A group of local teens on vacation from school last week used
some of their extra time to give back. As part of the Joven Noble
program run by the Hollister Youth Alliance in conjunction with the
county probation department, a half-dozen students spent the
morning and early afternoon Thursday working at the Salvation Army
on Buena Vista Road.
A group of local teens on vacation from school last week used some of their extra time to give back.
As part of the Joven Noble program run by the Hollister Youth Alliance in conjunction with the county probation department, a half-dozen students spent the morning and early afternoon Thursday working at the Salvation Army on Buena Vista Road.
Led by a trio of youth alliance case managers, the four boys and two girls packed about 100 bags of groceries, sorted and stacked box after box of clothing, cut roses, swept, picked up trash and other debris and pulled weeds.
They worked tirelessly, and were paid back not only by a lunch from the Salvation Army, but also, and more long lasting, by the realization that they enjoyed helping others.
While packing groceries, case managers helped the kids make a connection, how they were helping a family in Hollister with each of the 100 bags.
Case Manager Jesus Rivera said the message resonated: “Each time a bag’s coming through your arms, you’re actually helping one family.”
In the end, the program participants saw the product of their work, which is one of the goals for the Hollister Youth Alliance when it seeks out projects for Joven Noble, which means “Noble Youth,” Rivera said.
“It’s worth it, though,” said one of the participants, a boy named Luis, after the work had been done.
Said another, named Jose: “It makes me proud of myself.”
It is exactly the tone, the result, for which the youth alliance strives in providing the educational program. Participants are referred to Joven Noble by the probation department, and they can use the time against community service requirements, said Diane Ortiz, executive director of the youth alliance.
In its second year – each program runs from December to May – Joven Noble organizers in trying to find such locations as the Salvation Army seek out places that are actively giving back in the community and with work that allows participants to see the result, said Rivera.
They chose Salvation Army this time around because the organization “seemed like it needed the most help,” Case Manager Eliana Palacios noted. Salvation Army, in turn, provided the tools and other supplies, along with drinks and Little Cesar’s lunch.
From here, another work day is scheduled for April, but this one will involve the participants’ parents as well, Palacios said. She said the goal is “teaching the kids how to work with their parents, and vice versa.”
Before the participants were finished Friday, though, they gathered in a circle on the Salvation Army outdoor basketball court and each one of them answered the question, how do you feel about making a positive difference in the community?
To end the day, they each took a turn going around the circle giving the others a handshake, a “professional handshake,” as Rivera put it.
“It’s a small piece,” Rivera told them. “You can only imagine how you guys have the rest of your life to do small pieces in your community.”
