ALAMEDA, Calif – On a recent beautiful summer’s mid morning, East Bay Regional Park District’s Crown Beach Park in Alameda was enjoying a refreshing bay breeze and a tremendous view of San Francisco, as a small crew were busy working on a large patch of the park’s turf. Joining the full-time East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) employees were Youth Development Services’ (YDS) work interns Drev’yon, of Richmond, and Antioch resident, Tiasha.
During their current 20-hour-a-week internship, Drev’yon and Tiasha have been working with Park District employees in creating a large native plant garden, which will replace a portion of the grass area at the park. The garden will not only look beautiful, but will save on the park’s water usage, plant longevity, and money spent for maintenance.
YDS provides a broad range of coordinated services for youth who are in foster care or homeless or experiencing barriers and need support to finish school, find a job or pursue a career path. The programs are designed to prepare youth to become self-confident, self-sufficient, and independent adults. YDS is a grant-funded department within the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE), and receives funding from the California Department of Education, the Contra Costa County Workforce Investment Board, Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services, the Department of Rehabilitation, as well as other financial sources.
As for Drev’yon and Tiasha’s internships, they both were matched for the jobs by their YDS case workers, who maintain a positive working relationship with such worksites as the Park District’s Crown Beach Park, while the interns’ salaries are funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).YDS has cultivated a number of strong employment partnerships, like the EBRP, including the San Pablo, El Cerrito, Hercules, and El Sobrante Libraries; San Pablo East Bay Works (America’s Job Center); East Bay Municipal Utility District; the City of San Pablo; the Richmond Renaissance Center; and numerous other East Bay work sites.
While he was prepping the ground to plant some native grasses, Drev’yon said, “I really enjoy working with the Park District staff and the variety of things I do here, such as setting the drip-line irrigation lines and planting the new native plants. I like working with my hands creating new things for people, and working outside.”
Drev’yon’s YDS caseworker, Edmund Arnold, has been assisting him since last summer. “Drev’yon has been working at various Conversation Corps in an effort to gain various skills pertaining to building trades and construction. His goal is to take part in a Bay Area carpenter apprenticeship.” The CCCOE and the Park District have been working closely together in order to support Drev’yon’s efforts to enroll into the carpenter apprenticeship.
As for Tiasha, she had just began her second week working at Crown Beach. “I’ve been learning so many new things, like laying down the irrigation system and properly sandbagging designated areas. I also enjoy working at this location!” Tiasha also mentioned that she’d never been to Alameda, until this work assignment.
Tiasha’s caseworker, Leilani Villegas, says she has been in the WIOA program for a year and had previously completed an internship at Sutter Delta Hospital, in Antioch. “Tiasha recently completed Certified Nursing Assistant training and will be looking for work in her field after passing the Certified Nursing Assistant State Board exam. Tiasha wanted to gain more work experience while she’s studying for the exam. After Tiasha’s internship with the EBRP and passing the exam, the WIOA program will assist her in finding a permanent job and plan her next goals in her career.” Tiasha said that she plans to someday be a head nurse at a hospital.
The two caseworkers agree that Park District Youth Employment Program Supervisor Ross Mitchell does an excellent job in working closely with Drev’yon, Tiasha, and other clients to improve their work readiness skills and to make them more employable in the future. During our meeting, there was no doubt the two interns really enjoy working with Mitchell.
In order to qualify for this particular program, the clients, ages 16-24, must be high school dropouts, homeless, foster, on probation, parenting, or have a disability. Eligible clients who are enrolled will be assisted with finding suitable educational or employment placements. Each will have an individualized case plan, depending on their needs. In this case plan, they will indicate the goals that they want to reach while working with the program. The goals are obtaining their high school equivalency degree, earning an industry-recognized training certificate, attaining employment, or entering into a post-secondary program or any other advanced training program. They will be on Arnold’s and Villegas’ caseload until they accomplish one of these goals.
The clients meet with their caseworkers as much as they want to. “We usually meet on a monthly basis. They are given transportation assistance in order to help them attend their classes, job interviews, jobs, and appointments with us,” says Arnold. The clients are also assisted with purchasing school supplies, interview clothes, work clothes, and other tools/clothes necessary for employment or education. “We try to supply them with anything they need in order to make the pursuit of education/employment goals easier.” Throughout their employment, education, and living-skills experience, YDS clients are monitored, assessed, and encouraged by their caseworkers as they meet their designated goals.
No doubt, that in a few years, Journeyman Carpenter Drev’yon and R.N. Tiasha will bring family and friends back to the beautiful Crown Beach native plant garden, to show what they did as they were preparing for their successful futures.
Information provided by Contra Costa County Office of Education
