The Five O'Clock Club

Be a Hero to Inner-City Students
Take One On As A Summer Intern or Teach Them About Work.
by Kate Wendleton

When Paul, my elder son, was a freshman in high school, college seemed far away, theoretical, and too serious. He wanted to take advantage of every second—not by studying, mind you, but by playing football and going to concerts. While there ought to be a full measure of fun in high school, it should also be a time for planning and anticipating. So we took Paul and his younger brother, Martin, on college visits. Paul then saw something to strive for, and he did well academically as well as socially. As Henry Louis Gates says, making it always requires deferred gratification – but you can’t defer that gratification without a vision – a reason.

Only 50 percent of all black students graduate from high school. An estimated 64 percent of black teenage girls become pregnant. The black teenage unemployment rate, nationally, is 34% — compared with 16% for white teenagers. If a teenager can’t get a job, that lack of experience is a problem that compounds itself. We end up with adults who may never have had good work experience. Many end up with jobs instead of careers.

Studies show that when people have a vision of their future – regardless of their job level or background – they do better. When we ran our Five O’Clock Club program in Harlem for ten years, we spent a lot of time on targeting, helping adults see what kinds of jobs they could consider. Harlem is an insular community and many never leave the area. When brainstorming possibilities, the Harlem job hunters saw themselves as social workers, whom they frequently saw in their communities, or they wondered about celebrity careers that they saw on TV—such as fashion designer or recording artist. Their real-life horizons were too limited.

We all need a glimpse of what else is possible for us. This vision changed my son’s life. You can give a young person an experience that will last them their entire lives.

A Variety of Experiences

Young people need a variety of work experiences so they can explore possibilities. Spending summers in real work is good because a person learns how to interact and gets used to basic procedures. It is then ideal to let them explore various industries. Working in publishing, a law firm, Wall Street, a music company, or in construction or other trades — these are completely different experiences. As a business person, I loved working in the advertising industry because I loved being around creative types. I did not enjoy as much working for a bank.

The same is true for everyone. The field and industry a person works in is very important. Give people a chance to explore .

Speaking Work English

My sons have worked in the Five O’Clock Club office in the summers since they were each in eighth grade and through their high-school years. Paul was once overheard using the word “awesome” to a client on the phone. Everyone who heard him cringed, and told him that you can’t use teen-speak with clients. You have to speak business English. Just being in a work environment increases a person’s exposure to this. As Henry Louis Gates says, “There’s a language of the marketplace.” Young people need to learn to speak it.

Just give one teenager—or a dozen—a paid summer internship, or teach them about work. You can help these kids get jobs and love their careers. You will be a hero, and they will never forget you, and will instill that spirit in their children.

Kate Wendleton, Editor-in-Chief