VOA标准英语2013--Instead of Jail, Teen Offenders Try a Fresh Start

 

Instead of Jail, Teen Offenders¹ Try a Fresh Start

“I got into a couple of fights or something and that led to me actually getting detained,” he said.

Terrence Sinclair was 17 when he ran into trouble.

Instead of being sentenced to prison, as an adult might have been, Sinclair was sent to the Fresh Start program in the Washington, D.C. area. He now spends his days studying for his high school diploma, while also learning a vocation².

“I wanted to come out and get my education," he said. "You got to do it for yourself because I know at the end of the day, if I want to get mine, I have to still sit down and do my work.”

More than a dozen young men, between 16 and 19 years old, attend classes at the Fresh Start program. Each one has made some bad decisions and is determined³ to turn his life around.

“Sometimes they come in a little reluctant," said Kenneth Talley, a carpentry instructor⁴. "Then they get creative and start making their own products.  That’s when they start getting interested.”

Working in the wood and metal class teaches them other lessons.

“It gives them patience," Talley said. "It teaches them how to follow directions, make a plan for constructing whatever they’re constructing. [It] also gives them gratification after they finish. They see the end of their work.”

Once they’re motivated, says Fresh Start Director Toni Lemons, the young men are eager to absorb knowledge.

The program also helps them navigate⁵ their way in the job market.  The Workforce⁶ Development class, for example, teaches them how to write a resume⁷ and prepare for a job interview.

“This is where they build their soft skills," Lemons said. "They’re writing resumes⁸. They’re learning how to do cover letters, learning basic things: how to respond to questions in interviews, body language and gestures and how that can potentially impact you when you’re in an interview."

In the Life Skills class, students learn other skills they need to succeed in career and personal life.

“How to tie a tie, which is very important when it comes to going on a job interview." Lemons said. "They learn how to budget, to be able to maintain their finances⁹.”

Outdoor classes are as important as indoor ones, and so are community events where Fresh Start students mentor¹⁰ younger kids, which helps them gain confidence to become role models themselves.

“The very important thing with that is that a lot of our young people don’t really experience that on a day-to-day basis," Lemons said. "So our job is to help them to get connected with their community.”

At the end of the 11-month-long program, Fresh Start helps its graduates, like 18-year-old Tayron Gerald, find a job.

"They treat you like adults," Gerald said. "The whole program is like a career. They give you a job. They give you a voice. In a traditional high school, you don’t really get a voice. I still want to become an engineer. I believe I can do it.”

Lemons has high hopes for the teenager's future.

“This is a young man who, throughout facing adversity, continued to push forward," she said. "He’s a hard worker. He’s very dedicated¹¹. He understands opportunities, and one of the things that he does is capitalize on them. Now he’s working in a receptionist position.”

Gerald believes the program works because it understands what troubled young men need to break their old, bad habits. Fresh Start is designed to help troubled young men realize they're part of the community and truly have a chance to make a fresh start.

1 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

2 vocation   

n.职业，行业

参考例句：

• She struggled for years to find her true vocation.她多年来苦苦寻找真正适合自己的职业。
• She felt it was her vocation to minister to the sick.她觉得照料病人是她的天职。

3 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

5 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

6 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

7 resume   

v.（中断后）继续，恢复；n.摘要，简历

参考例句：

• We'll stop now and resume at two o 'clock.我们现在停下来，到两点再干。
• My resume shows that I have the right qualifications for the job.我的简历表明我正符合这项工作的条件。

8 resumes   

n.摘要，概略，履历( resume的名词复数 )v.重新开始( resume的第三人称单数 )；重新获得；重新占用；恢复

参考例句：

• Later we received resumes of what she had said. 后来我们收到她讲话的摘要。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Night resumes her reign. 夜幕又降临了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 finances   

n.(pl.)财源，资产

参考例句：

• I need a professional to sort out my finances. 我需要专业人士为我管理财务。
• The company's finances are looking a bIt'shaky. 这个公司的财政情况看来有点不稳定。

10 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

11 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。