YouthCare

"Hey, you guys hungry?"

"Dude, starvin'"

"Let's smoke a bowl and go get somethin' to eat"

A group of teen age boys make their way down an alley. One boy reaches out and punches another in the arm as he giggles and runs ahead a few paces.

"Hey,quit fuckin' around, it's right there", says the one now rubbing his upper arm.

The boys file up to the wall where there is a chain link fence separating them from racks and racks of cooling bread. The skinniest of them all takes off his frayed jean jacket. His pale skin reddens, kissed by the brisk October air. His slender arm reaches longingly through a gap between the dirty alley wall and the steel fence post. Fingers stretched, he is just able to reach one of the racks and pulls it close to the fence.

Very quickly the boys all end up with two baguettes each, one for each arm and back down the alley the trod, victoriously.

"Let's go get some peanut butter."

"... and some beer, dumbass" , and the boy receives yet another playfully hard sock on the arm.

*There was no Orion center when I was a kid*

The Orion Center is a great example of how a healthy society should operate. Open to youth ages 13 to 21, It offers a safe, open place where teens and young adults can access a multitude of services.

Free meals, showers, lockers, laundry, HIV Case Management, barista training with a certain amount of job placement and so much more.....

Direction, mentoring, hope. The youth is our future.

ttp://www.youthcare.org/orioncenter.cfm

This is strictly a review for the Youthcare volunteer orientation part and NOT for the Youthcare services. Potential volunteers steer clear of this orientation because I experienced discrimination from other participants.
Here are some sticking points:
Noticed a few privileged types at the orientation probably College sorority type girls who know nothing about what its like to experience problems at home.
That presentation they made the volunteers participate in. I felt that was useless and I was uncomfortable in having to participate in it , not that I had any chance to say anything that point is coming up next.
What the participants had to do was part up in 3's and come up with some inane speech on why someone should consider the Youthcare organization. I worked with my fellow participants at the table, however when it came time to go in front of the class ( and again this was most uncomfortable) the three of us which included another female, myself , and a very arrogant & thoughtless man were to speak. The first two spoke but when it came my turn the odious man NEVER let me speak. I was treated like I was invisible & what bothered me most is none of the facilitators ( or whatever they were) said & did nothing. So I was treated like I wasn't even there! Passive aggressive. Don't think they like minorities much for volunteering & I remember I was the only one present.
But the reason why I wanted to volunteer is because I'm a former runaway. I ran away as a child due to being taken away from my Mother then abused by a step mother and I think you get the rest of this picture I'm painting. It got so bad I would bolt & sleep in the streets or wherever I could find a spot to lay my head. I was amazed how no one wanted to even take the time to even know my story. Pretty much there were snobs who probably wanted to volunteer as a way to put something on their resumes or get college credit or have something to talk about at the office water cooler. Mine was way more personal. They don't care. All the people skills of a doorknob.

I was lucky enough to hear about The Orion Center when my friend, Rishad, invited me along to volunteer. We were to prepare a large meal for kids (aged 12 - 24) who are served by the center. When I arrived, I was shocked at how many kids were at the center. Many of these kids live on the street and have nowhere else to go, and for some of them, it really shows. There were groups playing games, doing homework and some just socializing.

Our group was in the kitchen and a few hungry kids came up and asked for something to tide them over, such as Cup o Noodles. It never really crossed my mind that someone may be so genuinely hungry that they cannot wait an hour while a meal is being prepared. We worked together to make an amazing meal; chicken, pasta, soup, salads and some beautiful fresh fruit salads as well as whole fruit.

The respect that the kids have for the center is obvious, they all waited in line and were polite as we served them food. Most of them thanked us for being there and were grateful to have a good meal. They waited until everyone was served before they came back for more. During the time I was at the center, I didn't see any disagreements or signs of disrespect. The people running the center are doing an amazing job.

The center also has emergency shelter, outreach, education services, employment training and basics. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, the emergency shelter will close early 2014.

Visit youthcare.org to find out more about the Orion Center and what you can do to help.

Its good for youth that have nowhere to go but if you need to use the bathroom your goin' in the alley way.