Learning in Action:
Two Innovative Employment Training and Youth Development Programs in Baltimore, Maryland
An American Youth Policy Forum Field Trip — September 25, 1998
The programs, one for out-of-school and one for in-school youth are past winners of the PEPNet (Promising and Effective Practices Network) award. Fresh Start, one of the 35 programs for youth housed within The Living Classrooms Foundation received a PEPNet award in 1996 and the Baltimore City Fire Cadet Program received an award 1997. PEPNet, now in its third year, recognizes outstanding youth employment/ development programs across the country. Awardees are evaluated in five categories of effectiveness: Purpose and Activities, Organization and Management, Workforce Development, Youth Development and Evidence of Success.
Both sites illustrate the benefits of experiential learning, committed and enthusiastic staff, and strong collaboration with public agencies and other institutions in the community. Both programs have moved outside conventional educational practice to deliver educational programs that are appropriate for their student audience.
The Living Classrooms Foundation
The Living Classrooms Foundation was started in 1985 and is located in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It is a non-profit, educational organization that houses 35 programs serving disadvantaged, adjudicated and at-risk youth, as well as students from Baltimore City Public Schools and surrounding areas. Over 50,000 young people visit per year or are enrolled in one of the programs. Youth are introduced to these programs through their school, city or state agencies, or community-based projects. The Living Classrooms Foundation works hand-in-hand with schools, communities, and city, state and federal agencies to connect their programming to national and state standards.
The Foundation offers young people a chance to enjoy real world, experiential learning, cooperative learning, career development and community service that helps builds their knowledge base, communication skills and spirit. The Inner-Harbor location supports interdisciplinary shipboard and land-based programs emphasizing applied learning, career training and life skills. The extended land and sea expedition programs allow students to explore the environmental science and socio-economic history of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding region. Shipboard programs at the Foundation feature hands-on education tied to Maryland Learning Outcomes in math, science, social studies and ecology, and range in length from a one-day expedition on one of their seven ships to a yearlong job-training program with high school credit. By joining the crew and helping to operate the ship, students learn about leadership and teamwork.
Although the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) group came to learn about the Fresh Start program, they were introduced to a number of other successful programs within the Living Classrooms Foundation. The Foundation's interdisciplinary education and job/career training, land-based programs fall into five areas.
- Youth-Oriented Community Development and neighborhood revitalization projects like Project SERVE (Service, Empowerment, Revitalization, Volunteerism, Employment), providing on-the-job training for youth as they rehabilitate vacant houses for low-income families. SERVE is an Americorps Project housed on the Foundation's campus.
- Learn by doing projects like Building Hope, a four-week training program, providing skills in framing, plumbing and electrical work. (The AYPF group witnessed a graduation of 12 young men and women during the visit.)
Intervention programs that provide different levels of guidance for young people:
- Fresh Start is nine-month, five-day-a-week career and academic program for adjudicated youth who have dropped out of school and are 16 to 20 years of age.
- The Achievement Program works in concert with middle schools to help students, who are showing signs of disinterest, get back on track and involved in school. This program's focus is to offer an incentive to students who maintain attendance and performance in school. The incentive program allows students to attend the Living Classrooms Maritime Institute one day a week for activities that help them develop math and technical skills and expose them to the attitudes and behaviors that are expected in the work world.
- The Frederick Douglass After School Program serves youth who live in public housing by providing positive activities during critical after-school hours. The program=s activities include: academic support, computer literacy education, rowing and sailing instruction and competition, and cultural enrichment experiences.
- Job training programs like YouthBuild that provide comprehensive carpentry and construction training, job-skills development, and leadership development training to young adults as they rebuild neglected houses (YouthBuild is run in partnership with academic and community organizations like Coppin State College and the Habitat for Humanity); and
- 5) History programs as found in the Maritime Museum for the general public and school faculty.
The Weinberg Education Center, a 10,000 square foot building built from Douglas fir timbers with help from Fresh Start students, is at the center of the Living Classrooms Foundation campus and houses the technology and career classrooms, meeting rooms and administrative offices. Just across from the Center stands a 75' tall observation/"learning" tower, where interactive learning stations allow students to explore alternative energy and monitor air quality using weather technology. In another building downhill from the Center, the Living Classroom's Maritime Institute, students from programs like Fresh Start and Building Hope share the fully equipped workshop for carpentry and construction instruction.
After an overview of the Foundation by its president, James Piper Bond, and director of the Maritime Institute, John Dillow, the AYPF group met with students from Fresh Start and participants of Project SERVE. Under the high ceiling of the light-filled Weinberg Education Center, Mr. Bond proudly described how students built the Lady Maryland, a 104' schooner used by the Foundation to teach students about the water and sea life. Bond describes this as the kind of project that engages students and gets them excited about learning. "Kids have an innate desire to learn and it's our job to bring this out in them." The Foundation's organization as having 264 people, 35 different programs, a $4.5 million budget, and extensive partnerships with schools, government and businesses. Partnering businesses include a number of large corporations and government agencies, e.g., Lockheed Martin, United Parcel Service and the EPA. By offering better equipment and technology through the support of these partnerships, Bond says, "We're trying to turn on the light bulb in young people."
SERVE participants presented the AYPF group with a display of enlarged colored photographs of their work on the rehabilitation of abandoned homes in low-income neighborhoods throughout Baltimore's Eastside Empowerment Zone. The abandoned buildings that are improved by SERVE are used to help provide housing for low-income families. The project's mission is to impact the community with direct services, involving youth and residents in the clean up of their own neighborhood. The project provides education and service-learning opportunities for disadvantaged youth and other youth within the community. Also displayed was a large map of a portion of the city that marked the location of each building that was improved by their participation in the project. The participants worked together on each building, sometimes working from the ground up to repair fire damage and rotted walls. Participants are recruited into SERVE through word of mouth, neighborhood flyers and by observing Project SERVE at work in their area. The program now receives work orders from the City to continue rehabilitation of abandoned homes. "They are sub-contracted as a way to subsidize this educational program," says Bond. Over one million tons of trash and debris have been removed by the youth in SERVE, and since January 1998, 1,800 windows and doors have been boarded.
According to Project SERVE participants:
"You actually see people getting their brooms out, cleaning in front of their houses when they see us out there." --Sabrina
"It meant so much to me when the elderly people came out to thank us for our work." --Kia
"It gives a lot of people the opportunity for a second chance. I'm glad this program exists." --Zachary
"Some of the [SERVE] students are reaching for their GEDs and some have been to college. We have to work as a team and look out for each other because we're out in the neighborhood. Instead of throwing people away, which is how we ended up here in the first place, this program is helping." --Kia
Besides the development of friendships, sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that can happen while working on a project that helps others, the benefits to the students of SERVE are its experience-based program and tutoring component that emphasize applied learning in math, science, social studies, language arts and ecology. The benefits to the community are a better looking neighborhood and decreased environmental hazards and risks to public safety caused by abandoned buildings. "The goal is to have the community raise itself up," says James Piper Bond.
SERVE does not operate alone. It works in concert with the East Harbor Village Center, Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition, the Housing Authority of Baltimore City, the Department of Public Works, South East Community Organization, Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore, the Baltimore Coalition against Substance Abuse and AmeriCorps. These partners bring a range of experience and resources to the program though funding, donated materials and guidance on the project's Community Advisory Board.
The AYPF group next spent time with Fresh Start students investigating the workshop within the Maritime Institute. Student guides explained their experiences and accomplishments as they described the project segments within Fresh Start's nine-month program. Students start with small projects like building a tool box and then move on to more difficult projects requiring team effort. As a student moves through the projects, he/she receives a tool from the instructor. Students build their portfolio of projects and add to their tools as they move through the program. Many students described plans for where they will go after they complete the program. Some students will go straight into the workforce and others will enter private technical institutes like Lincoln Technology Center and Columbia HVAC Institute for further education.
The programs within the Foundation creatively weave education with "soft skills", helping students discover their potential, build maturity and prepare for the workforce. Program personnel work with students to help them develop their ability to show respect, stay on-task and build important interpersonal skills. One of the factors that contribute to the success of Living Classrooms is the five to one, student/faculty ratio. Also, close attention is paid to the needs of today's employers. Bond's staff communicates with local businesses, asking them what they are looking for when they interview applicants. Students learn that employers want employees who are team-oriented, self-motivated, punctual and dependable.
Walbrook Senior High School and the Baltimore City Fire Cadet Program
The second part of the day was spent at the Walbrook Senior High School, visiting 1997 PEPNet winner, the Baltimore City Fire Cadet Program. Our group was welcomed to Walbrook High School by Donald P. Reed, Program Coordinator for the Fire Cadet Program and Aide to the Chief of the Baltimore City Fire Department; Alice Cole, Manager of the Office of Employee Development (OED)/Baltimore City Office of Employment Development, and Dr. Andrey Bundley, Principal of Walbrook Senior High School. Dr. Bundley described his students as "the ones that society has given up on, but we will not." He declared that the school's job is to watch over the students and to guide them in preparing for the real world. "We create a sense of serenity and peace, and give them a safe and orderly environment with simple rules, and the students understand what those rules are."
The Fire Cadet Program is jointly run by the Baltimore City Fire Department, Baltimore City Public Schools and the Mayor's Office of Employment Development, and is designed for high school youth interested in pursuing careers in fire fighting or emergency medical professions. Students enroll in the three-phase program during their junior year in high school. Phase I begins during the summer after junior year as "cadets" receive full-time training in fire fighting, emergency medical services, driver education and physical fitness. Phase II continues cadet training during the fall, on a part-time basis. Most of this training is conducted on-site by professional fire fighters and emergency medical technicians. Phase III begins once the student has graduated and the cadet is employed by one of the Baltimore City Fire Department.
Students attend academic classes in the morning at their home schools and attend Walbrook in the afternoon. The school's population is divided into four academies: Fire and Rescue; Navy (JROTC), Transportation and Maritime; Criminal Justice; and Business and Technology. The academies, as Donald Reed describes them, are a way to get at-risk students to "come to and stay in school. The students have to learn the basic academic courses, but there has to be something fun and meaningful to learn that is also challenging and rewarding." Walbrook's academies give students exposure to careers and the option to gain skills that will prepare them for a position that pays well. The academies and the cadet program allow students to choose and focus on skills that will take them as far as they want to go.
Like the Living Classrooms, Walbrook High School, with its Academies and Cadet Programs has a culture that strives to instill "soft skills" in students like respect, humility, discipline and a desire to maintain excellence in every endeavor. Walbrook's principal, Dr. Bundley begins by walking the hallways to get students to class and dealing with those who are "not abiding by the simple rules of Baltimore City Schools." Respect for each other and for school rules is paramount at Walbrook. Donald Reed says, "Where there is chaos there is no learning." So rules must be enforced strictly and if not obeyed, students are sent home. Mr. Reed explains that last year's attendance average, on a good day, was at 68%; the average today is 80%. He admits this percentage is not up to the Baltimore School Systems' standard of 95%, but it has improved since last year.
Once entered in the program, students take taxis paid for by the Mayor's Office of Employee Development to the Fire and Rescue Academy and Cadet Program at Walbrook High School in the afternoon. Cadets attend classes within the Fire and Rescue Academy program, but they also get extra courses and training. The Baltimore City Fire Cadet Program holds its students to a higher academic standard than students who are in the academies. Students enrolled in the academies can pass with an average of 60%, but cadets must maintain at least a 75% average to stay in the program. The program is select and students must compete to get in. Donald Reed proudly explained that after the program won the PEPNet award in 1997, the bar was raised. What started as a school-to-work program for with 25 students last year has blossomed into a program that will be made available to 400 students next year. The Program helps cadets develop interest in public service and learn career-building skills like teamwork, punctuality, staying drug free and respecting authority. The program prepares students to be responsible for themselves and their position in the program. They are also being trained to accept the rules of the work world. "Training is not easy, nor should it be easy," says Donald Reed. After a year in the program and a positive evaluation, a cadet may be hired as a fire fighter apprentice.
As apprentices, cadets take advanced fire fighting training classes and participate in experiential field trips that expose them further to ambulance service, hospital emergency rooms and life in a firehouse. Their training at this stage prepares them to receive certification as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or Cardiac Rescue Technicians (CRTs). After graduation from high school the cadet may then go on to be hired by a local Fire Department, entering one of the five departments: Fire Prevention, Fiscal Services, Personnel, Administration, or Public Information.
What is most inspiring about the Fire Cadet Program is not what the cadets do for themselves exclusively, but the impressions that they leave on their academy classmates. The cadets wear their uniforms proudly as they attend and travel to and from school. Other students see them as examples of what they can achieve. Donald Reed believes that the cadets serve as successful roll models who often inspire other teenagers in their school and community to strive for excellence in education and community service. Cadets that graduate have great potential for moving directly into a well regarded career with a livable income and a skill of which they can be proud.
The AYPF group had the opportunity to talk with cadets in each level of the Fire Cadet Program. The students showed pride and interest in their chosen vocation, and many displayed levels of maturity beyond their years. Past graduates have joined fire companies, attended college, worked as EMTs and/or ambulance drivers. Illustration of their success is shown in an excerpt from the 1998 PEPNet Lessons Learned From 43 Effective Youth Employment Initiatives that lists the accomplishment of past graduates of the Baltimore City Fire Cadet Program.
Twenty-four students began the Fire Cadet Program in June of 1993: eight were hired by the Baltimore City Fire Department, eight went to college, six are working as EMTs and/or Ambulance drivers, one owns his own business, and one received a Barbering Scholarship through the City Office of Employment Development and is now working in this field.
Twenty students enrolled in the program in June of 1994. All of these cadets graduated from high school. Five were hired by the Fire Department to complete the last phase of training before acceptance into apprenticeship program, seven were hired by ambulance companies as EMTs and eight went on to college.
Comments from participants on the field trip to Baltimore
"There is nothing like seeing policies that you believe in and feel are in the best interests of young people come alive before you. There is no substitute for seeing young peoples' lives so affected by being given an opportunity to grow. Care, creativity and trust were in the atmosphere and in the voices and faces of the young people we saw that morning."
"Reflecting on our visit to the Fire Cadet Program--it was great to actually dialogue with the youth that are enrolled in the program. It was evident that without the dedication of the program staff, these youth may not have recognized their potential to succeed. These visits help me focus on why I am working to influence policy to help youth realize their potential to become contributing members of society. [I have been] reflecting on Walbrook Senior High's Principal, Dr. Bundley's afternoon announcement: 'This is the eleventh hour. We don't have time to play around. Our children need us to put aside politics and red tape and get to the business of saving.'"
"Clearly both [programs] are doing some terrific things for the youth of Baltimore. It was especially good to actually meet and talk with some of the programs' participants and to see how larger initiatives (such as School-to-Work, for example) really can translate into positive outcomes for disadvantaged youth. Our hosts were exceptionally gracious, and their presentations were both interesting and informative. I truly look forward to participating in future AYPF site visits."
"In reflecting on our visit to The Living Classrooms it is wonderful to see a foundation that seeks to address the social, educational and workforce development needs of youth and adults."
"Leadership was impressive at the two project sites--a youthful, dynamic, earthy approach in one (the Living Classrooms Foundation) and the seasoned, caring, dedicated approach in the other one (the fire cadets). Of course, one could also see how seriously committed and dedicated the staffs are in both sites. Visiting these projects also increased our awareness exponentially of what practices are indeed promising and effective."
"Knowing that these project sites consider 'soft skills' to be very important in the career development of the participants, we are enthusiastically pursuing completion of a job readiness tool kit that is currently in draft form. The tool kit is designed to help job seekers develop job-readiness 'soft' skills, including knowing the unwritten rules and culturally-based expectations in the workplace. It represents a comprehensive approach to job preparation that promises to help job seekers and new entrants to the workforce secure a job and succeed in the long term in their occupations and careers."
"I thought that the trip to Baltimore was well organized and that both programs presented their message well. The conversations with young people were good. There was enough time although, Living classrooms is such a large organization, it could have been a whole day."
"Both organizations made an effort to show their stuff. One of the added experiences was being in a high school for three hours. The disruptive PA system and the announcements of the principle were educational for me. I just don't think about that reality."
"AYPF should be commended for another excellent field trip."
"The programs are very different in who they serve -- very at-risk adjudicated youth vs. motivated, in-school youth. Their specific skills training focus is also very different on the surface --carpentry vs. fire fighting/emergency care. However, there is an emphasis in both on 'learning by doing' and on both hard and soft skills. The programs build on the individual's growing mastery of valuable, marketable skills, including respect for self and others."
Contact Information
James Piper Bond
President
John Dillow, Director of Maritime Institute
The Living Classrooms Foundation
802 South Caroline Street
Baltimore, MD 21231
Phone: 410-685-0295
Donald Reed
Director of Education Programs
Baltimore City Fire Department
Walbrook Senior High School
2000 Edgewood Street
Baltimore, MD 21216
Phone: 410-396-6722
Alice Cole
Management Specialist
Baltimore City Office of Employment Development
101 West 24th Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Phone: 410-396-0721
Dr. Andrey Bundley
Principal
Walbrook Senior High School
2000 Edgewood Street
Baltimore, MD 21216
Phone: 410-396-0721