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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1983, PAGE 7 Many teens head back to school o1 after fruitless job search Each year in Durham Region about 30 stu- dents between the ages of 14 and 16 opt to leave school in search of work. These young people are often confused about their future and feel education won't help them get a job in Canada's depressed economy. They are frus- trated, depressed and turned off school. Although the legal age to withdraw from school is 16, Durham students can apply to be part of an alternative work pro- gram which varies with the individual student's needs. Some students may work full-time while still officially registered in school and others may get part-time jobs and attend night school classes. Al jobs are inspected and monitored by teach- ers who act as liaison of- ficers between employ' ers and the schools. Stu- dents are counselled each step of the way by teachers and guidance counsellors, and records of job attendance are kept. "They get a chance to go out and look for a job," says Susan Dia- mond, secretary of the Leaving School Early Committee of the Durham Board of Edu- cation. "In today's economy they can only take so much rejection and they start to see the value of getting more education." Diamond, who acts as a liaison for the board, says many students end up back in school after a fruitless job search. "The ultimate goal of the program is to keep them in school," Dia- mond says. "A lot of them end up being more ready to go back to school when they see what it's like out there." Because many early- school-leavers aren't ready for the work world, the board offers life skills programs to help students cope with looking for a job, budgeting and keeping a job. Two life skills programs were offered in the region this year. Part of the life skills program involves set- ting goals for students because, Diamond says, most students in the program "are not goal oriented and lack direc- tion". The higher the goal, the better. "We may say to them, 'Do you want to work in a donut shop for the rest of your life?' We try to get them to look at the reality of it, and say working in a donut shop could lead to a career in food services or being a restaurant chef." Students who leave school early must make formal application to a committee comprised of three school board trustees, a supervisory officer, a community representative and a lia- ison officer. Decisions about what type of program the student should enter are made by the committee and the student. "A lot of these stu- dents simply lack self confidence and need to learn to be assertive and to express themselves," Diamond says. "They may have problems communicating what it is they need." But she stresses many students return to school more prepared to learn and more con- vinced of the value of education. "One girl is finding all her friends are back in school and she's very lonely. She can't find a job and she's really looking forward to coming back to school in June." Diamond says 30 stu- dents per year represents only one or two students per high school in the region, a number she feels is not high. The Whitby Lioness Club will be holding a fund raising blitz on Saturday, March 12 on behalf of the Kidney Foundation. March is Kidney Mon- th and the "Fight for Life" campaign of the Kidney Foundation is strongly supported by the Lioness. In the past year, Whitby Lioness have raised almost $2,000 for the Kidney Foundation. This has been in addition to many other worthy groups supported by the three- year-old Lioness Club. The residents at Sun- nycrest Nursing Home enjoy an evening of en- tertaininent each month with the Lioness leading singsongs, providng special 'goodies' to eat, together with a genuine fellowship with the resi- dents. In addition, Sun- nycrest residents enjoy special concerts and outings, with both trans- portation and time donated by Lioness. This growing womens' service club has also supported the Cardiac Re-habilitation Association, the Carol Rowe Fund and the Tony Degabrielle Fund, the latter two funds en- abled their namesakes to travel to Germany to be treated for rare skin disorders. If you are interested in serving with the Whitby Lioness Club and enjoying the fellow- ship of the group, please telephone 668-5231 or 668-8253. Remember - you don't have to have a Lion in the house to be a Lioness! And please donate generously to the Kidney Foundation! Give to the Kidney Foundation of Canada X Uk -KEISAL WOOII VilEle Large selection of VHS and BETA movies. e CSPECIALodr 52 FREE rnovie rentals with purchase of any - Video Cassette Recorder. Kendalwood Park Plaza 1801 Dundas St. E., Whitby 579-2591 j You don't have to have a Lion in the house to be a Lioness