Help rebuild TYC

by Scott Henson of Grits For Breakfast

I've said before that the Texas Youth Commission's is an agency in turmoil, suffering from short-sighted and opaque management, poor overall morale, and high employee turnover.

But there's another thing that's true: A government agency can be no better than the people who work there, and TYC needs more good people, not just because they were understaffed anyway, or because the new management has chased off much of the agency's senior talent. TYC needs high-quality employees because we're counting on the agency to do more than warehouse the kids. To change their behavior these youth must change their hearts, ideally replacing anger with hope. That's not something that happens through mere punishment and discipline. They need mature adults around them while they're locked up to guide them along the right path.

So in that vein, I should mention there's a TYC job fair in San Antonio next week. You can also go to this page on TYC's website to search for job openings.

I don't want this blog to sound like a naysayer; I want TYC to succeed. Troubled kids need to be surrounded by good, committed, hard-working, patient adults, people willing to help them turn their lives around. If the idea of working with such kids appeals to you and you live close to a TYC unit (or are willing to give small town life a try), check out what jobs are available and think about whether it's right for you.

And for current employees who want to (justifiably) grouch about TYC in response to this hiring pitch, I make one request: Before you tell prospective employees why the SHOULDN'T work at TYC, tell us one positive or rewarding thing about your tenure working there, or what difference you were able to make that made you proud. Then grouch away.