SOUTH-CENTRAL : Scaling Issues in the Mountains

When Jesus Lambern’s counselors told him about a school program that offered him a chance to spend the weekend in the snow-covered mountains, he envisioned a relaxing weekend away from South-Central.

But what he discovered was a forum to frankly discuss race relations, drugs, family values and sex.

“I think what surprised me was when people talked about things like getting raped,” said Lambern, a sophomore at Manual Arts High School.

“They thought nobody could do nothing about it.”

Lambern is among 95 students from South-Central schools who took part in a retreat this weekend at Camp Big Pine near Snow Summit sponsored by the Community Drug Free School Zone Safe Passage Project.

During the retreat, known as “youth lock-ins,” students from Locke, Dorsey, Jefferson and Washington high schools agreed to spend three days away from radios, Walkmans, and families to talk about their problems.

“What we’re trying to do is remove them from their everyday experience so we can give them a new experience not only physically but emotionally,” said Sandi Hamilton, Safe Passage project director at Manual Arts.

“This way the kids will feel safe enough to share and talk about sexual abuse, molestation, drugs and other things.”

The program, which began in 1991, places students with 20 adults--including teachers, counselors, licensed psychologists and college professors--in small workshops where they take on issues such as race relations.

“We try and let them know what they have in common,” said Daniel Santa Cruz, a Safe Passage program manager.

“We’ll talk about the common bonds between African Americans and Latinos in terms of history, economics and music. And we get into this thing that we often see of territorialism that happens in our community and try and foster a ‘we’ approach instead of this color thing.”

For students such as Lambern, the program’s allure lies in its promotion of frank talk that helps them deal with parents and peers.

“I actually learned to talk to my dad about sex,” Lambern said. “I learned how to ask him questions, like ‘When you’re ready to do something, what should you ask your partner?’ ”

The weekend program, which is funded by a grant from the state Department of Alcohol and Drug Program, costs about $15,000, Hamilton said. The payoff comes in combatting the area’s high dropout rates and letting teen-agers know help is available.

“We’ve seen tremendous changes in people,” Santa Cruz said. “We’ve had young people in the program who have literally turned their lives around.”

While the promise of change is not the primary reason newcomers Wendy Escobar, 18, and Cathy Thorns, 17, enrolled, they hope to learn something about their peers and themselves.

“I want to hopefully get a better attitude and maybe think differently, learn new stuff and bring back some of that here,” said Escobar, a senior at Manual Arts.

“It’s a chance to get away to the snow,” said Thorns, “but I’m also thinking about the workshops.”