WEGMANS' WISDOM: HOW LONG-TERM ADVOCATES HELP

DAVID MERREFIELD

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Social services in America generally are funded and administered by problem. And that's a problem.

Here's why: Someone with a drug problem may enter a program and become acquainted with a counselor. That same person with an illiteracy problem may join a program and become acquainted with a teacher. That same person with no ability to land a job may enter a skill-building program and become acquainted with a trainer.

This widely used method of offering solutions based on a verticalized, problem-oriented fashion is one that often stands in the way of delivering a better life to the troubled, Danny Wegman, president, Wegmans Food Markets here, told SN. And, in a bid to avoid that flaw, Wegmans moved in quite a different direction when the supermarket chain decided to launch a program aimed at helping area youth improve their chances for high-school graduation.

"Social service in America is funded by problem," he averred. "That means people with a problem with drugs are treated for that by a social worker, and are treated until they're better. That might take a couple of months. Then those with problems with juvenile delinquency go to another social worker that specializes in that. The same is true of any problem possible. Those with problems go from one social worker to the next.

"We found that what was happening was that young students were bonding well with their individual social workers, and they would be on the road to success. Then, the minute their life started getting better, that individual was out of their life. So, in many ways it was worse than if they hadn't seen that person in the first place. They constantly faced disappointment.

"We believe that is the wrong method, and the wrong model for our country to be practicing, since problems are constant. The right model is to assign someone to these young people who will stay with them for a long period of time.

"The work-scholarship program we use is different in that we provide an 'advocate' who works with students over a period of many years, and on a range of different problems. This is a different social-service model, and that's what this boils down to: It's a long-term, continued intervention and relationship vs. a short-term and problem-based relationship.

"We start with students in seventh or eighth grade. Even then, we're not convinced we're catching them early enough. We probably should be catching them earlier, but there are only so many funds we have. And, since our program is based on work, we haven't gone back much earlier.

"For troubled populations, we think the country should change how social services are delivered," he concluded.

Wegman pointed out that advocates are school-based to ensure they are available to work with students through the day. They are also on call for home and night duty.

He said that five years ago, school systems were reluctant to accept advocates, perhaps for fear that accepting them would imply the schools weren't capable of delivering proper services to their students.

Now, he said, schools clamor for them.