The Sacramento County Office of Education teamed up with the Sacramento County Probation Department today for a career and resource fair for incarcerated teens at the Sacramento County Juvenile Hall.
Many of the teens at the detention facility eagerly inspected the 12 booths highlighting different career, training and educational opportunities.
"They are trying to give us a second chance and I appreciate that," said Earl, a 14-year-old awaiting a group home placement. "It has people thinking there are opportunities out there."
The brainchild of Darlene Furtado, a special education technician in SCOE's WorkAbility Program, the career fair brought in a dozen vendors, including Wyo Tech, Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps and a Paul Mitchell cosmetology school.
"This is important because it's so necessary," said Furtado, who used to work on special education assessments for students in the court school program. "These kids made mistakes, but they can turn their lives around."
Vicki Talo, a case manager for a youth program run by the North State Building Association, said programs that reach out to troubled youth are critical.
"I was one of these youths," Talo said. "I overcame a lot. If I can do it, so can they."
Read The Bee on Friday for the full story.
Photo: Vicki Talo, a case manager for a youth program run by the North State Building Association, speaks to a youth inmate at Sacramento County Juvenile Hall. (Photo courtesy of Tim Herrera / SCOE.)
Loretta Kalb started her reporting career at The Sacramento Union, moved to KOVR-13 as a television reporter, editor and producer, headed to The Associated Press in San Francisco and eventually returned to Sacramento and joined The Sacramento Bee. Throughout her career, she has covered the state Legislature, courts, local government and, now, education. She is a Chico native and an Elk Grove resident.
Diana Lambert began her journalism career as a proofreader at the Lodi News-Sentinel. She is now a senior writer at The Sacramento Bee covering K-12 education and California State University, Sacramento. Previously she was The Bee’s Elk Grove bureau chief. Lambert was raised in a military family and lived at bases around the globe. She attended four high schools, graduating from Tokay High in Lodi and then Sacramento State University. She lives in Elk Grove.
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