Work Ethics Program
Everbody says they want to help kids, but until PACT's Work Ethics education program was launched in 1994, there was no safe structured, one-on-one adult mentored program for at-risk kids that really focused on instilling a work ethic by virtue of work experience with a role model. PACT's inovative social enterprise Work Ethics program has been essentially self-supporting for the last 15 years.
Work Ethics Adult Mentors
We Pay Our Volunteer Mentors. Working as a Work Ethics Mentor, adults can easily earn $20/hr., or a supplemental income of over $1,000 per month. The more frequently you volunteer your time to work with our kids, the more effective your mentoring will be. You become their friend, their coach and their role model when you work together. This kind of mentoring actually uses one of the few "work-like" experiences available to 10 - 15 year olds. It's a type of "Work that WORKS."
PACT kids at City Hall
Work Ethics Volunteer Work is Flexible. You choose whether you wish to work early weekday evenings, or weekend mornings or afternoons. PACT matches you with a young "work apprentice" for the two hours of each session. You are an independent contractor, paid commissions weekly. You can change your schedule however you like, as often as you like.
You spend your session in well-to-do neighborhoods, walking and talking with your young partner, coaching them and teaching them how to introduce themselves and present themselves effectively to adults in a door-to-door situation.
You will meet your work partner before the work session, then drive in your own vehicle, another adult mentor's vehicle, or the PACT van, to a nearby safe neighborhood, where you will knock on doors in a planned, mapped area until the end of your session. Evenings you see your partner returned safley to their home by 9 pm. Our mentors have knocked on doors over two million times without a single incident.
You can keep the income you earn in the program, or contribute it back to PACT. Today we have adult mentors who have been working with our kids for over 10 years - Work Ethics has worked for them, and it can work for you.
How to Get Started as an Adult Mentor. Here's what we look for: mature, upbeat, likes kids, a positive role model, good people skills, wants to make a difference, change-oriented, some college preferred. You must have a CA state I.D., a social security number, and a smile. Plus three strong character references and a clean record (you must be finger printed.) We've never had an incident yet: We are registered with the LAPD and permitted by eight local city governments.
Call for a personal half-hour screening interview at the PACT office. Ask to see the PACT video. E-mail us your resume and tell us about yourself. You can be a paid PACT mentor within a week!
Work Ethics is Work, Fun, Community Service, A Learning Experience...With Relationships That Last a Lifetime.
The Kids Enrolled in Work Ethics
Every year PACT provides dozens of recreational and educational activities for kids and mentors - beach parties, snow trips, camping, Mt. Everest (via IMAX), Six Flags and Sony Studios to name a few.
After school and weekends, PACT's kids are learning about work, and the psychology of working efectively, with an adult mentor in a safe neighborhood - a neighborhood probably very different from the one they are growing up in. They meet the world, learn self-discipline, experience how THEY appear to others, build self-esteem, discover the rewards of work - and develop new enthusiasms and ways of seeing the possibilities of a self-directed future. They meet with successful people in higher-income households - while spending time far away from gangs and streets gangs claim.
They Earn More Than Paychecks. With their hourly compensation, PACT's work-like sessions offer kids a means to save and spend, which instantly expands their horizons. Special incentives are offered to those most successful, and who make the most progress. Those are also aware that their work is actually supporting the program - and the organization itself. A sense of their importance to PACT is an important part of their growing self-esteem - the feeling that they matter, and that what they do matters. One boy bought his mother a bed; another bought his mother a washing machine. Numbers of them have saved thousands for college.
The Work Ethics Program is the heart of PACT's mission to redirect at-risk 10-15 year oldswith adult, one-on-one mentored learning, earning and FUN.
Work Ethics Helps 10-15 Year Olds Achieve
- Self-esteem is fuelled by PACT's adult-mentored work-like sessions
- PACT compensates kids by the hour, equal to the minimum wage
- They learn other ways of life by spending time in safer neighborhoods
- Their horizons are expanded through cultural and recreational activities
- Practical life skills are taught
- The satisfaction of community service is learned early in life
- A strong relationship with a positive adult role model will deliver
life-long reward
Savas Photo
Basic Requirements for Youth to Enroll
- 10 - 15 years old
- Open to learning more about life
- Willing to have more money to spend or save
- Gang-free
- Drug-free
- At least a "C" average and at least an 80% school attendance record
- Application co-signed by a parent or guardian
Geographic Limitations. Must be a Los Angeles resident from the neighborhoods of Palms, Culver City, Mar Vista or Venice. (Additional Los Angeles County locations are planned, such as Long Beach and Pasadena).
Work Apprentices in their Own Words
Santiago Padilla - now a PACT Board member
My name is Santiago Padilla, I'm 25 years old and I currently work professionally in the entertainment industry on the Post Production side. I am also a fellow board member. I hope to give you some insight of what this program can do for a kid who lived in an at-risk area.
As you know I am a product of the PACT program. I was 12 years old when I started going door to door. I joined the program to put some cash in my pockets. at a very young age I realized my parents could not afford to buy me those extra things that kids always want like video games because I had 11 (yes, eleven) other siblings.
Working door to door helped me to build confidence in myself and to teach me the great work ethic that I'm known for today. It taught me sales was a numbers game. I developed the ability to speak in puplic, which if I'm correct is one of the biggest fears. I learned how to work with people that were a lot older than me and how to communicate with adults. I learned the true value of a dollar because I worked very hard for it. I was able to put myself through college with the money I saved.
I am truly thankfull PACT was there for me as a young kid. It kept me busy, away from gangs and the streets, and it taught me some of the most important lessons in life. PACT prepared me for the real world while still letting me be a kid by providing monthly field trips. I went to Big Bear, Catalina Island (on a helicopter), Amusement Parks, and many other places that I know for a fact I would have never been to because my parents could not afford it.
In closing I would like to say the door to door aspect of PACT is the back-bone of the program. It has a priceless value and is of great benefit for the young members of PACT.
Thank you all for your time.
Adam Garcia
My Name is Adam Garcia. I am 17 years old and I would like to share my appreciation for PACT with everyone. I started working for PACT at the age of 10, and since then I have learned how to be more responsible and sociable in the real world, not only at home.
The mentors in PACT have also helped me improve my attitude in a positive way. Most of my achievements have been made possible thanks to everything PACT has done for me, including my going to college. I believe that because of all the advice that my former mentors gave me about persuing my dreams I have become the person that I always wanted to be, which is a hard-working, responsible person.
I would like to recommend PACT to anyone committed to bettering the life of a child, so that other children can experience more of the joys of life and growing up that I and other former PACT kids have experienced.
In my personal opinion, I believe that my whole perspective on life would be different if it were not for the commitment and dedication of PACT and it's mentors.
In closing I would once again like to thank PACT for everything they have done for me and for other at-risk youth.
Yosef Kiflezgi
PACT has helped me through a lot. I remember the first time I joined PACT-it was so welcoming it was like my own family. I really enjoyed meeting all the different kinds of people, kids and mentors. I enjoyed going out with Jim and the others, saying the speech which I must have said about a million times each night. My favorite part about working with PACT was when I met someone nice who gave me advice. I guess my favorite part of all was when, after a hard day of work, we finally stop at 8:30 and my mentor says, "You did a nice job today. Now where do you want to eat?"
I recommend other kids from other neighborhoods that have problems with gang violence to consider joining PACT's program as the best thing to do with their free time. i really learned a lot from this program; I know other kids who really want to learn will too.
Here's what I have to say to all other 9 - 15 year olds out there: PACT is a great program. It gives kids a chance to earn money at a younger age than you would otherwise be able to. Not only that, but it gives you work experience for when you get a little older and are looking for a job.
PACT has helped me in school as much as it has helped me with earning money, and learning to work. Not only all that, but PACT has helped me be able to speak in front of people, so that I am not to shy to talk in front of an audience, wherever I may be in the future.
Sometimes I have thought to myself - "How would my life have turned out if there had been no PACT?" I can't imagine it. PACT has been hugely important in making me the person I am today.
Sergio Munoz
What I like about PACT is that I make money and saved up like $1,300 with PACT. I also got the chance to go to CAL POLY to go see student architecture work.
I want to be an architect so PACT tutored me in math. The fun part about PACT is all the fun trips.
I've been in PACT about two years and I got to meet alot of people around L.A. and I was in Frank Gehry's Office.
Maria Pimeda
PACT is a very wonderful program. They help us stay out of gangs. We have mentors that each us positive work. We go on field trips and we go because many people help PACT by buying our paper from The Los Angeles Times.
By doing that work we get paid night by night!
If people want to enter PACT they would be making a good choice.
Thank You.
Daniel Martinez
My name is Daniel. I've been working with PACT for almost a year, and that's how long I've had something nice, helpful, and good to do.
Hopefully PACT can go on for many years, because it would give chances to those kids that think they don't have any, and may be for my kids too.
One of the best things I like about PACT is that you have to maintain a C average in school so the program keeps me straight in class.
PACT Christmas 2005 Apprentice Survey:
Yosef, Brian V. Ivan, Adam H, TJ Eaden, Adam G. A) Seth B) Richard C) Diana 1) Why did you join PACT?
needed money, wanted to experience what a job is like, saw fliers, wanted something to keep me busy, big brother referred me.2) What have you learned from working and participating with PACT?
how to talk to people, not to be shy, responsibility, organizational skills, how complicated it is to be an adult, how to stay out of gangs, don't follow bad guys, life in the future-no free rides.3) What is the best part about PACT?
getting the sale, check on thursday, field trips, meeting other nice people, being with kids the same age, meeting new mentors, having fun with peers, when you say your speech, going one on one with mentors, teach us to be on good path, mentors treat us good.4) What do you want more of at PACT and what specifically do you think would improve it?
more leads, more mentors, $5 bonus if they work 3-4 days a week, more territories to work, have tutoring, be more strict, apply more rules, more trips, higher sales with more mentors, bigger PACT office, Bill hire a good communicator like Adam Garcia, have a bigger business, pay more, maybe sell other products.5) Where do you want PACT to go for field trips next year?
camping, play in snow, go on boats, movies, magic mountain, raging waters, Knotts Berry Farm, Imax, sports events, Museum of Tolerance, Museum of Science and Industry, Six Flags, California Science Center, Natural History Museum, plays/ theater.6) What ideas do you have to raise money for PACT?
flyers to neighbors with kids and around school, door to door, to get more kids, car wash, sell candy, gift wrapping, events like Abbot Kinney, grant writing, sell Seth's book, sell fruit and rooses and popcorn, raffles, mailing lists for fund raisers, sponsors and donors.7) Who that you know will you invite to participate with PACT next year? (this can include friends, family members, 10-18 year old young people, and adults, apprentices or mentors etc.)
little brother, Jose 9 years old, 8th grade four friends (named), 2 girl friends, an uncle to become a mentor, students from school, my friends Jeremiah and Jesus (13 years old), posters in neighborhood and offices, Cousin Raven.8) What will you do in 2006 to help make PACT better?
pass out flyers, bring more kids, get more people to PACT, be excited at the door, make customers happy with big smile on face, (try my best), get brother and friends to work, let them know it's legit and need money, work more often, create products to sell holidays and offer services.