GREENFIELD - "I'm 17, and I have to pay the bills," said Leslie Estevez, of Northampton.

"But that's just our situation," she said, explaining her job status as she shrugged her shoulders.

Estevez sat in a circle along with a dozen or so youths, ages 15 to 21, who spoke at the seventh annual Youthspeak conference, held at St. James's Church in Greenfield Aug. 19. Others nodded in agreement, and discussed the difficulties in finding satisfying, sustainable employment.

Youthspeak is an annual event hosted by the regional Youth Council, which brings together representatives from different social service agencies to hear from local youth about their views and experiences in education and jobs.

"I got a job through the Franklin/Hampshire summer youth program as a camp counselor," said Yasmine Merced, 15, of Greenfield. She worked as a counselor and kitchen aide in Camp Lion Knoll. "But it's hard getting a job on your own. I feel like a lot of businesses won't hire you if you're young."

This year's audience also included Greenfield Mayor William Martin, Denise Edwards, a Democratic candidate for the state House of Representatives, and Keith Westrich, the director of Connecting Activities program of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

"It's an opportunity to hear straight from young people about what they're going through," said Patricia Crosby, the executive director of the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board. Crosby said that issues raised at Youthspeak will come up in future meetings with legislators and larger regional board meetings, which many private business owners attend.

Much of the Q&A sessions revolved around youth employment and the difficulties youths face finding jobs.

"We're not stupid," said Katrina Tingle, 16, of Gill. "We have a lot of energy that we can bring and skills that can be developed quickly. Youths learn really fast so we can be huge assets."

But Sam King, 21, of Turners Falls, considered employment to be a larger issue.

"I think it's the economic climate in general, not just a problem for the youth," he said. King found work at Co-Op Power Summer Youth Employment Program of the Franklin Hampshire employment board. The program underwrites the cost of wages of local youths for local agencies and businesses.

"This (program) is awesome because it gives jobs to the next adults," he said.

King also felt that experiences of youth in the community differed by age groups. "Youth is a broad thing," he said. "You can't say that all youth experience is the same."

Tyanna Normandin, 20, from Greenfield, agreed, "If you're younger and living with your family, you can do what you like, like baby-sitting."

But for older youths, it becomes harder to gain experiences and pursue jobs they wanted because they have to make ends meet.

"If you're trying to afford the electricity bill, you're not going after what you want, but more of what you have to do," she said. "You're in this repetitive cycle of being in jobs you have to do where you're not learning anything."

Others were able to find work that they truly enjoyed.

Estevez worked as an assistant in the Voluntary Service Office at the Northampton VA Medical Center that serves veterans.

"I loved it," she said, laughing. "The only thing is that I wanted to learn more about patients. All of them have fascinating backgrounds that I would have liked to know more about."

For Merced, camp counseling helped her overcome her fear of children. "I wanted to see if I could get over that fear, and I really like it now," she said. "And it's opened new doors for me - I'll be starting work at the Girls Club soon."

Though times have been tough for the youth, Normandin understands. "Greenfield is a great community, and I have a house thanks to the local organizations," she said. "So I know it's not that the community doesn't care. It's just that times are hard."