Year Up Bay Area Community

I am a part of the Year up Bay Area community. Year up is an organization that enhances information technology, business communications, and professional skills to young adults ages 18-24. When you complete not only did you grow as a person but everybody around you grew and we will all be positive and be ready to work in the corporate world. We will have knowledge of the technology that is out and will be coming out in the near future. We receive a stipend bi-weekly so not only are we college students but we are also working towards our success.

A big disadvantage in the program is that when you get to a certain amount of points or just don’t meet the expectations you “fire yourself”. 85% of year up students that have completed are full time college students, full time, or part time workers for different corporate partners that work with us. People come into the program computer literate, savvy, and some knowing very little about PC’s and Lap tops. We have supportive staff members that work with us from the time we start orientation until after we graduate. To stay in the community you really have to make high expectations for yourself and exceed them weekly and not monthly.

The biggest problems I see are that we get a lot of infractions over the little things that can be avoided and sometimes don’t need to be recorded at all. People come in the program saying I’m going to do this that way but when those infractions come it changes what you came to do because you kind of hold yourself back by losing points. So you really have to stay on top of your work and be persistent with the core values and what they ask of you. Missing’s assignments, being tardy and absences are the biggest and most popular in fractions I have seen so far. I think that we should not be infracted for wearing jackets in the building or chewing gum, just little things like that should be pushed aside and the bigger picture be focused on.

Year up bay area is a community of positivity, high support, a mission for some, and we are one big family working together to close the opportunity divide. There is not another program that I know of that puts money time and effort into each and every individual that comes into those glass doors. Year up should be a program we have to do in order to step foot into the corporate well, because the training we receive will carry us a long way.

Module 1 re-cap

What are some of the things you learned about yourself as a student or a professional in Module I? Did you surprise yourself in any way? Were you proud of yourself? Were you at all disappointed in yourself? Why? 

I learned that when I take time to learn I actually enhance my reading, writing and social skills. I learned to use more professional words to explain how I felt or what I was going through, instead of using street terms. I surprised myself in my writing because when I dig deep I actually have something to say or something to write about, instead of just putting down the first thing that comes to mind. I was proud that I made it into the second Module because I know that I had a lot of mistakes in the first Module and I see I passed my first Module because I am posting this blog. I was disappointed because I didn't give my best effort like I wanted to, and I know I should have done a lot better than what I did. During the whole second module I plan to be more focused and engaged in my class work and home work. I will use my time more valuably and make sure I complete all my work on time and before it is even due. I just plan to be successful like I am supposed to be and stay motivated to complete this module with no problems and no infractions.

I am who I am beacuse.....

I personally believe that I am who I am not because of where I lived or live, it is how chose to grow up. There was a lot going on in the community around me but I was and still am smart enough to maneuver around the neighborhood without falling into the trap of crime and drugs. I live in Bay view Hunters Point and I don't let other people influence me I am above what they try to feel my head with so I would not say that where I live makes me who I am today. I guess I would have to say the only influence my neighborhood had on me was the fast money that was available. I am 20 years old and just now having a real job, compared to others that are my age they work a 9-5 full time and have been that way since they had work permits. It is easy to get influenced to do the wrong thing because so many people around you are setting that negative example that will get you somewhere in the “hood”, but in reality you would only end up dead or in jail if you did not think smart about what you are doing. I am glad I am family oriented because my family kept me off the streets for as long as they could or for as long as I would allow them to. The mistakes I chose to make will never reflect on what was going on around me because I was the one influencing a group of people to do the wrong thing instead of telling them, stay in school, don’t smoke, and don’t drink. Different people have their opinions and this is my opinion.

ENJOY

The Poverty Business

The companies are only making the opportunity divide harder to close because they are targeting people that will never be able to pay back loans anytime soon so they are taking money that is already hard to make or come by. It’s unfair to low income earners because not all of them read the guidelines, statements, and consequences that come with loans and rentals so they don't understand why money is being taken out of their bank accounts or they are not receiving the money they are working for. to make it easier everybody that is low income and do find themselves in these terrible financial problems should be able to find out the resources they need by asking the company they took the loan from for some type of payment plan or something that will keep them on the right track so their income doesn't go down. The government also takes a big part because it should be a certain limit of loans and rentals etc. that people can have or use. It is harder for people with low income to come back on top of their financial situations so of course loan companies and other crooked companies will target low income earners because at the end of the day the companies know what they can and can't do to get money back from that person.