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Connecting the disconnectedBy James Edward Mills
"I was really depressed the whole time since my mom died up until about two years ago," said Weisensel, who is now 17. "I pretty much went out and hung out with all my friends. They were the people that were around me the most ... I was just hanging around bad people." His father met another woman and started a new family. Dad's girlfriend had children of her own to raise. Weisensel said he felt kind of squeezed out. Disconnected from a primary positive role model, Weisensel had little of the support and guidance a young man needs to mature. So he sought out other relationships to fill the void. "I had all these friends, trying to get support from them," Weisensel said. "They gave it to me, but it eventually led up to something illegal and I ended up where I was." He got high a lot. He got in fights. And then one day he got into trouble that landed him in jail. "I went into a bank and (withdrew) money illegally," Weisensel said. "I knew someone who worked at the bank and he gave me account numbers." He spent the next five and half months behind bars. United Way of Dane County aims to create solutions to circumstances that put young people like Weisensel at risk of becoming criminals, drug addicted or likely to do harm to themselves or others. Working through a coalition of leaders in business, city government, education and local philanthropic organizations, United Way has assembled a task force to take on this challenge. It's called the Delegation on Disconnected and Violent Youth. "We're trying to figure out and get our arms around the problem, learn as much as we can and then put forth a recommendation for some solutions," said Corey Chambas, chief executive of First Business Financial Services and co-chair of the delegation. "This isn't just an analysis for the sake of analysis and learning. It's totally for the sake of execution." The delegation will put forth an actionable plan to get young people connected and engaged in the community. Its aim is to put an early stop to circumstances that put boys and girls like Weisensel on a path that too often leads to a tragic end. "Clearly, if the issue is unaddressed, we will continue to see an increase in youth violence," said Darrell Bazell, UW-Madison vice chancellor for administration and co-chair of the delegation. "As these young people move into adulthood we'll see and increase in adult violence. It certainly has impacts on our economy and the social fabric of our community. We think this is a problem that is still manageable and it's one that we really need to work out so that all young people in our community are successful and productive adults." Officials note that while the crimes young people commit burden society, the community is also deprived of their contributions. When they grow up, disconnected youth are likely to not hold down jobs, become champion athletes, display their artistic talents, start a small business, hold public office, vote or pay taxes. If only from an economic Standpoint, Chambas said the community must take action to assure its growth and prosperity in the future. "We're at a phase right now in Dane County where we're going to have baby boomers aging out of the working population. We're going to have a lot of jobs that need to be filled," Chambas said. "And while we hear a lot about the jobs that are Ph.D and master's levels, bio-tech kind of jobs, we've got a lot of basic industry kind of jobs that need to be filled throughout our community, where people need to have a high school diploma and a clean record to fill these jobs." Without new workers with at least a minimal education and solid job skills, basic service jobs will go unfilled, Chambas noted. And as for high-level tradecrafts such as heavy equipment operation, machining and construction, Dane County could suffer a labor shortage. "They're really not employable at the level that we're going to need," Chambas said. "We've got a demographic issue here that's going to be really problematic if we don't address it. Having a healthy, productive work force is critical." United Way President Leslie-Ann Howard said one of the first places the delegation will start is high school graduation rates. "I suspect that we're going to see a huge issue there with kids that are dropping out of school somewhere between middle school and early high school," she said. "Think about the potential for getting that group re-engaged and finishing high school. At least getting them to go on to other education as well, that's our future work force." Today Weisensel said he regrets dropping out of school. He said if he could do it all over again he would have stuck with it. That's the advice he offers to kids who might find themselves in similar circumstances. "That's all you need to do, Weisensel said. "And when you're out of school you can either get a job, a house, or you can go to college. But there are various things you can do after high school, but do that first. You don't need a job. Your job is to go to school." Weisensel was released from his incarceration into a group home. From there he began working with a youth at-risk program called Operation Fresh Start. He now receives the support and guidance of adults who want to see him succeed. Karen Ball, a teacher at OFS, said community involvement is key in getting kids like Weisensel the help they need. "Anyone who comes through our door, any volunteer or individual, money or check that comes through the door is just another thing that's connecting that young person to our community," Ball said. "And I believe that's connecting them to the bigger picture in the community." The United Way Delegation for Disconnected and Violent Youth aims to partner with groups like OFS and put young people like Weisensel on the right track. Now with a little direction, he's on his way to becoming a productive member of society. He's working toward his high school equivalency certification and is eager to begin a career as a skilled tradesman. "I guess my ultimate goal is to do a 180 from where I was before. And I think I'm 90 degrees there. I'm half-way there," he said. "But there's a lot of things I need to do to straighten out my life and stay at a career. I don't want to go from job to job until I'm 28. I want to start a career when I'm 18. That way, when I'm 45 I have pension and everything behind me, I can live a happy life." James Edward Mills is a Madison freelance reporter. james@theoutdoorprofessional.com madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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