PSU Magazine Spring 1994

Leaving Gano Life Behind With the Help of Lottery Dollars E ach day Tamara McCollum and other inner city Portland youth face the discouraging reality of gangs, drugs, and unemployment. Now, thanks in part to Lottery dollars, the Youth Employment and Empowerment Project (YEEP) is giving them hope. Working in concert with 16 youth ervice agencies and businesses throughout Portland, YEEP is helping gang involved and gang affected youth explore new opportunities. Tamara is just one of over 500 youth who have been a part of the YEEP program since it began in June 1992. Tamara received basic career train– ing from Self Enhancement Inc., one of the youth service agencies working with YEEP, and joined Alexis Sampson at the Bonneville Power Administration's Lower Columbia Area Office in July 1993 for on-the-job training. "When living in Northeast Portland, the gangs and drugs all become a part of your daily life," said Tamara. "It's easy to get discouraged about finishing school. YEEP is trying to change that. At Bonneville Power, I'm learning how to manage my time and I'm learning different computer programs. The main thing I've learned is that I have the confidence to handle the many situations and different personalities encoun– tered in a business environment." Tamara, who graduated from Benson High School in 1993, will begin attending classes at Portland Community College in September. Her goals for the future include pursuing a degree in business and accounting. "Friends of mine in the neigh– borhood see that YEEP encourages you to reach for higher things. They can see it makes a differ– ence - it has for me." It Does Good Things