SaberCats Entertain Disturbed Youth

It was a little overwhelming when the more than 20 youth and their advisors strolled into the San Jose SaberCats’ practice facility recently. On this sunny, but breezy day, it was a toss up as to who was really besieged, the practicing players or the youth who were seeking an outlet on this field trip.

Always one to accommodate groups of this nature, players went through their final routines and a gathering at midfield signaled the close of practice. But for many of the players, they weren’t done throwing the football or catching some passes. It was time for the youngsters, and did they get in some activity with fun and frolic.

The group the SaberCats were entertaining were from the Achievekids program from Palo Alto and the San Jose/Santa Clara area. Some older, some younger, but all enjoying a day of outside goings-on.

“These are kids with special needs,” said Rod Hatch, the vocational coordinator for Achievekids. “If we have space at the school, we will take everyone we can,” said Hatch, who graduated from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.

The goal of the organization is to help these young people succeed, whether it is in school or in a job. The main purpose is to make them reach productive lives in the community. This is accomplished through a working partnership with the individual, the family and the community.

“We provide them with an education because some have reading disabilities,” said Hatch. “Getting them back to their high school is one objective but we want them to be able to handle a less restrictive environment.”

All of these difficulties for the youth cannot be handled in a traditional educational environment, so Achievekids sets up the individual programs to address the issues in a variety of diagnoses such as autism, schizophrenia, conduct, mood and attention deficit disorders.

The programs reach youngsters aged 6 to 22. The services reach ethnically and culturally diverse children in San Mateo, Santa Clara Santa Cruz and Alameda counties.

Preparing these youth to become independent members of the community is important. The organization's readiness of a student for employment is key in reaching this goal.

“These youth are referred because so many of them just don't make it at other schools,” said Hatch. “In fact, most are expelled from other schools. Things happen to them here too, but we know how to deal with the more severe problems. We deal with some challenged people. Everyone at the school is defined as having a severe behavioral problem.”

Vocational training is a critical element of the program. Nearly all students received some form of pre-employment training. The majority works in either paid or volunteer jobs in the community.