a picture of perseverance

this last week was hectic at work for a variety of reasons. we didn't host orientation, so that allowed for a different rhythm, but it still filled up with appointments, meetings, and some abnormal out of the office visits. Friday was a mixture of productivity and oh-my-gosh-can-this-day-just-end-ness, when I got the call.

"Robert" got a job. He had just gotten out of the interview and he will start on Monday. ... !! What? That's GREAT Robert! Here's why it's great:

rewind back to March 2009 when I first met Robert. first impressions showed an earnest job seeker who always carried his shoulder bag that contained several folders with copies of his resume, cover letter, and summary of qualifications. the bag also held his spiral notebook where he recorded his job searches: he taped business cards next to dates of when he applied to where, and he wrote notes on when he should follow up. "I always take 2 applications" he told me with a smile. That way, if he messed one up, he had backup, or, if he hadn't heard back, he could re-submit his 2nd application (therefore increasing his name-visibility). I had not met many applicants who were as prepared and noticeably organized as Robert.

Robert's outward appearance was presentable, but not sharp. He wore black jeans with a button-down that, while not always starchy, was never dirty. His demeanor could have been called reserved or timid, but after any sort of conversation with him, he projected an endearing gentleness and optimism that I believed would attract potential employers.

Robert was prepared, presentable, and seemingly had the energy to take on the terrible economy. He also had relevant food service experience and only a minor offense on his criminal history. In his first week or 2 of searching, Robert landed a job at a dinner theater. Unfortunately, he skipped his 2nd day on the job because he suffered from a foot injury and went to the hospital instead. Even with hospital papers, the new employer didn't want the hassle. For 3.5 months, I worked with Robert after his foot fiasco. Finally, due to pressure from the director to "file" those applicants who we'd been keeping for more than 8 weeks, I had to tell Robert that we couldn't work together any longer. Momentum had been lost, things weren't working out, but if he wanted to return to the beginning of our process at any time, we were there.

In November 2009, Robert came back through the orientation process. He was still using his friend's cell phone, (meaning we couldn't have direct access, nor could employers) and while he still looked presentable, he was still not sharp. I worked with Robert for another 3 months, sending him on possibilities, applications, and some interviews. Discouragement was setting in and I was at a loss as to why he wasn't getting hired. In February, I had to file him because he missed his 2nd important interview - this time with a program that would have trained him further and assisted him after the training in job placement - and we have a 2-miss policy.

In March 2010, I saw Robert come through orientation once again. But this time something was different. Over the weeks that followed, I learned that Robert had increased the network of services he was taking advantage of. He had checked into a home that serves as a short-term retreat/respite for those struggling with anxiety. He had case management and was meeting regularly with professionals in the mental health field. He received several sharp-looking button down shirts, a few nice ties, and dark slacks. His glasses were fixed. He was being cared for on a number of levels, and his entire spirit was different - lighter. It seemed that unseen barriers had been removed and he was ready; ready to take on the job market filled with more confidence and a renewed sense of hope. I helped him get a cell phone that he qualifies for; it has limited minutes but was a direct line - no more leaving messages with his friend Bill!

Did he get the job right away? No! I returned to my questions - why hasn't he gotten hired? He had some promising interviews in April, in May, in June, in July...when would it end? How come his persistence, his preparation, his community of support, his diligence - had not paid off? Despite the new factors that contributed to his support, the reality was that Robert was still homeless, and it's hard for me to assess the emotional/spiritual/physical toll that sleeping in a shelter night after night has on a person. He also still had that misdemeanor (= lesser charge than a felony) from 2008, so it was keeping him from positions he was qualified for except for the background check. Do employers care about his arrest story and the situation that surrounded the altercation as he was shopping at the grocery store? Not likely. More likely they "get to the bottom line" - see his charge, assume the worst, and don't give it a second thought.

The beginning of August saw some light at the end of the tunnel. Robert got a call-back (a positive golden ticket) from a bagel place he had applied to in May. They brought him in for an interview and the manager began raving about his resume. "I don't want you just for crew - I want you for shift supervisor!" Wow. That would be great! Full-time, better pay, possibility of benefits. He had to meet with the General Manager. His impression (favorable) was different than hers (as I found after my conversation with her). Still, the GM had no problem with Robert joining as a crew member. At this point, we'd take anything. Part time, full time, whatever can to get him in the door.

Robert also got a call-back from a program that he had been on the waiting list for over a year. It's a temp job lasting 6 months with the potential of a permanent job after that. I advised him that Part-time Permanent was better than even Full-time Temp.

Finally, Robert ended this first week of August with an interview at a place to which I had sent his resume/cover letter. They called him directly and set up the meeting for Friday, and Friday afternoon Robert called me. "The interview was very nice.." I couldn't even take the suspense (at least i told you all before you even started on this epic journey!). Bottom line? HE STARTS MONDAY! It's full time! It's $9/hr! It's a small family-owned ice cream company that is growing and needs someone in the kitchen making the ice cream and cleaning up, and Robert is their man! That bagel place just lost out on someone who could have been their next MVP - but too bad! You snooze you lose! Robert is HIRED. I feel like this has been a year and a half marathon (so if you're like geez this story is long - you have NO idea), but he is FINALLY at a place to begin building stability and a future.

Robert has been a picture of perseverance and persistence. Even though he was the model applicant in many ways, there were still underlying issues that presented immense challenges to his re-entering the job market. You can do all the right things and still face barriers, and there can also be things beneath the surface that will demand attention before the outward stability pieces start falling into place.

There's nothing 'easy' about job placement. Robert's story has been an uncomfortable reminder that I do not have the corner market on knowing what the "secret" is to placing people. It's a group effort, for sure, with so many dependent factors that extend far beyond 1 organization or set of people. I'm so happy for Robert, and I'm excited to see what this new job will do for him in concert with the other support services he has in his life. May he continue to work in dignity for sustenance and hope.

Choosing Joy

Friends, it has been a good long while since I've posted anything. In a renewed commitment to reflect (in this format) more regularly, I'm focusing on a topic that's been pretty significant to me in the last few months.

Joy is that element of life that you sometimes hear people talking about as a distinctive: "happiness is circumstantial, but joy is a choice." What does it mean to choose joy?

It means in the face of hardships, we look for the blessing. when relationships are strained, we look for the truth, intention, and hope behind the pain. when the future is uncertain, we revel in the clarity of the moment. or when the moment is distorted, we search for the core of goodness that surpasses the passing impression. when we work for justice and the results are discouraging, we cling to the joy of small victories, of new break-throughs, of the beauty of people working in cooperation for a common good.

one of my favorite quotes related to the pursuit of justice while embracing joy is from Gary Haugen, director of the International Justice Mission:

"The victims of injustice in our world do not need our spasm of passion; they need our long obedience in the same direction. They need our legs and lungs of endurance; and we need sturdy stores of joy. We cannot ache and sweat through history's long arc of justice without clutching life-giving stores of beauty, laughter, goodness, love and light, without snatching delicious naps in the cool grassy spots, and without late night fires with friends who make us flush and ache with laughter. To carelessly ditch the cool canteen of joy in the name of a severe urgency is to misunderstand the expedition and to render one's self useless in the fight against aggressive evil."

Joy was a little elusive for me in the fall. Communal life wasn't the easiest, I was missing friends who had moved, I was struggling at work, and it seemed that relationships that used to be easy were hard, and those that had been hard were just replaced by other challenges. But a friend reminded me of Guerrillas of Grace, and Autumn's poem was particularly applicable: Waken in Me a Sense of Joy.

"O extravagant God, in this ripening, red-tinged autum, waken in me a sense of joy in just being alive, joy for nothing in general except everything in particular; . . . joy in having what I cannot live without-- other people to hold and cry and laugh with; joy in love, in you; and that all at first and last is grace."

What brings me joy? My family. This Christmas was a beautiful reunion after 4 Christmas' of not being together. And an added blessing? Simon Claassen Thrush! That little pumpkin has stolen my heart. being an auntie has been such a thrill. his big blue eyes, his little tricks, his tottering steps, his giggle, his shy smile, his charmer smile, his sleepy smile, his cuddly moods...so good. and sharing DC with Alan & Beth? quality.

'nother joy? GREs being done. done done and DONE. and the math? kicked that mug out the way! and I'm so grateful for the friends who supported me and encouraged me along the way - because studying for that stuff was not fun. but as one beautiful friend put it, God's call is not dependent on test scores. thank goodness!

final joy? (before bed): the Grantham Girls. the 5 of us were freshmen on Grantham 2nd Hall in 2002-2003. From that year, we created a bond that has lasted for the last 7/8 years. dang! each year has brought more adventures, more memories made, more laughter shared, more ridiculousness embraced. this last weekend was no exception. these girls make me flush and ache with laughter. if ever a word could brand a group, it could be "joy" - and I am full of that joy reflecting back on our years of friendship.

"Come, Lord Jesus, expand me by your power, . . . to do something I believe in and be something more of who I mean to be and can be, . . . to link my passion with courage, my hope with discipline, my love with persistence, to enable me to learn from difficulties, grow in adversities, gain wisdom from defeats, perspective from disappointments, gracefulness from crises, and find joy in simply living it all fully." (Gentle My Desperation)

Promotion!

I have another post related to my job, though I told myself last month that I’d do one specifically about being an auntie. Ah well…

My recent big news is that I was offered a promotion at my job! During the first week of July, my associate director (a woman with 20 years in the Marine Corps on her resume, so she knows how to throw around intimidation when she wants to..) told me she wanted to talk to me, and when I sat down at her desk, she said that Terry (the Executive Director) and her needed to speak with me in the conference room. Even though Jacqueline and I have a good rapport, it was still one of those *gulp* moments.

I grabbed a pen and notebook and came upstairs. After a little musical chairs, Jacqueline and I just sat there, and the scene went a little like this:
Me: So…
JS: What? (feigning ignorance)
Me: I’m just kind of wondering why I’m here…
JS: Your heart pumping a little bit?
Me: ha – a little!
JS: Why? You haven’t done anything wrong have you??
Me: That’s exactly what’s going through my head right now, just to make sure!
JS: ha – no, you haven’t done anything wrong…

Then the big boss came in and they unveiled the actual reason for the meeting: a new job offer! Jubilee received a large grant that needs a job counselor to assume the role of Job/Educational Counselor. The grant is for 2 years (so I’m committed through the summer of 2011) and each year our goal is to give 20 young ex-offenders (ages 18-34) a $1000 scholarship toward their educational goal, whether that’s for a certificate or associate’s degree or vocational training etc.

I’m excited by this prospect (though we haven’t done much to define this new role yet) because of the goal to work against recidivism (the unfortunate pattern when people are released from prison and then shortly thereafter land right back in prison). The foundation who is funding this grant desires to work to end homelessness and to target young ex-offenders who have the potential to make better career choices if just given the chance. Enter our program that already does job placement, and add me to the mix to create a fusion of creative imagining for a new future!

Though I still don’t consider myself a seasoned pro, I have worked in this organization long enough to see several individuals who have a “checkered” past, telling me how they spent the better part of their “prime” years (not to sound ageist in the least) just going in and out of prison. I am energized by the idea that if we step in and intervene during these critical ages, perhaps we can stop the cycle of violence by focusing on a career path that leads to advancement and giving back.

Because the grant is so new, I have the opportunity to help create and define my role, and while that is a little intimidating to me, it is also exciting to think that I can help shape this new program and build structures that will hopefully help future participants.

If you or anyone you know has insight into scholarship opportunities, matching grant options, or programs in the greater DC area that are in the Adult Education field, don’t hesitate to let me know :)

shifts at work

Jubilee Jobs has been inundated with a high volume of job-seekers in the recent months. Our week-long process of preparation was grinding along and we as Job Counselors were struggling to meet, intake, process, and place all the folks coming through the door.

Thankfully, a few months ago my supervisors heard our cries of "uncle!" and "enough!" and "not sustainable!" and we changed some structural things beginning at the end of April. Since then, we've extended our week of preparation to a week and a half and have thus staggered our orientations (the first step to participate in our process) to the first and third Mondays of every month (versus every Monday of every month). This has helped tremendously - mainly in giving us as Job Counselors a little extra time to work with our caseload of people before the new batch starts up.

With the extension of preparation, we've added 2 workshops to our time, making it a total of 4 workshops that each applicant must attend to complete the process. We've traditionally offered both an interview skills workshop and a conflict resolution workshop, and now we've added 2 customer service workshops as well. Each workshop runs about an hour and a half.

Before we changed the process, the workshops were mainly run by volunteers, and then a few staff would have to fill in as needed. With 2 extra days of workshops (each with 3-5 more times each day offered), Jubilee has needed to call on us staff members to lead the sessions. Consequently, I have been leading many more workshops in the last month than ever before.

I am enjoying the opportunity to facilitate these groups of 6-12 people on a variety of topics. I've now led 2 interview workshops, 1 conflict resolution, 4 customer service, and a few others on post-employment topics. I like it best when the discussion starts rolling and people are contributing fresh examples of the material we're working with. The goal is that as we talk through what folks can think about prior to their interview, they will have that much more of an advantage in the way they present themselves and market themselves for the job in question than any other Joe Shmoe from the street.

There's one quote we use in the Customer Service workshop that essentially says, "what is the point of life if it is not to make it easier for one another?" We ask participants to respond to the quote, and in my first time leading this session, one guy jumped in there with an excellent example. He affirmed the quote and explained that that morning, he was on the bus worrying about if he was going to make it to us on time (if they're late for any appointment during the week+ of prep, they have to start over again with everything), and there was a mother with 3 young kids and a stroller that had to come up on the bus. He told our group, he had the choice: sigh and roll his eyes and hold a grudge at the woman getting on the bus (how DARE she hold up the bus by having so many kids and a stroller...) OR he could offer to help the woman, thereby relieving some of her stress and demonstrating his kindness which would then put everyone in a better mood on the bus. It's THAT kind of care, attention, and service that we want to embody at any job we have so that whomever is watching will see what kind of excellent employee we are and it will positively affect our whole environment.

I do enjoy my work. The only thing that seems to be so slippery is time. If I lead workshops (they're very engaging), I end up having a hard time transitioning back to the Job Counselor stuff. If I do too much of the Job Counselor stuff, I end up looking for diversions, but then too much of that is not good either. What's that elusive little thing for which we all so eagerly long? Oh that's right - balance.

faithful

Happy Earth/Arbor Day. hope you were able to hug a tree sometime this week, because if ever there was a week to do it, this would have been the one.

did you know that it’s been 2 months since I’ve blogged? Did I know that it’s been 2 months since I’ve blogged? glory!

I have spent a significant portion of the last 2 months investing in some of my non-DC relationships. This has taken a toll on my in-DC community, and I am indebted to their grace and understanding as I have bopped all over the eastern states. My travels took me to Buffalo, NY where I reconnected with my dear friend Steph – and we got to celebrate her landmark birthday together! :) A core group of us from freshman year at Messiah (minus Maria) met up at Karen’s house in February and we spent a good time laughing, updating, and reminiscing. I hosted Sheena for Spring Break and saw family on either side of picking her up/dropping her off. I spent a lovely weekend retreating with some dear girlfriends at Roxbury Holiness Camp, and again witnessed the magnificence of shooting stars as we lay in a field huddled in our sleeping bags. I traveled down to South Carolina (dropping off Sarah near Duke) where I laughed and swapped stories with Dottie, Jon & their beautiful twin girls, and then stayed with my lovely cousin Megan and her husband Chris. So many good conversations, so many good memories made!

Even as I have tried to pull back from traveling in April and to focus more on DC, I have still had the privilege of connecting to both sides of my incredible family for Easter (and the added bonus of a bridal shower – woot!). To be able to share stories, laugh with cousins/aunts/uncles/grandparents, sing with each other, glean wisdom and seek advice from my family is an amazing blessing for which I am so thankful.

Along with the traveling and reconnecting, there has also been some significant processing that’s occurred in the last few months. I am thankful to be standing on the other side of some of the harder conversations and testify to God’s great faithfulness – to loving even when it is hard: let us not forget “how to hope, how to laugh, how to say, ‘I’m sorry,’ how to forgive, how to bind up wounds, how to dream, how to cry, how to pray, how to love when it is hard, and how to dare when it is dangerous. . . . Praise be to you, Lord, for life; praise be to you for another chance to live.” (Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace)

here are links to some of the trips I've made recently...
Part 1
Part 2

Perfect timing

Yesterday the staff of Jubilee Jobs took a silent retreat at this place that the Church of the Saviour has owned for 56 years. It couldn't have come at a better time.

For months now, I've been meaning to post more about the ups and downs of my job. Just before Thanksgiving, I was getting really close to saying - I love my job! In fact, I had drafted part of a story that highlighted one of the best aspects of my work (this is from last November):

I’m so excited right now! So my phone call went like this. “Good afternoon, this is Emily.” “Emily – I love you” [oh..my…] “Who’s this??” “Rick.” [Rick had just had an interview with a manager late this morning] “ooOOoo Rick tell me good news!” “Well, Ms. Dionne…she said she’d give me a chance.” [you know when you can hear a smile in someone’s voice? That was this.] “Rick! That’s great! Oh man I’m so happy for you!...”and some other similarly exultant exclamations. The point is – he’s hired!

Here’s the thing. This guy has a pretty intense charge. Like, the kind where your stomach kind of drops when you see it sitting there looking up at you. But here’s where I love my job. He has just spent 14 and a half years of his life in prison; he was incarcerated for this intense crime as a 21-year-old, and he’s had close to half his life taken from him to think about how he wants to make a change. After meeting with him and hearing his story, I was able to then advocate to the manager about why she should take a chance with this particular man. Forget what you may think about an ex-offender -- this was Rick, and he is great. He is ready to work, he is open to learn, he will show up on time and will be a motivated employee for your team! You've gotta meet him!

And then things with work got tricky and difficult - from the internal-organization side of things. So then suddenly I wasn't sure if I loved my job or just enjoyed it most days.

Now, with nearly 6 months under my belt, I can say with pretty confident assurance that I do enjoy my job *most* days, but I'm not wide-eyed and naive about it being amazing either. The work is difficult, both from an organizational standpoint and from oh-hey-DC has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. There are about 500,000 DC residents and 60,000 of those are either un-employed or under-employed. Yowzer.

Tuesday and Wednesday were perfect examples of the up-and-down of this job. We had been [gloriously] off on Monday because of President's Day (woot!). So Tuesday was nuts with everyone calling in and seeing if there are interviews for them to go on (it typically takes 5-6 interviews before people get hired in this economy. So that could be 3-5 weeks of searching). I currently have about 26 open files of people (I started out only taking 7-8 new ones a week, now I'm doing 11-13 new ones a week) and if even only half of them call in, I may spend at least 10 minutes with each one (sometimes 15, 20, or 30 minutes even) and time just flies out the window. Add to that doing resumes with people or assisting with online applications and the day can literally just walk all over you.

Tuesday the highlight happened at the end of my day when one of the guys I've been working with since the beginning of January (and who's been exemplary in pounding the pavement) came in to say he'd been hired at Popeye's. HOORAY!! I tell every applicant that it takes patience and persistence, flexibility and preparation to go through the process of finding a job. But if someone sticks with it, they will get hired. It was so great to celebrate with Harold! And then Marcelle called in to tell me her good news - that this place where she had interviewed a couple weeks ago called her back and wanted her in for orientation! So great!

Then there was Wednesday. This was one of our long days (every Friday we get out at 3:30pm thank the Lord because 2 Wednesdays out of each month we stay until 8pm). We had a frustrating Job Counselor meeting in the morning (questions like - what did you do yesterday if we had no new clients to meet with?? are NOT especially helpful or supportive) and then there was more craziness on the phone. The low point was when Harold (see paragraph above) came in to tell me he COULDN'T take the job at Popeye's because the program he's in has a curfew for unemployed participants, but Popeye's wouldn't sign a paper that said he was offered the job because he was on probation so they weren't going to sign any binding paper. The form was for his recovery program and was not in any way related to a contract. But without the signature from the employer, his program wasn't going to give him an extension, and he'd be kicked out. So ... he couldn't take the job. WHAT??? NOOOOOO! So I got on the phone to Popeye's, but by the time I reached the manager, the owner (who made the rule) had already left. And I knew I wasn't going to be in Thursday, so I left a message with the recovery program asking them to PLEASE call the owner on Thursday because how stupid (I think I used a different word on my message...probably "silly") would it be for a great guy like Harold to have to pass up a JOB OPPORTUNITY IN A RECESSION BECAUSE OF A SILLY MISUNDERSTANDING WITH FORMS AND SIGNATURES???????

So anyway, THAT'S why the silent retreat yesterday was perfect timing. Space to sit and be. Space to walk and think. Space to be in nature without the phone ringing incessantly. Space to connect with this Jubilee Jobs staff that I really do love and am so thankful for.

Now. I gotta go. Because work is calling my name. Thanks be to God for challenging, meaningful, frustratingly delightful work.

I. was. there.

What a day and what a weekend. I've been meaning to blog for a while now - a lot has been happening and much could be said by way of updating - but all that will have to wait, because today is post-worthy all by itself.

how do I describe the incredible feeling of being part of something so monumental (ha..dc...monuments..ha...) and historic that it can blow.one's.mind. just thinking about it??

Six of us biked down to the Mall, anticipating huge crowds and lots of fervor. we were not disappointed. first of all - OK IT WAS FREEZING. like, not EVEN freezing. it would have been NICE to REACH freezing. so that was obstacle #1. no worries: 4 bottom layers and 6 top layers later, I wouldn't describe myself as toasty, but surely grateful for each one of them. also I had a glove/mitten combo and some headgear (not for the mouth) that made everything *except* the feet pretty well taken care of.

We decided not to attempt the sea of immensity that was ever closer to the Capitol. Instead, we opted for the bank of the hill upon which is placed the Washington Monument. Not bad. We could see the jumbotron (pictures had to be fully zoomed to see the image on the screen, but no worries, we saw it) and there were plenty of speakers set up so we could hear everything that was going on. It was me, some former & current housemates, and a million of our closest friends. oh hey :)

When I post more of these pictures on facebook, I'll be sure to come back to this post and include the link so all can enjoy. (here you go)

I have not been a part of any other Inauguration, but it was very clear even to me that something was different about this one. There was camaraderie, there were pep-chants (O-BA-MA!), there were people chatting it up that would never have spoken before (oh you're from Detroit? I was born and raised there!...etc). also there were a LOT of people there, and wow...what a feeling to be part of a crowd that is just a fraction of those who have begun to imagine again a new role for the United States - a new vision, a new possibility for a better reputation, a new resolve to stay true to the basic principles that formed this nation, a new strategy to pursue peace and justice and service and compassion....I believe I was breathing some fresh new air...and it was invigorating.

there are definitely policy areas where I don't agree with Obama or his new Cabinet members. But what I truly appreciate is his tenor, his tone, his perspective that smacks of a humble recognition of the enormity of what lies ahead. there's such a contrast between a leader that says, hey, we are in a mess and it will take time and cooperation to figure things out, and I'm not as much worried about who gives the good ideas as the fact that good ideas are being created and worked on....with the leader that says - hey, the country voted me in, EREGO I'm the boss, and this is how things will work - MY way and we're always right and America is just amazing and will always be and don't you forget it. that last sentiment is, how you say, stale, moldy, immature, and destructive reasoning that only got us into deep deep ... critical crappy crises.

alright - 2009 has begun, President Barack Obama has begun (circulating the many inaugural balls), and I will again return to regular reflecting (mostly for my sake, but maybe for the sake of a larger opportunity to dialogue...so please always feel free to email, comment, or call about anything you read...).

I leave you with an excerpt from my prayer for 2009 (from Ted Loder's Guerrillas of Grace, "I praise you for what is yet to be"): (and adapted to "we" language)

"I praise you
that you turn us loose
to go with you to the edge of now and maybe,
to welcome the new,
to see our possibilities,
to accept our limits,
and yet begin living to the limit
of passion and compassion
until, released by joy,
we uncurl to other people
and to your kingdom coming,
for you are gracious beyond all telling of it.