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When Athens Had Representation
ATLANTA INVADES, ABETTED BY LEGISLATORS WHO CAN’T CARE ABOUT US
By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com
Hm feature
YouthForce Innovation Hub
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB’S SOLUTION TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
By Sam Lipkin editorial@flagpole.com
I’m writing this for the people who still care
about what we might now call “old Athens.”
You know, before Atlanta invaded, when
we still had our local culture, made up of
local people: When Athens was Athens, so
to speak—the Varsity, the Grit, Go Bar,
Friends, Snack Shack, Allen’s, Wilson’s,
Poss’, Harry’s. Back then.
Back then, we had one state represen
tative: Chappelle Matthews. Matthews
was a Democrat, like almost the whole
legislature at that time. His law office was
in the Southern Mutual Building (now
The Fred), but his legislative office was in
the Varsity downtown (now Chick-Fil-A).
Matthews represented all of Athens and
Clarke County, including the University of
Georgia, and he was chairman of the Higher
Education Committee in the House. If you
needed to see Matthews about a legisla
tive matter, you could usually find him in
deep conversation, leaning on the Varsity
counter with a cup of coffee. No need to
schedule an appointment.
The same was true with our state sena
tor, Paul Broun (not that one—his father).
Sen. Broun owned the Firestone dealership
down on Pulaski where Redeemer Presbyte
rian Church is now. If he wasn’t in Atlanta
on Senate business, you could probably
catch him in his office at the Firestone
store. Like Matthews, Broun represented
Athens and Clarke County and the Univer
sity of Georgia.
OK, you know where I’m going with this.
Matthews and Broun did not represent
Madison County or Jackson or Barrow
or Walton or Oconee. They represented
local people and the university. They had
no responsibility for the problems in
Danielsville or Jefferson or Commerce or
Winder or Monroe or Watkinsville.
So, yes: Now we have two state sena
tors who, in addition to Athens-Clarke,
represent Madison, Oconee, Walton and
Gwinnett counties, and we have four
state representatives who, in addition to
Athens-Clarke, represent Oconee, Madison,
Walton, Barrow, Jackson, Greene and
Oglethorpe.
All those senators and represen
tatives are Republicans, and they all
are responsible for slicing and dicing
Athens like a rhubarb pie to disen
franchise Athenians and insure their
own re-elections. They now all have
safe seats, and they all were recently
re-elected, and they all have to pay
more attention to all the surrounding
counties than they can to Athens.
They have to. Do the math.
One of the oddities of their rip
ping Athens apart into bite-sized rep
resentation among the giant holiday
repast represented by the rest of their
districts is that they had to cram as
many Democrats as possible into
one district. What that means is that
we actually have one House district
completely within Athens-Clarke, as
if old Chappelle Matthews had been
resurrected and installed in the old
Varsity, where you could find him
when you needed him. Yep, state Rep.
Spencer Frye. You know him. He does
good works at Habitat for Humanity,
where you can reach him if you need
him. Unfortunately, since he is a
Democrat, he’s in the minority in the
legislature and needs all his personal
skills and preacher’s-kid background
to work “across the aisle” to get a few things
done for Athens, with little help from the
other Republicans who “represent” Athens.
Oh well: Thanks, Frye. No thanks to
Republicans Sen. Bill Cowsert, Sen. Frank
Ginn, Rep. Marcus Wiedower, Rep. Houston
Gaines and Rep. Trey Rhodes.
BUTWAIT!: Speaking of yellow-dog Demo
crats, Sen. Warnock’s beagle is back! Hope
you’ve seen it. The great beagle (or a look-
alike) who helped Warnock win last time
is finally back in his TV ads. We can’t miss
now. They can’t gerrymander the Senate
race. Get yourself out between now and
Dec. 6 and vote for the re-election of U.S.
Sen. Raphael Warnock. Warnock cares more
for Athens than any of our Republican leg
islators, whose Bible tells them that where
their treasure is, there will their hearts be
also.
P.S.: Grady Thrasher, who is topping the
charts with his “I Just Want to Stop Putin
for Christmas” with Jay Gonzalez and The
Boulevardians, has added Ukrainian sub
titles to the YouTube version, and various
people are beaming the song into Ukraine
and Russia. Maybe on top of all his other
accomplishments, Grady can turn out to
be a one-man Radio Free Europe and can
indeed help us stop Putin for Christmas. ©
T he Boys & Girls Club of Athens opened
its YouthForce Innovation Hub at the
Georgia Square Mall on Oct. 20, partnering
with community nonprofits and businesses
to create an opportunity for youth ages
12-21 to develop workforce skills and their
career paths.
Occupying the space that was previously
a Charlotte Russe on the second floor of
the mall, the hub’s bright, modern and
flexible open floor plan was designed with
input from the teens it will serve. Currently
there are eight workstations, including VR
headsets that simulate workforce pathways
such as aviation mechanics, hospitality
and construction; iPads for self assessment
tools and career
exploration; building
and coding robots;
cameras and a green
screen for creating
video content; gear
for podcasting, a
stage for public
speaking, a faux office
for mock interviews
and a hands-on man
ufacturing line.
“This is an innova
tive and interactive
approach to work
force development for
young people in their
teens,” says Sterling
Gardner, vice presi
dent of development.
“Recruiting is one
thing, but retaining
them is another. You
have to make something nice, cool, innova
tive and creative to get them involved and
to keep them involved.”
One of the in-progress stations is
retail-oriented with opportunities to learn
about purchasing, merchandising, account
ing, and how to sell goods and services. The
hub’s location in the mall has already pro
vided a connection to a retailer interested
in working with the Boys & Girls Club and
providing first employment opportunities.
Looking forward, the hub is exploring part
nerships for healthcare, CNA certification,
cosmetology and hospitality programs.
Field trips and internships are also among
the possibilities for participants.
The UGA School of Social Work has
partnered with the program to provide
accountability coaches to continue working
with young people who receive employment
and move on from the space. There will be
follow up periods to help employers retain
those employees, but should an employee
need to resign, the accountability coaches
will help them use the proper protocol upon
leaving. The hub supplies resources for
those interested in pursuing secondary edu
cation as well, from filling out applications
and financial aid to employment during
school.
Prior to opening the hub, the club part
nered with nine smaller nonprofit organi
zations that primarily work with teenagers,
providing funding to increase their capacity
and make their members club members
with access to both programs’ resources.
The result of this partnership was serving
207 new club members between 6th-llth
grades in two months, and a pipeline of
more young people aware of and interested
in the hub. One of the partnerships was
with Chess and Community, whose founder
and executive director, Lemuel “Life”
LaRoche, is also the hub’s program director.
“It brought a home for Chess and
Community. We do a lot of our program
ming here and at the library, but this is like
the central location,” says LaRoche. “So it
also opened the door for other nonprofits
to come and utilize this space for free.”
The hub is funded in part by Zach
McLeroy, the chairman and founder of
Zaxby’s, who expressed interest in youth
workforce development when the club
approached him about investing in its
program. The hub is unique as a Boys &
Girls Club entity, and Gardner hopes to use
this location as a pilot for other club orga
nizations and create a regional program.
Discussions with Boys & Girls Clubs in
nearby counties have already begun to pro
vide transportation from their clubs to the
hub until it can expand.
“Today’s workers are not like they were
20 or 30 years ago. Young people now are
much less money-focused, but they are
focused on quality of life and the way they
feel in the workplace. Unfortunately, many
employers are still very production focused,
and they’re not necessarily getting that that
attitude is not getting the most out of their
employees. So I hope some of the things
that we can do is to help bridge the gaps,”
says Gardner.
The hub currently operates Monday-
Friday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. with occasional
programming on Saturdays. The earlier
hours will cater to disengaged youth and
18-21 year olds to teach soft skills and
explore career interests, aptitudes and
barriers. The three main programs—work
ready, job ready, career ready—will take
place on different days with different age
groups. ©
Spencer alone represents Athens.
Lemuel “Life” LaRoche, program director of the YouthForce Innovation
Hub, shows guests around the center during the grand opening on Oct. 20.
NOVEMBER 30, 2022- FLAGPOLE.COM
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EAMPHOTOGRAPHS