Jobs, Taxes, Benefits

"Everything is under the table."

"I can’t handle work and school anymore."

"Do people who set the minimum wage remember what it’s like to make minimum wage?"

"Why does tuition for college keep climbing much faster than what this college-bound student and her parents can make?"

"I will be the first person in my family to go to college. Yet the city wage tax wants to penalize me."

"When I volunteered as a candy striper, people were receptive and kind. Now that I serve burgers and fries, they are demanding, suggestive, and rude. It reminds me of Cisneros’ story, "First Job."

Job issues, the economy, taxes, working conditions seem to "feed" discussions at the dinner table. Is time management or quality of life really taught in a high school economics class? Do we decide on a particular major because of our environment, media messages, peer hype? Is the dollar sign the dictator of our pursuits?

If Natalie babysits, can she then study while earning money? If Beth feels silenced by her part-time manager, has she become disempowered? If Mia wants to play sports, does she have to excel so that scholarship money will replace time spent being a cashier at the video store? When we think of choice as an issue, is it mislabeled? We have heard from others that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Let’s take a look at our generation and those who came before us. Can we initiate a dialogue?

Is school our main job?
Do we work to provide for the here and now? For the future?
Are we becoming the capital ‘C’ consumer group?
How and when do we spend our money? For whom?
Do we have a voice?

QUESTION: Does working make you feel more responsible and more in control? Are there inherent drawbacks to a loss of time?

LISTEN: Interview someone in personnel. Compare after-school work with summer employment. Should a job now inform you about career choices or simply furnish cash?

FORM AN OPINION: Base an opinion (or several opinions) on data collected both formally and informally.

ACT: Report back to DISCUSSION FORUM on GirlsMatter because we certainly do!

Posted on: 12/28/2003

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