AUBURN GRESHAM — Mayor Rahm Emanuel was at St. Sabina Church on Monday to celebrate the launch of a new youth jobs program.
The program will provide 50 young adults between the ages of 16-28 with full-time employment, plus access to support and services to maintain employment.
As the participants, most of whom have criminal records, go through the program to become employed full-time, they will log an additional 10 hours per week of coach-guided, individual activities focused on job training and readiness and job searching and interviewing.
The Rev. Michael Pfleger, St. Sabina's senior pastor, said the program could go a long way to changing the trajectory of the young people involved.
"Some of you sitting here have felt abandoned and ignored by society, and rightfully so. Too many individuals and whole communities have been neglected," Pfleger said. "Too often we're told what not do; put the guns down, don't shoot, stay away from drugs."
Emanuel echoed Pfleger's sentiments about helping young people in one of the city's most blighted communities become gainfully employed.
“Whether it is through education or jobs training, an investment in Chicago’s youth is the best investment for Chicago’s future,” Emanuel said. “As part of our commitment to creating opportunity and investing in our communities, this pilot will ensure that, one community at a time, our young men have the tools they need to get back on track to secure a good-paying job and a brighter future.”
Each of the participants will also select and complete a community service project of their own to give back to the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood, officials said.
St. Sabina is working on the project in conjunction with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, along with other agencies have pledged to use their resources in an effort to reduce the number of youth and young adults who are disengaged and more at-risk for engaging in criminal activity.
Raymond Cattron, 28, a convicted felon, was one of the young men picked for the pilot program. He came out to the event despite the fact that he recovering from getting shot in the 7900 block of South Laflin Street last month.
"I needed a lifeline and I reached out to Father Mike. I started off gang banging in the streets. That's no way to live," Cattron said. "I'm looking for any type of guidance. People to keep going, but don't want to provide me some help."
Cattron, who has a 1-year-old son, told DNAinfo that the program is important because it has been hard to find work because of his past.
"This means a lot. Many times, people don't want to help us because of how we talk and how we look," Cattron said. "A lot of us want to do right. People judge us based off of where we come from and they don't want to give us a second chance."
Lisa Morrison-Butler, the city's Commissioner of the Department of Family and Support Services, says most don't realize that many young people often lack the things needed to apply for a job.
"The bureaucracy often bogs people down. Some guys don't have simple things such as clean underwear, a birth certificate, or a stable address," Morrison-Butler said. "The young men here had trouble running into roadblocks while trying to navigate through the system. It's deeper than looking for a job."
Pfleger also gave a word of advice to the young men involved with the program.
"I need you to be as thirsty for this as I am. I need you to give 100 percent," Pfleger said. "I need you to be as committed to your future and success as we are. So let's make this a win for you and for Chicago."
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