June 16, 2008
1983 Film Focused on Youth Corps Jobs
Due to the large file size, please allow approx. one minute before the movie begins, longer on slower connections.Academy Award winning Michigan filmmaker Sue Marx turned her attention in 1983 to the bold summer jobs program launched by state government to help provide meaningful summer jobs for young adults. The energetic, newly elected governor, Jim Blanchard, proposed the Michigan Youth Corps to provide jobs and hope during the depths of a recession that sent state unemployment skyrocketing above 15 percent and youth unemployment to 29 percent — nearly 50 percent in Detroit. The Michigan Legislature approved the program in quick order, and it was up and running with surprising speed.
The following video clips are from Marx’s 1983 film A Chance to Work. Video courtesy of and copyright by Sue Marx Films Inc.
Youth Corps worker Jack Martin talks about his personal situation and what the program means to him.
An unidentified Corps worker and a supervisor voice their opinions of the program.
Governor Jim Blanchard announces the program to the Michigan Legislature; narrator provides an overview.
Youth Corps Director Doug Ross talks about the lasting value of some Youth Corps jobs.
Gov. Blanchard and Detroit Free Press Editor Joe Stroud analyze why the program worked.
Despite widespread praise, the program was not without its critics. Detroit neighborhood activists Chuck Wilbur and Wanda Bostic provide a contrary view.
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