AFL-CIO Community Services Director Will Fischer sends this report from the Lehigh Valley (Pa.) Labor Council.
Since 1999 in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, the local labor movement has been helping teenagers and pre-teens develop leadership, teamwork and planning skills through TeenWorks. Developed by former AFL-CIO Community Service Liaison Ron Achey and funded entirely by Lehigh valley unions, TeenWorks allows young people to decide how to allocate grants for and plan community service projects.
In the 12 years since its founding, TeenWorks has allocated more than $324,000 for 324 community service projects.
This group is unique in that one half of the board is made up local union members and the other half is staffed by teenagers, young adults and pre-teens as young as 11 years old. Together they participate as equals and discuss the merits of the various community service projects and which get funded. Says Gregg Potter, Lehigh Valley Labor Council president and Community Service liaison:
The TeenWorks program builds character and leadership in our youth while supporting their philanthropic efforts beginning at a very young age. Through the grant process, we are educating both teens and adults how unions are the driving force behind community service.
The board includes members from the Electrical Workers (IBEW), Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), Communications Workers of America (CWA), UAW, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), United Steelworkers (USW), Machinists (IAM) and Teamsters (IBT).
The groups that present project ideas to TeenWorks are under strict direction that the products purchased for their projects be union made, or at the very least, American made.
Here are some examples of recently funded projects:
•Eagle Scout Daniel Hower’s project refurbished seven grave markers of some of the First Defenders of the Civil War and three dozen union members came to the West Union Cemetery to help clean up the 45-acre facility. This cemetery is the second largest Civil War cemetery behind Gettysburg and maintenance is always a challenge.
•Girl Scout Brownie Troop 8614 helped design and landscape the Northampton Area Food Bank. The food bank feeds more than 500 families each month and the group decided this project fit their needs. The troop is made up of a dozen eight-year-old girls who were involved in the entire process, including presenting to the board.
•They also recently funded a graffiti artist who had compiled a lengthy record for tagging various locations in Allentown. Joel Mambru, along with Allentown teacher David Gonzalez, formed Art Cru Inc., an anti-graffiti club that uses its artistic talents to create art murals. With a grant from TeenWorks, Mambru and the group completed two murals at the Allentown PSEA local. Mambru has received several art scholarships and will attend art school this fall.
