“Voices for Youth” made up of young people from each of the County’s five YOCs advocate for change at local and state levels.MARIA FLORES ALWAYS SAW SACRAMENTO as a faraway place where important people make big decisions. In terms of how things really work, however, the state Capitol might as well have been on Mars.

That changed recently when the 19-year old college freshman from Lake Elsinore joined 22 other young people from Riverside County on a youth advocacy trip sponsored by the Workforce Investment Board. The youth, chosen from the county's five current Youth Opportunity Centers (YOCs), flew to Sacramento and met face-to-face with a half-dozen state legislators who represent the area.

The young people, who started their day at 4:30 a.m. and got home around 10 p.m., stressed the importance of programs for youth and asked legislators to find money for more youth centers around the county. The youth also stressed that they are constituents, and voters.

"It was a good experience," said Flores, who attends Mt. San Jacinto College. "The youth centers have made an impact on the people who went to Sacramento, and we think it (building more) will make an impact on other young people as well. I thought we did pretty well."

When members of Voices for Youth visited State Senators and Assemblymen, they heard grim reports about the status of the state budget and how programs are more likely to be cut than added, but they still came away from the experience with an appreciation for how the system works and a passion for further involvement.

"They said the budgets are going to be cut regardless, and that they don't really know what is going to happen," Flores said. "It was a long day, but it was cool because I had never been on a plane before. It was kind of like a rollercoaster, really." The March 15 trip, which was the first time on an airplane for most participants, was the culmination of months of preparation.

Lori Strumpf of Strumpf Associates: Center for Strategic Change in Washington, DC and consultant to the Riverside County Workforce Investment Board volunteered her time to mentor the young people by helping them set goals, develop contacts and identify resources. The group researched topics that interested them, documented which legislators serve on which committees and prepared talking points from which they could deliver a cogent message in a relatively short amount of time.

"At first they were worried, but one of the things they learned is that their voices are powerful," said Rosa Penaloza, Director of ResCare, which operates OASIS, the Perris YOC. "They had done so much research that they had raw data for our elected officials, which really impressed them. The youth were walking out and saying, 'Wow, they are listening.'"

The young people were speaking up during a time when funding for workforce investment efforts is in peril. With Congress struggling each year to balance the federal budget and regain control over spiraling levels of U.S. debt, some federal cost cutters have turned their attention to workforce development funds as a possible target. Riverside County's Workforce Investment Board has and will continue to fight against the idea of sacrificing workforce development funds as a shortsighted attempt to cut spending. The need is too great among jobseekers, some of whom have been out of work for months, to see this funding cut, said Felicia Flournoy, Director of Workforce Development for Riverside County.

Unemployment was at about 15 percent in Riverside County through most of 2010, meaning more than 130,000 county residents were unemployed. Many jobseekers depend on the placement services they receive at Workforce Development Centers around the county. "There would be no place for them to go to get individual services at no cost, with the individual attention they get here," Flournoy said. "And for every person looking for a job, there is a company looking for a person. We bring those partnerships to the table."

The existing workforce development system already is facing a potential strain, even if federal funding is not cut. The California state budget also is in trouble, and cuts to state government payrolls will inevitably funnel more displaced workers into a system that is already trying to help tens of thousands of workers find jobs.

The unprecedented need for workforce development services means that cutting workforce development funding would be incredibly counterproductive, said Lee Haven, Chairman of the Riverside County Workforce Investment Board. "We all have to do more with less, but we also have to make sure we continue to fund programs that really make sense," Haven said. "Programs that are job-creating in nature should get the benefit of the doubt." Prior to the big day, the youth group practiced by making presentations to City Councils in Lake Elsinore and Perris, and to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

The group hopes to follow up the Sacramento trip with a similar trip to Washington, D.C., where they would meet with their representatives in the U.S. Congress. Group members have written a fundraising letter they can present to potential sponsors.

The Sacramento effort started last September, Penaloza said. "The goal was to address our political leaders and let them know about the challenges our young people are facing around the state and specifically here in Riverside County," said Penaloza, who also is chair of the Riverside County Council for Youth Development. "Our Supervisors were very supportive of that."

The young people met with chaperones at their respective youth centers at 4:30 a.m. the morning of the trip. They departed Ontario International Airport at 6:45 a.m. and were in the Senator's office by 9:30 a.m. In between meetings, they toured the Capitol and attended committee meetings.

"It was a jam-packed day," Penaloza said. "For many of these youth, this was their first trip outside our region." The youth had a strong message, Penaloza said. Some are having trouble getting college classes because of state budget cuts. Others are developing their skills but having trouble finding work because the weak economy has caused adults to take jobs that usually go to young people. Many come to the YOCs to get tutoring or help filling out college and financial aid applications.

"This is where they get the services they need to move on with their lives," Penaloza said. "They (legislators) told us they are fighting for education, but we are at a stage where everything will be impacted, including education. It was difficult for them to commit to anything, but they did say they appreciated hearing directly from the youth."

Alexis Medina, 19, said she stressed to legislators how the YOCs help young people get work experience through internships, teach them how to dress and speak during a job interview and how to write a resume and cover letter using Microsoft Office computer software. "We talked about the need for more youth centers, more jobs, education and the budget cuts," said Medina, a Lake Elsinore resident who attends Mt. San Jacinto College. "Those things were important to all of us. We told them about how the youth centers have helped us, how we've participated in them and the things that we do."

Medina said she learned that making your voice heard is a good feeling. It also takes a lot of patience. "You have to go by their schedules," she said. "If they have meetings before you, you have to wait until they are done." The group has created a facebook page to document the trip and encourage other young people to get involved. That page can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Youth-Voices-Making-a- Difference/208422015835255