The Soboba Tribal TANF program offers a variety of workshops and activities throughout the year to help young people get ahead. The year-round LEAD prevention program provides Leadership through Education, Acquirement, Desire. When work experience is added to the program during the summer it becomes the WE LEAD program.
Youth aged 14-21 go through a job application process, the same as any employee for the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians. This year, more than a dozen worksites agreed to accommodate the 29 interns, some of them new this year and 11 who have participated in the program in the past.
Managers and supervisors who stepped up to offer workplace experience to interested youth covered a variety of assignments. Soboba departments are Parks and Recreation, TANF, Cultural Resource, Fire, and the Soboba Foundation. At the Soboba Indian Health Clinic, which is part of Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health Inc., interns were assigned to positions at the behavioral health and dental departments. Additionally, the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians and Cahuilla Band of Indians have offered a variety of worksites.
“Before the program starts, we send invitation letters to all departments and Tribal Councils within the Soboba, Cahuilla and Santa Rosa reservations,” said Soboba TANF Program Specialist Mayra Campos, who is serving as the lead for this year’s WE LEAD program again this year. She said the program requires a lot from the youths who are giving up their summer to work, earning $17 per hour, which is 50 cents more than the current minimum wage.
Harold Arres is the Regional Prevention Manager for the TANF Prevention Resource Center located on the Soboba Reservation and hosted a meet and greet luncheon there on June 12. This event gave participating workers an opportunity to meet with their soon-to-be supervisors and/or other representatives from the department they have been assigned to work at for seven weeks.
Before reporting to their respective worksites, the youth interns participated in a week of in-house training that included classes with Irma Balderrama and William Ramirez. Those who chose to intern as lifeguards had an additional week of specialized training. They can work a maximum of 25 hours per week.
“Interns can create their schedule based on their needs, as long as it fits the department’s needs,” Campos said.
Roadrunner Express Manager Michael Paunovic and Assistant Manager Linda Resvaloso Whitener have four workers this summer—Jimmy Brittian, Olivia Cruz, Phyllis Morillo and Ginger Velazquez. They provide a multitude of services for the 24/7 convenience store and gas station.
“They do whatever needs to be done, just like our other employees,” Paunovic said. “I like their attitudes; they are always asking questions, which is encouraged.”
The interns are trained to do certain tasks by the permanent employees, and he said it is good for them to step into that role, giving them valuable experience as well.
Working up to 25 hours a week, Paunovic said, “I hope they take away the knowledge of what they learn here, which is doing a job the right way in a timely manner and taking pride in what you do.”
He added that no matter what career path the youth eventually take, they learn responsibility to be at work on time and put in the effort, which is important everywhere. “Our doors are open to anyone willing to learn; there is nothing to stop them,” he said.
Whitener said the store, located across the street from the Soboba Casino Resort, has been part of the WE LEAD program since it opened in 2023. Jimmy is a site clerk who keeps busy with stocking, loading, taking out the trash, cleaning inside and outside as well as keeping product displays neat and updated. Olivia and Ginger are working in the deli, learning how to prepare food such as chicken wings, hot dogs, hamburgers, and corndogs. The deli department did not have its own register last year, so this is a new skill that Ginger, who is returning to the site for her third year, is learning. Also new is the addition of Native foods to the menu.
“These are a big seller, and we offer items Tuesdays through Thursdays,” Whitener said. As a vendor with H.A.L.O., she offered to share her recipes to be used inside the store. She said they may soon offer Native foods seven days a week.
She said the WE LEAD program is wonderful for the young people that are being trained in the operation of the store and for them to learn a good work ethic and how to be responsible for their time.
“These things, and learning good customer service skills, are all things they can use as they go on,” Whitener said. “They are learning how to be helpful.”
Ginger, 16, said she likes learning more this year as a cashier. She also likes cooking so working in the deli section has been a good fit for her.
“I like this environment, everyone is so nice,” the San Jacinto High School junior said.
Soboba Foundation Sponsorship Coordinator Andrew Vallejos is getting assistance from Myah Saenz for a second year in a row. “I decided to participate again because it gives me more experience and shows me what to expect in the real work world in the future,” the 16-year-old said.
Prior to the start of her internship on June 23, she had to complete a three-day training session with Irma Balderrama from Human Resources. Because she earned her CPR and Food Handlers certificates last year and they are valid for two years, she did not need to repeat those classes.
Myah has been tasked with different projects at this office and is also helping with filing and other paperwork for Tribal Executive Officer Steven Estrada whose permanent assistant is only working part time right now.
The ultimate development goals of Myah’s position are to strengthen communication skills in a professional setting, gain a basic understanding of the programs and resources offered by the department and build strong time management and organizational skills.
She is being provided with daily and weekly opportunities to work on these skills with much guidance from Evelyn Gonzalez, Administrative Assistant for the department.
The Foundation is currently helping to organize the Tribe’s annual Soboba Student Awards Program on July 20 and Vallejos said having Myah’s input has been a huge benefit. “Getting her ideas for raffles and having her put the packages together has been great because she can provide a younger generation’s perspective and that’s who this recognition program is for,” Vallejos said.
He got his department involved with the WE LEAD program because he wanted to provide a workplace where a young person could feel comfortable and safe while learning. “But what I really hope Myah takes away from this experience of working for her Tribal government is that this is not like working for any place of business,” Vallejos said. “We are here to support the Tribal Council leadership and all the Tribal members and offer the best customer service to them that we can. And we must treat everyone with full respect.”
Myah said she is saving her wages for things she wants to buy in the future but may invest a little of it in a new purse or something for her car.
Mercedes Estrada is the Culture Department Director for the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians and serves as Tribal Council Treasurer. Her department is participating for the first time this year and WE LEAD interns Nyomi Tucson and Delilah Ham are being kept busy.
“Right now, our library is undergoing a small renovation,” Estrada said. “We are weeding out older books for donation and making room for new furniture. The youth interns have been assisting with that process. We also have various events that we plan and facilitate; the interns will assist with those duties as well. I have arranged for them to create ‘mock’ events utilizing our department forms so they can get hands-on experience with what our department does.”
Estrada also hopes to implement staff reports with prompts for them to write about such things as their educational goals or what they hope to learn from this experience.
“I have created a small folder for them to put these things in that they can keep at the end of the program, and I am hoping they will use them in the future for resume building or job interview preparation,” she said.
Because her department is small, she said any and all help is appreciated. “We also love that the youth have a job training program that they can gain so much experience from, and we appreciate being able to have the help with no cost to our department. We are heavily grant funded, so every penny counts; a program like WE LEAD that is mutually beneficial is greatly appreciated,” Estrada said.
She added that she hopes the work experience will give the youth interns a better understanding of what the Culture Department does. “I don’t really want them to just think we provide events, because it’s so much more than that,” she said. “A lot of the work we have to do in order to provide these events goes beyond just the event itself. The hard work we do to secure funding is a lot and we are proud to be able to offer opportunities for our tribal members to offer their services as well.”
Estrada provided an example, saying that after receiving a small grant through CIMC, they are now able to hire a tribal member to be a part-time event cook for events. “I want the interns to understand that a lot goes into our tribal programs and the goal should always be to provide opportunities not only for participants but for members to benefit from employment as well,” she said.
Interns chosen to work at the Soboba Tribal TANF office were given the opportunity to work with the kids who are participating in the program’s Summer Youth Academy. From June 16 through July 31, Native youth ages 12-19 meet to participate in cultural and educational activities, help the community, explore the outdoors, travel to new places and even hang out at the Soboba Sports Complex pool.
Jacquelenn Mangiliman, 21, and Virginia Martinez, 14, are both from Cahuilla and joined the WE LEAD program this summer to assist with the SYA events. They are joined by Kimani Sanchez, 16, of Soboba. Each of the interns assist where needed as Academy participants learn about team building and life skills, health and fitness, and complete workshops and fun activities.
Jacquelenn was part of the Summer Youth Academy when she was younger. “After being in the program myself, I thought it was really fun, so I wanted to help other young people enjoy it,” she said. This is her first year with the WE LEAD program, and she is saving up for a car.
Virginia is also working for the first time to have something productive to do while on summer break from school. “We help out with the kids and monitor them, where needed,” she said as the three were helping those who were having fun splashing in the pool on the hot afternoon of June 25. Virginia said she wants to work with children in the future, so she was enjoying this hands-on experience.
This is the third year that Kimani has been a youth worker at the SYA, and she said she has gained a lot of work experience that will help her in the future. Headed into her junior year at San Jacinto High School, Kimani must balance her time between WE LEAD and cheer practice. She hopes to become an ultrasound technician or a teacher in the future. She is saving half of her earnings and will spend the rest on new clothes for the upcoming school year.
Photos courtesy of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians
