Rep. Horn addresses youth

By Michelle L. Young
Daily Forty-Niner

Congressman Stephen Horn (R-Lakewood) optimistically spoke to Latino groups on youth mentoring and international trade last Thursday in Long Beach.

Horn, who was president of Cal State Long Beach for 17 years (fall 1970-spring 1988), said his first few years of presidency at CSULB were spent promoting 8,000 internships between Santa Barbara and San Diego. The scholarships gave students an opportunity to explore their fields by connecting CSULB with the community and surrounding cities, he said.

The fund-raising event brought together community business representatives in Latino organizations such as Centro Community Hispanic Association, Latino Health Care, Museum of Latin American Art and several other groups.

Horn said he would like to oversee a boost in federal educational funding by $5 billion to create opportunities for young people. He feels strongly that youths need to learn English and succeed at the language, but learning a second language should begin in kindergarten.

A more structured education system, the merging of head start programs and recreation programs in public schools would give more structure to the education system. Youths need to be trained for high paying jobs, which means there needs to be more investment in programs and technology to prepare students for highly skilled jobs starting at a young age, he said.

Fieldwork is important for students at all levels, he said. A field program called Gear Up has been incorporated in the local high schools, promoting adolescents toward college instead of dropping out.

Horn feels strongly about this issue, which shows why he pushed to increase the number of internships at CSULB.

"It's better to do something that you don't hate," Horn said. The fieldwork allows students to discover likes and dislikes within fields.

International Trade was also addressed since Horn is an advocate of NAFTA. Mexican President-elect Vicente Fox will be in office early December.

If trade opens between the U.S. and Latin America, there will be a positive reaction, he said.  Horn feels that trade negotiations held by U.S. officials are too soft. America needs to be firmer with trade decisions.

Currently, trade with Japan is tough. Perhaps if negotiations were tougher, more American agriculture and various exports would enter Japanese borders and even other countries with tight trade as well.  With such a great resource as the Port of Long Beach, trade with Mexico would increase jobs in the U.S. and in Mexico, he said.