Let me begin with a little story. One cold Feb morning in good ol H dot, i dragged myself out of bed, slapped on my boots and jumpsuit and headed to work at Youth Live. For those of you who dont know, Youth Live is a work education program funded by HRM. Its purpose (supposedly) is to teach wayward youth work ethic, and give them an opportunity to gain experience in the workplace. Seems harmless?
Well it just so happened that on this fateful day my responsibility, along with three other young men was to clean up the dog shit on the lawn of an abandoned building on pinecrest dr. dartmouth. there were hundreds of little piles, and we had to flick them into a garbage bag with a shovel. Later on that day we were assigned CED. (commercial enviro depot) We spent the rest of the day in this shitty gloves in a freezing cold basment infested with rats, sifting through bottles that had come from the dump. Bottles full of piss, srynges, and an endless array of sludge. It wasnt unusual to get hit in the face with a bottle or some unknown slimy brown substance. Let me assure that what ive told you is only a glimpse into a day at youth live. now, tell me, does this sound like the kind of environment that is going to encourage a young person who is already angry with the system to find work and become a contributing member of society? if this is the example that is given to you of what working is like, then would you bother? the participants get treated like kindergarten students, and the values that are being instilled are scewed. The head honcho told a group of us that even though his grandmother was sick in the hospital, and might not make it, that he came to work, because his priorities were in “the right place”. How fucked is that? Youth live is like jail in that its just a breeding ground for largely criminal minds. The group leaders are people who are about as qualified as the participants and seem like they’ve all got something to prove. So, suck my ass Youth Live, Suck it long, suck it hard. Now tell me, how does it feel to have shit splattered on your face at 8 o’clock in the morning? just another day on the job for anyone who works for youthlive.
This article appears in Feb 21-27, 2008.
someone has to do it the shit clean up!!! Some ppl’s jobs are a hell of alot worse then that..Sometimes i hate my job so much i wish i was doing shit clean up…at least shit cant yell at you and insult you day after day after day!!! Life sucks and its unfair sometimes deal with it like the rest of us!!!!
someone has to do it the shit clean up!!! Some ppl’s jobs are a hell of alot worse then that..Sometimes i hate my job so much i wish i was doing shit clean up…at least shit cant yell at you and insult you day after day after day!!! Life sucks and its unfair sometimes deal with it like the rest of us!!!!
someone has to do it the shit clean up!!! Some ppl’s jobs are a hell of alot worse then that..Sometimes i hate my job so much i wish i was doing shit clean up…at least shit cant yell at you and insult you day after day after day!!! Life sucks and its unfair sometimes deal with it like the rest of us!!!!
someone has to do it the shit clean up!!! Some ppl’s jobs are a hell of alot worse then that..Sometimes i hate my job so much i wish i was doing shit clean up…at least shit cant yell at you and insult you day after day after day!!! Life sucks and its unfair sometimes deal with it like the rest of us!!!!
Man, that sucks. I had no idea it was that bad.I don’t know your situation, or how/why you came to be involved with Youth Live, but you seem pretty articulate. Hopefully things will get better for you in time. Meanwhile, thanks for sharing – your Bitch is a real eye-opener.
Youth Live cannot force any worker to handle medical and biohazard waste unless they provide personal protection gear and training. Get on the phone to the provincial department of labour and also call the HRM’s human resources dept as their workplace safety people will have fun with this one.
You’re articulate and rightfully speaking out. More power to you. Every set back I’ve ever had has forced me to fight harder for success. Ambition is a powerful tool. Pick your passion and offer to volunteer your time and ask for a mentor to help you. Even if you don’t win people over right away, when they see you have the initative to show up, work hard and care about your work, your coworkers/boss are more like to want to mentor you and help you find success, and paid work in your chosen field.Just a thought, you should offer to write an expose of this Youth Live programme for the Coast (or any one else that will publish it). Clearly you’re smart enough to rise above the programme, but others may need your leadership to find a successful way out of whatever hole they’re in. This could be a great twist/opportunity for your life. Embrace it and run with it!
Meditate before going to work, and before going home from work. Meditation could be done anywhere, for example at bus stops. Meditation here would help you neutralize the negativity YOUTH LIVE give out to its participants. I was in a French course with an abusive instructor, I couldn’t get my money back and decided to stay with the course. The verbal abuse had such a bad effect on what I did in other areas of my life, and the gore consequences have kept me awake at night. So, if you have decided to stay, do protect your mental health! You could volunteer with ckdu.ca , they usually have paid openings as well. Their training hours are very flexible, you could ask them to train you on weekends, or any other time. They could have a one-day training as well. FREE. The mantra for the meditation could be: “abusive environments will not rot my beautiful mind and soul, and I will never pass on the hurt to others.”. Best of Luck, :)!
I have had the opportunity to work with Youth Live. I have never been one to complain about a job as money is money. I have done everything from shoveling cow shit to working in a fish plant (neither are overly appealing) and I want to say Herb with all due respect there is no way in hell any type of “feel good mantra” will help with the way you get treated by these people. Having to get kicked out of your apt that you worked so hard to get because someone wont pay you sucks. and this is just one of the injustices that i personally had to deal with. I know there are many more. So kudos to you c-bop for speaking up.
You are untrained in waste management and don’t have the proper protective equipment, refuse to do the job. Canadian workers have the right to refuse unsafe work with impunity. Don’t feel pressured by your boss even if they get pissed off. If you pick up an airborne contagion from the waste materials, you’re going to have to deal with it the rest of your life.Or you could just meditate on it.
It seems, the poster need to ask for some legal help, since they may need the money but do not wish to continue with the current condition. HCAP defends individuals who are mistreated (because of being poor). E mail: hcap@riseup.nethttp://www.hfxcap.ca/about.htmlPhone: (902) 444-5060.Address: 2420 Agricola street, HalifaxNova Scotia, Canada. B3K4C2.HCAP has access toDalhousie Legal Aid Service2209 Gottingen StreetHalifax, NS B3K 3B5Phone: 902-423-8105Fax: 902-422-8067email: legalaid@dal.caBest of Luck, :)!
Youth Live doesn’t force anyone to handle waste without the proper precautions in place. They are a fully independent (and by which, I mean, they receive NO funding from the city) business that helps youth who might not be able to get jobs in other areas get some experience. Yes, they do also do by-law work (like cleaning up dog poop, shoveling snow, boarding up windows, etc) but it’s your choice to work there. Typically there’s a waiting list to get into the place, and no, not everyone sticks it out, but it’s their prerogative to take the job. And although I’m not sure about all the supervisors, I do know for a fact that when I’ve gone through and done a tour with some people (at least 5 times), they are told EVERYTHING that they may have to work with, including, syringes in bottles, crazy people, dog poop etc. So if you took a job without getting the info first, that sucks and who ever showed you around the place should have done a better job. If you took the job and knew what you were getting into and then decided you didn’t like, that also sucks. However, it’s a pretty fantastic program for the people it DOES help (there are quite a few) and any contact I’ve had with the organization has been totally positive.