“I am thankful that they gave me this opportunity to do something I wanted to do,” he said.

I found two articles folded together and thought “circle of life”. The first  (6-Year-Old Boy’s Wish To Be A ‘Garbage Man’ Granted) was a make a wish child’s dream. I found the joy in this child amazing and his make a wish dream daring. I found myself saying a silent prayer for him that day, that he would never be struck by the Erickson philosophy of School age sense of industry vs inferiority (Learning to accept instruction and to win recognition by producing things / the danger in this period is the development of a sense of inadequacy and inferiority in a child who does not receive recognition.). His wish was to be a trash man. I find the trash man an unsung hero. I know the janitors who clean my office and classroom, and those who pick up my trash on Friday. Without them we would all be living in squalor. So, I was thrilled when I  read the article Program trains young garbage collectors amid shortage in U.S  the new partnership between Waste Management of Alameda County Inc. and Oakland Citicorp’s and unions that gives young adults – often high school dropouts from low-income communities – a chance to become teamster drivers after two years of training.

Being a customer of Waste Management, I wrote them the following email “I recently came across this article and was pleasantly surprised to learn that WM is giving young adults a second chance and a better future. I am curious if this program will be continued throughout the nation and region. I am also curious how the program is funded- does a percentage of my bill go toward it?” They replied with the following “Thank you so much for reaching out to Waste Management. Thank you also for bringing the article to my attention as I also enjoyed reading it. Though I am not aware of Waste Management’s plans to expand the training program, it is certainly possible. I would be happy to put you in touch with our community outreach department so that you can learn more. If you have any additional questions or concerns do not hesitate to reply to this email or contact us through Waste Management live chat at www.wm.com.Thank you again for contacting Waste Management. We truly appreciate your business and allowing us to serve your waste management needs.”

I know several young clients whose lives would be changed by this prosperity. They start off at $20 an hour, and after two years they are eligible for union jobs earning $70,000 annually while working toward a pension. That is a lot of money for some who have come from nothing, and a pension is nearly nonexistent in today’s world. To echo Skolnick, “It’s really cool to watch these young adults enjoy what they are doing and get past anything that happened to them before,” What are your thoughts on this program? Do you know of any such programs? Is this something you would have applied for? What is your dream job?