Guarding Against Threats

(Photograph by Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

While America works to get over the distress caused by the September 11 attacks, it also must face the possibility that terrorists could strike again. The emphasis on homeland security has prompted many young people to consider careers protecting their country.

To help such youngsters, Secure Corps, a nonprofit group run by Bucks County Community College and the Bucks County Office of Employment and Training, held an eight-week program for 80 youths in Newtown, Pa., this summer.

To qualify for the program, students had to be high-school juniors or

seniors from needy families and had to have a disability. They also had to have at least one other problem, such as a lack of literacy skills or a brush with law-enforcement officials.

At the start of the program, the youths were organized in teams and given a security problem to solve, such as a terrorist bomb threat at a sporting event or shopping mall. They also learned how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid, and what to do if they are first on the scene of a terrorist attack.

In addition, the organization arranged for the students to take tours of security offices at stadiums, theme parks, and public buildings. Members of the local police force showed them how they use police dogs, and Coast Guard personnel landed helicopters at the camp and told the students about their careers. For example, Matt Silvious (shown here) told them about his job as a Coast Guard swimmer.

The Secure Corps lessons weren’t limited to security. Students learned how to write a résumé, interview for a job, and compose a thank-you letter.

Jean Dolan, assistant director of public relations for Bucks County Community College, says she and her colleagues hope the program “changed some of the students’ lives in terms of equipping them with the credentials and skills they need to get a job in the growing homeland-security field.”