Sylvia Duran Associate Editor
According to Business Instructor Bob Livingston, his students always make it to class because “they have nowhere to go.”
Livingston teaches at the California Youth Authority center in Norwalk. His students are criminals who were tried as juveniles, and are incarcerated by the court. The population of the facility consists of inner-city kids, with backgrounds of gang relations and substance abuse.
Livingston works with student ages 13-25 above high school level who have earned a high school diploma or equivalent.
Incarcerated youths earn a certificate and college credits in two semesters after completing four 15-week classes. Students complete business math, human relations, personal finance, fundamentals of business and work experience
Livingston was interested in teaching because he believes that “education has a direct correlation too getting a job and staying out when they get out.” The program provides students with skills and an understanding of business, “for the most part these kids have no idea how business operates nor how the world operates,” he adds.
The program has a lot of application at the high school level. “These are skills everybody needs,” Livingston said. He is pleased with the program and hopes students will apply their earned college credits when they get out.
The students have job apprenticeships with plumbers, painters, electricians, janitors and bakers at the facility. “They make about 25 cents an hour, but they learn valuable skills they can apply for gainful employment.
“We want them to be successful instead of graduating to a prison. So they make contributions to society instead of being detriments.” Many of the students have spent most of their teenage years incarcerated in the facility.
Livingston worked part time at Cerritos Community College for fifteen years before transferring to the college as a full time instructor. He also taught IASA, a federal program intended to raise math and reading levels, at the Youth Authority.
The new business program was a collective idea by the business dean and instructors at Cerritos College. The satellite program was then proposed to and approved by the Youth Authority center.
Originally Livingston taught business at Terminal Island, an adult prison. He thought “it would be interesting.” Soon he found it a difficult task to teach older adults and sought to teach younger students who still had a chance of changing the course of their life.
Coincedently, a student told him about a youth facility in desperate need of instructional guidance. She suggested Livingston substitute at the Youth Authority center. Livingston jumped to the invitation. “I was really excited, I had a chance to make a difference and provide hope where there is a lot of need for it.”
“They’ve got options. Education is a powerful tool,” said Livingston. “They can go to college and be successful.”
(We need a pic of Livingston he will be in class tues. at AC65 from 7-10pm)
