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Bryant Lowery
Chiemeka Jones dropped out of school in 10th grade after going into state custody, but she has not given up on plans to earn a GED and helping other youths with similar experiences.
“Hopefully, I’ll learn about legislation and help juvenile delinquents,” she said.
Ms. Jones is among 21 Chattanooga Housing Authority YouthBuild participants who on Tuesday will spend “A Day on the Hill” with state Rep. Tommie Brown, D-Chattanooga.
Dr. Brown has hosted this event for 12 years to give invited guests a first-hand account of how laws are made.
The group will travel to the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville to participate in a simulated legislative session.
Rep. Brown said she hopes the trip gives students knowledge about the legislative process and encourages them to reach their goals despite hardships.
“Sometimes we talk about giving people a second chance,” she said. “After talking with them, I was touched and I knew we were giving some of them their first chance.”
Participants will become legislators for a day and work with lawyers to develop, introduce and debate a bill. They also will tour a historically black college and meet Gov. Phil Bredesen.
Participants chose to debate laws related to education and criminal justice, leaders said.
YouthBuild is a national job readiness and educational program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The program targets high school dropouts ages 16 to 24. Instructors from local colleges tutor students to help them earn a GED. Students also learn a marketable construction trade while earning a stipend.
Christopher Finch, 22, said his goal is to earn his GED and become an electrician so he can better support his family.
“I’ve got a daughter, so I’m looking to the future,” Mr. Finch said.
Bryant Lowery, the Chattanooga Housing Authority’s director of asset management and YouthBuild program manager, said he hopes the trip will help youths understand how legislation is crafted.
“The experience provides exposure that they might not have otherwise had opportunity to acquire,” Mr. Lowery said.
Dorothy Williams, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga professor of social work, has been working with the students on public speaking and debating for more than a month.
“If you’re going to present yourself well, you have to see yourself as someone who is valuable,” she said.
SIGN UP
YouthBuild applications are available at 1300 Grove St. in the former College Hill Courts office building. The program is open to all youths ages 16 to 24 with preference given to public housing and Housing Choice Voucher residents. Call 752-4173 for more information.
Yolanda Putman has been a reporter at the Times Free Press for 11 years. She covers housing and previously covered education and crime. Yolanda is a Chattanooga native who has a master’s degree in communication from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Alabama State University. She previously worked at the Lima (Ohio) News. She enjoys running, reading and writing and is the mother of one son, Tyreese. She has also ...
