Opportunities for Women

OUR COMMUNITY Opportunities for ‘Women to Work’

JVS course helps women gain job skills.

JN STAFF

Women to Work, a free four-week course offered by JVS Human Services that provides important skills to women needing immediate employment, is returning to in-person programming after being remote during the pandemic.

In addition, a summer networking event “WOW: Women, Opportunities, Work” will be held to offer local female jobseekers the opportunity to connect with successful businesswomen in Metro Detroit.

Featured business leaders in the WOW event are CEO of Universal Special Events Inc. Tonia Williams; founder and owner of skinnytees Linda Schlesinger-Wagner; cofounder and CEO of Bamboo Detroit Amanda Lewan; and founder and president of CKC Agency Carolyn Krieger.

An informational meeting for the Women to Work course will be held July 21 from 9-11 a.m. The outdoor WOW networking event is on July 22 from 6.30-8.30 p.m. at JVS Human Services in Southfield. Register for Women to Work at jvshumanservices.org/ contact and the WOW networking event at jvshumanservices.org/ jvs-career-club-wow-event.

“The pandemic has shown us how our work lives can be severely impacted by situations beyond our control, and we want all local women looking for a fresh employment start to know that free, life-changing help is available this summer,” said Judy Richmond, Women to Work coordinator.

“This course offers vital skills many women need to get back into the workforce, and the networking event will help women make valuable connections and gain insight.”

The Women to Work course is eight sessions and runs from July 27 through Aug. 19, with classes from 9 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Topics will include in-depth vocational assessment, employment-related group counseling and emotional support, information and referrals to support services, help with networking, resume writing and interviewing and more.

While Women to Work was forced to go remote earlier this year, it remained a vital resource for women seeking employment: 16 local Metro Detroit women completed the course with many finding new jobs. One of those women was 54-year-old Monique Maksym of Lakeville, who learned negotiating skills, verbiage for discussing salary offers and, importantly, ways to ensure her resume was taken seriously by hiring professionals by including keywords found in the job application.

“I enjoyed being with other women in the course, hearing everyone’s input, which was all diverse and valuable, and I was able to job seek with a whole new arsenal of tools,” she said. Maksym, an executive TV producer, was eventually able to renegotiate a position with a former employer and is now working as a contractor.

For more information, contact Judy Richmond at (248) 233-4232 or email her at jrichmond @jvshumanservices.org. For more information on the WOW networking event, contact Gerard Baltrusaitis at (248) 658-8862 or email him at gbaltrusaitis @jvshumanservices.org.

JARC Teen Council Wins $4,000 Grant

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

The JARC Teen Action Council was awarded a $4,000 grant from the Stephen H. Schulman Millennium Fund for Jewish Youth.

The funding will cover the second term of the Teen Action Council program from September 2021 through June 2022 and will be used for the program’s educational component.

“What we’re able to do with the grant is formalize the leadership education component,” said Shaindle Braunstein, JARC CEO. “Bringing in training around leadership development and working with persons with developmental disabilities and bringing in speakers around advocacy work — all with the goal to grow this into something that helps the youth take these skills into their future.”

Braunstein says what makes the grant unique is that it directly helps the teens help others.

“This spreads our message and mission, introduces our local youth to JARC and creates ambassadors in the community who can go out and say, ‘this is what inclusion means, this is what it means to be a person with a disability, and this is how I can be an ally and advocate,’” Braunstein said. “To have the opportunity to provide vibrant programming for youth is something we’re really excited about.”

Through JARC’s Teen Action Council, local high schoolers can learn through service. The council allows teens to connect with peers, engage with the people JARC serves, learn important leadership and relationship skills, and learn about developmental disabilities and the importance of inclusion in the community.

Students active in the council agree to a one-year term with an option for a second year. Members are asked to attend seven out of 10 monthly hourlong meetings, which to date have been virtual. Members are asked to plan one large group project together (this term, group made Chanukah Care Packages for persons served in JARC’s

JARC Teen Action Council

Independent Living Services program).

They are also responsible for creating a virtual activity for JARC persons served, which has included tote bag decorating, virtual game night and an outdoor scavenger hunt. All Metro Detroit youth are encouraged to apply.

“I always want to tell people that with JARC, we have room at our table for everyone, and we want the entire community involved in our mission,” Braunstein said.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for teens. If you’re someone who wants to be involved with JARC, we want you here, and there’s always a place for you.”