August 01, 2013

By Shonassee Shaver

LAWT Intern

 

The United Job Creation Council (UJCC) a nonprofit organization held their annual Mentoring Recruitment Day and Youth Hip Hop Festival on July 20 at the City Refuge Church presiding Bishop Noel Jones in Gardena, California. The UJCC showcased their mentoring program called the Teleion Mentoring Program which empowers ‘high risk’ youth, ages 12 to26 coming out of juvenile camps and prisons.

Los Angeles youth was motivated during the ‘Youth Empowerment Discussion’ which included guest speakers Pastor Isaac Williams of The Word Experience, Jemeker Thompson former “Queen Pin” and founder of the nonprofit organization ‘Second Chance Evangelist Ministries’, Giovanni Stephens, Monet Bagneris a graduate from USC’s Keck School of Medicine and 2012 Miss Los Angeles County, and Zaneta Smith Teleion Mentor Coordinator and Youth Interactive Panel Facilitator.

CAP I Annexx the Mime and Pastor Isaac Williams performs during the Hour of Power Hip Hop Show.

It was also a day of fun for the youth where entertainers including rappers Lady Shofar, Moses the Prophet, gospel artist Du2ce, Christian dance team “Committed Feet” and music group “Authentic People” performed during the ‘Hour of Power Hip Hop Show.’

There was a host of employment partnerships that consisted of the LA Urban League, PVJobs, Southeast-LA Crenshaw Work­source Center and Watts Labor Community Action Committee.

The event’s main focus was to inform Los Angeles’s youth about the importance of mentoring for young Black men and women through Positive Pathways Program (P3) where transitional aged youth are matched with selected mentors. However, recruitment for the Telieon Mentoring Program was the main attraction throughout the event.

“We wanted to recruit more mentors and youth who are unaware of our Mentoring program,” said Jean Franklin, Executive Director of UJCC on their goals for the event. “The goal for this event was to recruit men of color who have a passion to give back to the community.”

The program’s objective is to provide education, jobs, job training, careers and life skills for juvenile offenders in Los Angeles areas Compton, Watts, Gardena, Inglewood and Hawthorne.  In efforts  to reconstruct the lives of foster and probation youth, they offer pathway coaches.

“We advocate for them,” said Franklin. Indeed, the UJCC Teleion Mentoring Program are advocates for the reduction of gang warfare and incarceration of young Black men.  They are active in the community, recruiting kids on the streets of Los Angeles and coming out of juvenile camps.  Teleion Mentoring Program is a safe haven for  African American youth who are encouraged to persevere beyond their means.

“We are one of the massive movers in the community regarding change, jobs and advocating rights for more jobs,” said Rahab Mitchell.  “Franklin organized an initiative in the state of Sacramento which now is a law that requires so much percentage of jobs for local hire be given to youth who are in transition.”

In 2006, UJCC put together a local hire to inform estranged youth about jobs that were hiring regardless of any criminal background. “Construction is one of the few industries where one’s background is not held against them.  We are focused on ‘high risk’ youth and ex-offenders who are consider “hard to place” in the job market.”

The UJCC is one of the main resources in the community to ­provide jobs for youth. They work with an array of industry sectors that appeal to former juvenile offenders.  They also have a hand in anti-violence, helping to decrease the violence in the community.

The UJCC is proactive in the church, networking with Pastors who often refer kids to them. They assist with faith based organizations (FBOs) and community based organizations (CBOs).  Jean Franklin created ‘Anchor of Hope Re-entry Ministry’ at the City of Refuge which provides holistic services to ex-offenders.

The United Job Creation Council’s ultimate goal is to eliminate recidivism in the community. 

Category: News