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June 19, 2009
SAN BERNARDINO - Brian Carballo started his job hunt the day he turned 16.
That particular birthday was more than a year ago and the San Bernardino High School student has still not found work.
It has been particularly frustrating this summer, because young people trying to find employment are competing against recently laid off older workers for the same jobs.
"It was first come, first serve last summer," he said. "This summer, no one is hiring."
Youth have been greatly impacted by the economic downturn in San Bernardino County, where the unemployment rate is now 12.8 percent.
For some teens it is not a tragedy, because their families do not depend on the additional income to get by.
But many others are seeking work not to buy iPods but food, because their families are hurting financially, said Eric Nilsson, a Cal State San Bernardino economics professor.
"They just want to help," he said.
Such is the case for Carballo, His whole family is struggling and his dad's paycheck was recently cut.
But even the places that typically hire youth, from McDonald's restaurants to grocery stores, are not hiring.
"They tell me they are not hiring because they have cut employees to keep the business running, or they are hiring older people because they have more experience," he said. "And that means youth get the short end of the stick."
To stay busy and build the experience he is lacking, Carballo volunteers everywhere he can.
On a recent sunny morning he mopped floors, helped with the clothing ministry and distributed food at The Way World Outreach in San Bernardino.
He has also helped teachers pack up their stuff at San Bernardino High School and helped out at a community center in Colton, in hopes that the volunteer work will turn into a paid job.
To give these struggling young people a boost, a teen career and job fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., today at the National Orange Show.
Teens will have an opportunity to speak with representatives from local businesses, colleges, labor unions and military recruit centers.
Local youths could also offer to mow lawns, paint a neighbor's fence or remove graffiti from a business building, to earn some money, suggested Mayor Pat Morris.
"The American spirit is being entrepreneurial," he said. "I remember mowing lawns and selling Coca-Cola to troops on trains heading for Korea. I made a lot that summer."
The San Bernardino Employment and Training Agency, SBETA, is also putting youths to work using federal stimulus funding.
"We recently put 60 income qualified kids to work in our parks, and we are still seeking lifeguards for our pools," said Morris.
Nilsson also emphasized the importance of checking in with City Hall and federal agencies to see if they are hiring with stimulus funding.
"The federal government used to have many programs to fund employment for youth in summer, but that was cut out 10 years ago," he said. "Now the Obama administration is trying to send more money to local comunities targeted for youth employment, so in the next month or two jobs might appear that people did not expect."
Myra Tejeda, a 22-year-old Bloomington resident and cosmetologist who lives with her parents to get by, hopes that is the case.
"This city was already low-income and now it is getting worse, so I hope there will be more employment," she said. "Right now I see young people afraid to move out because they don't know what will happen next and struggling businesses that cannot afford to hire extra help."
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