PROGRAM AIMS YOUTH AT CAREERS

Raised on the low-income side of life, Brese Squires and Renee Metcalfe are searching for a way out.

For them and five other young adults, the way out involves college educations that offer an opportunity for better-paying jobs.

The seven young adults are involved in UJIMA, a new privately funded program designed to help them achieve their career goals through mentoring and financial assistance.

UJIMA is Swahili for "cooperative work and responsibility."

"The idea is we cooperate together and take responsibility for our destiny," said Mike Heston, former director of the Cape Girardeau Civic Center and the unsalaried director and creator of UJIMA.

The participants are all low-income residents of Cape Girardeau, ages 19 and 20. "They are all from the black community at this point," said Heston.

The program targets youth, ages 17 to 22, who have "ability, motivation and direction," said Heston. "It is a self-help program."

"They have to have a high school diploma or GED to get in the program. Secondly, they must be able to articulate a career goal," said Heston. "Thirdly, they must be willing to take a tremendous amount of supervision and monitoring on the part of a concerned adult."

Each participant is assigned an adult mentor who will monitor their progress daily, he said.

The program offers some financial assistance. "If someone's money (financial aid) doesn't cover tuition, we will loan them money and then during the summer they will work and pay back the loan," said Heston.

Some financial aid may also be offered as grants instead of loans, although all of the financial dealings have yet to be worked out, he said.

There are also plans to pay for babysitting and provide transportation where needed, he explained.

The new program is being started on the strength of donations. "This first year will be run through the Civic Center as a part of their programming," said Heston.

A Presbyterian Church grant is being sought to help fund the program.

Heston said $10,000 would put the program on a solid foundation. He said the group should know by December whether it will receive the church grant.

UJIMA will be run by the participants themselves, with the aid of an advisory board. One Civic Center board member will serve on the UJIMA board for this first year.

"It is going to be their (participants') program. They will own it; they will operate it," said Heston.

The participants will meet twice a month, beginning in September.

At this point, all seven participants are college bound. But Heston said the program focuses on career goals, not a college education per se.

Squires, 19, wants to get into the insurance business. He has a number of relatives who work for State Farm. "It's a family affair," he said.

A 1992 graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School, he attended Missouri Baptist College in St. Louis last fall but quit after one semester due to finances.

"I still owe Missouri Baptist some money," said Squires, who will be attending Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill., this fall.

Squires said that after completing his courses at Shawnee this fall, he may be able to transfer to Southeast Missouri State University for the spring semester.

Squires is counting on some financial assistance from UJIMA to help pay back the money he owes Missouri Baptist. He said he will also obtain financial aid through Shawnee to cover expenses there.

He said the Cape Girardeau program involves "all of us sticking together and helping each other with problems."

Squires sees UJIMA has an opportunity for success. "Not too many students get that kind of chance," he said.

Metcalfe, 20, views the program as a way to get through school. She wants to be a nurse.

"Basically everyone in my family is involved in the nursing field," she said.

Metcalfe, who has a GED, hopes to attend Southeast this fall.

Metcalfe and her husband have three children, between 1 and 3 years of age.

"It (the program) will pay for babysitting and transportation and pay tuition if financial aid doesn't cover it," she said.

"Right now, I am just trying to get started," she added.

"It would probably be a lot harder for me to do anything without the program," said Metcalfe, who currently works for a day-care facility.

"I've been working since I've been 16," she said. "I am just trying to really find some stability so I can provide for my children."

Her husband, who has been working in a minimum-wage restaurant job, is also looking for a better job.

Metcalfe said she and the other UJIMA participants are friends. "We basically all grew up together."

She said the program is important not only financially, but because the group encourages one another to succeed.

"We are just all trying to help each other and make something of ourselves besides a statistic," said Metcalfe.

Heston said the program is purposely designed to serve a limited number each year.

"Our goal is to work with a small number of people in depth for a long period of time," he explained.

"So often I've seen programs where they work with a large caseload. We want to take a smaller group of people and work with them in in-depth fashion for as long as it takes to get them where they want to go."

Once through the program, the participants will serve as mentors for the next group.

Costella Patterson, a retired school teacher, will serve as an adviser for the program. Patterson said the participants appear ready for such a program.

"They see an advantage of getting an education and improving themselves and making a life for themselves and their family," she said.

"We are really excited about it and the participants are excited about it," said Heston. "They have taken a lot of initiative and responsibility."