Central Los Angeles : Students at Housing Project Kick Off Youth Soccer Clinic

Students in Ricardo Aburto’s class at Ramona Gardens housing project scoffed when he suggested they organize a children’s soccer clinic. Who would listen to a bunch of high school dropouts, former gang members and teen-age parents?

But that was a month ago and the teen-agers’ skepticism has faded as plans progressed for the clinic, to be held today at the East Los Angeles development. To organize the clinic the students divided up chores, then spent hours faxing and phoning potential corporate sponsors and donors.

“It went pretty good, to my surprise,” said Javier Aguilar, 17, who arranged for the donation of candy and punch. “It’s teaching me how things can come together if you really work at it.”

The students, all Ramona Gardens residents, take Aburto’s daily, two-hour “Career Choices” class as part of the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program. Aburto’s goal in assigning the clinic project was to “let them know the world is not that out of touch and it’s not that complicated. They can do things to change their community and themselves.”