Charter school program is career genesis
March 16, 2003
By JEANNIE KEVER
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
Genesys ITS started small: a dream, a $50,000 start-up grant, a single classroom in a southwest Houston charter school.
Less than a year later, the organization has moved into a 14,000-square-foot building north of downtown, thanks to a $250,000 federal grant and the continued backing of its original supporters.
The program teaches low-income teenagers to provide technology services, paying them for their time and work.
Starting salary is $6.50 an hour, going up as they learn. "They get immediate feedback from a salary increase," said Rafael Alvarez, the program's creator. "That works really good as a motivator."
Alvarez launched the program at Southwest High School last summer, envisioning a two-year program that would teach teens about technology and then, through contracts with local companies, pay them for basic computer repair, Web design and other information technology services.
It worked, sort of. Four students are currently working at various companies.
But Alvarez said it became clear that he and volunteer instructors needed to spend more than an hour or two a day with the students, and many weren't ready to send out to a job site alone.
They needed more on-the-job supervision to learn technical skills and the intangible things that go into holding a job - being on time, communicating clearly, dressing appropriately.
"They needed more time under our roof, so we could focus on molding them, (teaching) professional behavior," he said.
Earlier this spring the program received a one-year, $250,000 grant from a federal job-training program funneled through Gov. Rick Perry's office. The money allowed Alvarez to lease space in the 400 block of Garden Oaks Boulevard for the Genesys Technology Work Center. He also expects to hire an additional staff person.
By the end of the year, he said, he hopes to have as many as 30 students from Southwest High School and Reagan High School working there.
The technology work center will be open until 8 p.m., giving students time to attend a full schedule of classes and still work several hours a day.
Genesys was launched last summer with a $50,000 grant from Houston Social Venture Partners, a local group that combines its philanthropic dollars with the business expertise of its members to support nonprofit organizations.
Genesys was the group's first major beneficiary; YES College Preparatory School also received $10,000 last year.
The group will announce its second round of grants in May, executive director Calene LeBeau said.
But Houston Social Venture Partners provided far more than money, Alvarez said. One member, businessman Joe Smith, is on Genesys ' board of directors and helped find the new building.
Attorneys from Bracewell & Patterson, a law firm involved with the group, have provided about $15,000 in legal services, including negotiating the lease for the building, Alvarez said.
LeBeau said that Genesys ' growth has been rewarding for the partnership, as well.
"Success usually hinges on a human spark plug, and that's really what Rafael is," she said. "He has the heart and energy to drive it forward. It's very exciting to help him move forward with helping these kids."
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