were working.”

From the standpoint of the community’s mission, the youth were receiving a beneficial service that they would not otherwise have – learning English for those that couldn’t, positive adult interaction for those that lacked it, and making money to support their newborn children or impoverished parents. I, a stranger to the environment, was there to ask what other support I could provide them around their career and education goals, which I soon became the sole source of which they would receive them.

The summer was over, my team dispersed into new full-time opportunities, my partner shifted programs, my new partner moved to New York. As our sub-contractors checked out of their responsibilities, I checked into direct service. I used the brainstorming sessions I held during workshops to design post-program events that I had a bit more quality control over.

The number one concern, as Bridges was ending, was if there were more jobs available. As an expert job searcher (ask anyone!) I looked religiously for opportunities suitable for them - an email came to my inbox from a little organization called MatchBridge. Another city funded program (DCYF), MatchBridge, with my best explainer hat, does not guarantee jobs but rather has connections to employers give its members, young people that pass screening requirements, to have an advantage in their job search. Speaking to two young ladies and at their request for job search assistance, I provided one-on-one coaching to assist them in joining MatchBridge and access their wide array of holiday retail opportunities. Following the successful one-on-one pow-wows, I strengthened ties with the MatchBridge staff and direct all my impressionable youth to join and take advantage of their services! The beauty of this particular service - they aren’t youth programs, they are real jobs and connection to real employers.

After hearing them announce their career interests: Real estate! Cooking! Music recording! Cosmetology! Nursing! I began planning our first event that would bring them all together – the Career Exploration Speaker Series. Determined to give them exactly what they asked for, I gathered panelist and youth program representatives from six industries: 1) Visual Performing Arts and Multimedia, 2) Culinary Arts and Hospitality, 3) Health Care, 4) Health Care, 5) Architecture and Construction, and 6) Law and Law Enforcement, and wrapped up the week with an overview of College options. With over 50% of the contact information I had being out-of-date and little/no leverage to convince them to attend, the event drained every bit of passion I had for helping people who just did not want it. It took the one-week holiday from the office to really recollect and remember why I was doing this, and I can really attribute my revival to one young woman from the program.

Back up to Mid-December, SF YouthWorks released their application recruiting new interns which allowed me to dangle a new piece of bait to youth to allow me to assist them – I had jobs! One by one they requested one-on-one assistance to complete their SF YouthWorks applications, which generated more interest in joining MatchBridge as well. I met with several youth, and some of their friends too, and learned about where they came from and where they hope to be one day.

One young woman expressed interest in law and becoming a Public Defender. I, exploring law myself, casually mentioned my hope to observe the courts the following week to learn a bit about the experience. The night before my intended visit, I received a text from her around 11pm, “When are we going to court.” I let her know that my plans had been cancelled since my friend couldn’t make it anymore – but we decided to go and figure it out ourselves.

We spent the morning at 850 Bryant, in-and-out of court rooms, chasing down an attorney to ask her questions, talking to a young couple on their sentencing day - you know, the way I like to spend my days off work. She kept saying they were there for the paycheck and didn’t understand they had someone’s life in their hand; I point out the stack of files and that a Public Defender could potentially have hundreds of clients that weren’t cooperative, switching all the time. We sat in on a good one too, almost like a television show, but my familial obligations restricted my time. I was honest with her, when she said Public Defenders didn’t bring their A-game when it came to their clients about how countless disappointment killed the energy I once had. The opportunity to chat with her definitely brought it back.

That brings me to now, where the past two weeks have been focused entirely on one-on-one job search assistance for several participants (and sometimes their friends) and sometimes on the weekend. This month, AACE Talent Search advisors had generously volunteered their time to provide Financial Aid workshops for my group – with very little interest in this assistance we only offered this once.

I know that I must keep bringing my A-game for the youth that have no other source of this kind of assistance and I’m very happy with the connections I’ve made with some of them. I’ve just got to handle it - one step at a time.

Monday, November 1, 2010

I'm not a bastard anymore!

This was a summer of many changes! My parents and my sister combined forces, or savings rather, to become first-time home-owners, and Daly City-zens! It took months of debate, really: In the city? Brand new condo? HOA dues? In-law unit? Rec room? Fitness center? Parking? Muni? Bart? Budget!?!

Ultimately, my dad fell in love with this little pink corner house nearby Daly City’s Westlake plaza, sold by the family of a recently deceased elderly woman who lived alone. Barred windows, musty pink carpet, and an odd half-story lay out – my dad and his army of helpers worked tirelessly to turn this one bathroom into two, refinish the foundation of beautiful wood flooring, achieve a millions coats of flawless assortment of off-white paints and install a brand new beige carpet. With a brand new kitchen in the planning stages and my parents making a slow move, we will soon be good to go!

Our new mission, however, is furnishing the place! We have a supremely Chinese dining room with the Auntie Hazel’s dark cherry China Cabinet with matching dining table, Uncle Henry’s house warming gift from the Philippines (12 Inch statues of the Chinese Gods - Fook Look So,) and Uncle Toby’s donation of a set of four shell carvings into floral artworks. My dad, first and foremost, purchased a television stand for his flat screen - which he has since decided is 1) not big enough and 2) should be mounted above the fireplace instead. We all concurred.

I lied. My dad, first and foremost, picked up a bed frame he saw while driving his SF Muni bus, the 31-Balboa, and quickly called for reinforcements to collect from the curb. My dad, second of all, hung his old lady curtains with vignettes with little rope ties to hold them aside. My mother finicky-ly selected brand new pieces for her dark cherry themed bedroom. Finally, my sister’s temporary residency filled the empty home with a sofa, shelf and other handy things.

I will take an interior design class, eventually to jazz up the place. My only contribution to our new home, thus far, has been removing the four feral kittens born in our backyard! But soon enough a washer dryer, new sofa, or massage chair will join the family.

Back pedaling to July, the paperwork of a new house lead to conversations around my parent’s legitimizing their relations – at least in the eyes of the state. We closed escrow and my sister turned 30 – my dad drunkenly announced that he has “Finally agreed to let [my mother] marry him.” Of course my mother’s gang of sisters forced him to one knee for a proper proposal and my diamond diva aunt assisted him with selecting a most beautiful diamond ring.

Now, wedding plans were a hot mess and we pretty much spent our every dime on the house. Since I was expecting a 23rd birthday in the monstrous Las Vegas – I invited my parents to join the cheap festivities and to get hitched in an Elvis style shot-gun wedding (that they really should have had 23 years ago…) The wedding plans grew, of course, from 30 guests to a whopping 70, so we naturally had to provide a Las Vegas style show! As a bridesmaid, I got dressed like Princess Peach while the rest of the gang looked like cotton candy (the color of it after being licked wet.) So many of us flew to Las Vegas to witness the 15-minute ceremony in which my dad was unable to avow his faithfulness – it was great. We receptioned on the 50th floor in a 900-square-foot Wynn suite to Costco snacks and a cute two-layered wedding cake and the gang ate their hearts out at the Rio Seafood Buffet.

My absence was excused but really I enjoyed a stroll down the strip in my tooth fairy Halloween costume arm in arm with the love of my life. We sneakily devised a plan to ensure entry to Las Vegas’ Hot Spot – XS Nightclub in the Wynn. The fellas caught an earlier free ride from my aunt and uncle, passing around a Jack and Coke in a Supersized McDonalds cup to get drunk, quickly. On the flip side, the ladies randomly caught the hummer limo after hanging back for a photo shoot in our tiaras that contradicted with our Halloween costumes.

Memorable mentions of the weekend – my beloved guardian is 1) back! And 2) came out for 5 hours of fun before returning to LA and work the next morning, my big sis (Tau) we wheel chaired out of the night club to be inspected by a medic, and the rest of us hung out with UNCLE TOBY!!! Yikes!

Turning 23, of course, was not a huge bit to celebrate. Honestly, I’ve been lying and saying I’m 23 for months before just to not be 22 anymore. 22 was the worst! I’m in a much better place in my life and excited for whatever changes this year may bring – which I hope and pray are aplenty!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Opportunities & Resource Fair

The Office of Economic and Workforce Development is inviting local businesses, educational institutions and community based organizations to attend an opportunities and resources fair we will be hosting for our youth ages 16 - 24 who have just graduated from our 6 week employment program and are looking towards next steps in their career path. It's a great opportunity for you to market your business, recruit new hires, and support your community.

For more information, please contact (415) 202-7944 or Michelle Wong at mwong@jcyc.org.

You can register for the event by clicking here.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Summer Youth Employment Program, Michelle speaking...

check it. call 415 202 7944, that's what you'll get. Following my gasp of excitement, crossing of my fingers and contracting of my cheek muscles for the huge smile because someone, anyone, might be returning our phone call with some good news: "We would love to have interns!"

I haven't blogged in ages but I forget that I should be using this portal to assist our rigorous outreach efforts. Now I will, accordingly:

Thanks to the Workforce Investment Act and Federal Recovery grant money, The Office of Economic and Workforce Development has the funding to provide several hundred youth with jobs this summer. The initiative, San Francisco Bridges to Success, will serve 16-18 year old youth with up to 80 hours of paid work experience for the remainder of the summer (concluding August 13) to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We invite workplaces that fall under those career fields to take advantage of the temporary subsidized workers by becoming a worksite!

These interns are of no cost to you because they will be employed and paid through our office. It's basically a way to lend you an extra hand for entry level or easily teachable projects around the office in exchange for valuable job experience that will increase the employability of San Francisco youth.

Interested in becoming a worksite? Call 415 202 7944, for sheezy. hiresfyouth@jcyc.org

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I have over five years of experience managing events, fundraising operations, and marketing campaigns for non-profit organizations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. I have managed multi-million dollar programs and revenue streams in order to bring hope and opportunity to children and adults experiencing medical or economical challenges. Resourcefulness and versatility are essential skills I developed by serving non-profits across the country. I enjoy graphic design and Excel spreadsheets and appreciate big ideas that are crazy enough they might just work. I have a proven track record of delivering results and exceeding expectations.

themichellewong@gmail.com