In Compton, a teen with a political bent

Kids like Manny Ramirez make you think the future may be in good hands.

He’s getting A’s and Bs in school and, unlike his major league baseball namesake, wants to be a neurologist, cardiologist or lawyer. His favorite subject is math. And although this lanky 15-year-old speaks softly, he may end up carrying a big stick -- in government.

He is deeply involved in the YMCA’s Youth and Government program. “All the kids from around this area who don’t have much money get a chance to experience the political world,” says the Compton teen.

The kids play jurors, lawyers, legislators and lobbyists. Manny has written bills and served as the judge in a mock appellate court.

Manny says he wants to “change the mind-set of the government [toward minorities] -- give them a different point of view.”

If he could make changes now, he’d start by increasing the police presence in his neighborhood.

“It feels like I’m not safe at home,” he says. He would “have the police come when they’re called. They usually show up two hours later.”

Although the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Compton Station, says that the average response time on an emergency call is 4.7 minutes, Manny’s personal experience tells him otherwise.

Manny has never known his father. His mother works hard to support him and his three younger siblings, leaving him to take on a lot of domestic responsibilities.

Trayvond Jacobs, senior program director of the Gardena-Carson YMCA, says, “He’s the man of the house. He’s picking the kids up every day from school, making sure they do their homework.”

Manny got into the Youth and Government program because he wanted to meet new people and try new things. He got to do that last month at the YMCA’s Camp Round Meadow near Big Bear, courtesy of the Los Angeles Times Summer Camp Campaign. Until then, he had never been in the wilderness; in fact, he had been out of the Compton area only once, on a Youth and Government trip to Sacramento.

That may be the first of many trips to the state’s capital for this unassuming but high-achieving teenager.

About 11,000 children will go to camp this summer, thanks to $1.6 million raised last year.

The annual fundraising campaign is part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, which this year will match the first $1.1 million in contributions at 50 cents on the dollar.

Donations are tax-deductible. For more information, call (213) 237-5771. To make donations by credit card, go to latimes.com/summercamp. To send checks, use the attached coupon. Do not send cash.

Unless requested otherwise, gifts of $50 or more will be acknowledged in The Times.