Story by Rory O’Sullivan • Photos by Carlos Puma
Joseph Williams Reflects on Youth Action Project’s Decade of Service
Joseph Williams has spent most of his life working in some of San Bernardino Counties roughest neighborhoods. He has seen what the cycle of poverty, violence, drugs and poor education can do to communities and the children who occupy them. One day in 2004 he had enough and decided he had to improve the lives of young people in and around San Bernardino.
“Young people felt like they didn’t have access to mentors and about half of students in San Bernardino weren’t passing the CAHSEE (California High School Exit Examination) and college students couldn’t get jobs,” said Williams.
He decided he could help both groups at the same time by having college students mentor high school students, giving college students applicable work experience and high school students the help they needed to pass the CAHSEE.
The Youth Action Project was born and in their first year they found success. Every student in the program passed the math portion of the CAHSEE and the majority passed the English portion.
“The fact that they all passed was just incredible,” said Williams.
Rafael Mireles a sophomore at Indian Springs High School in San Bernardino is one of the students YAP is currently helping.
“They inspired me to actually go to my classes and actually try with my school work,” said Mireles. “Most teachers would just give up on you and just let it be but not them.”
Mireles by his own admission “had pure F’s and ditched every day.” He is now on track to graduate.
Williams said some students like Mireles are beating out their peers in passing the exam. This is just one of the many students YAP has helped over its ten year history.
The fruition of the program is in students like recent graduate David Tamayo and junior Phillip Lopez who received Outstanding Student Awards from the Board of Education. Lopez especially has seen his grades and attendance improve significantly and both have plans to earn their college degrees in the future.
Arroyo Valley High Principal Gordon Amerson has seen the change in his students since the three years YAP first showed up on campus. He has given YAP the students who are struggling the most and seen those turn it around.
“Through their targeted support we have been able to get a number of our struggling students to successfully pass the CAHSEE and earn their high school diploma,” said Amerson.
Jesse Venegas, 23, started with YAP as one of its first mentors. Venegas is now a teacher at Arroyo Valley High School in San Bernardino.
“It helped influence me in that direction,” said Venegas. “It still feels kind of surreal that I get to teach where I went to school.”
Venegas has continued to touch the lives of underprivileged children in and throughout San Bernardino, something he learned while attending California State University San Bernardino’s YAP.
Venegas isn’t the only YAP mentor to find employment. Eighty percent of former mentors go on to become employed or attend graduate school.
On top of the work they do helping students graduate, YAP also has sponsored clean up projects for Seccombe Lake Park in San Bernardino and Blake Park in Muscoy.
YAP Americorps members and 153 community volunteers of all ages gathered at Seccombe Lake Park and picked up rakes, shovels, trash bags and brooms and helped beautify the park including the playground area, lake and grass areas. The event logged in a total of 576 volunteer hours for the day.
Francisco Nunez, 16, of Muscoy was grateful that Blake Park was cleaned up by YAP and now he and his friends have a place to go skateboarding.
“We come here almost everyday,” said Nunez.
YAP also hosts an Annual Child Abuse Prevention Run/Walk each April, in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month which has about 300 participants each year.
YAP has recently started going into students’ homes and setting up workspaces and teaching parents how to check student progress online. Williams said families don’t have to invest a lot of money to make a home learning friendly; they do, however, have to invest their time and involvement in their students’ lives.
Williams is also a Trustee for the San Bernardino Community College District. Williams was appointed to the board to fill the vacancy left by James Ramos when he was elected to the County Board of Supervisors.
SBCCD Chancellor Bruce Baron said in a statement, “We are so pleased to welcome Mr. Williams to the Board. His enthusiasm for community service, knowledge of workforce development, and commitment to the success of the District and our colleges will enhance the Board tremendously.”
Williams worked for the Boys and Girls Club, has served as a member of the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) and is a Governor’s appointee to the California State WIB, dedicating his life to providing opportunities for people to better their lives.
Tyree Vance, 28, said Williams is the reason he has chosen to go as far as South Africa to serve people and create better communities. Vance said it shows how one man can have a positive impact on an area.
“Joseph is a visionary for San Bernardino,” said Vance. “For him to come here and say these people matter, this community matters, and I’m going to show you…that’s really what it’s all about, empowering young people so they can help themselves and their communities.”
On October 16, 2014, YAP will celebrate its 10 year anniversary of assisting youth and young adults in the development of the skills and habits needed to experience economic and social success. Their first gala is themed “10 Years of Building a Better Community, One Youth at a Time” and will be held at the Riverside Community Hospital, Health Education Center in Riverside. The keynote speaker will be Robert K. Ross, M.D., President and CEO of The California Endowment.
According to Williams, this year marks a very important milestone for not only YAP but also for the students that the organization serves each day, the communities that benefit from the work that YAP does, and the village that provides YAP with the resources to enable youth to become educated, gainfully employed, and responsible community members.
For more info visit www.youthactionproject.org or contact 909.915.1714.