Capstone Project
For my capstone project, I gave a presentation to a group of women from the Women's Education and Leadership League (WELL).
The Women’s Education and Leadership League (WELL) is a local nonprofit organization founded on the belief that three core areas — Financial, Physical and Emotional wellness are intertwined. The organization gives women the tools they need to take charge of their lives, businesses, and communities.
For many participants in the WELL Women program, opportunities for gainful employment have been limited, which can cause discouragement, frustration and lead to a cycle of generational poverty. Many of these women have been homeless, have been justice involved and have struggled with addiction.
My goal was to provide tools through a training/soft skills presentation that would ultimately help participants develop the critical skills needed for gainful employment. I wanted these women to know that everyone can be a leader. This included helping them understand: their unique gifts, challenges and opportunities, how to find their intrinsic motivation, envision what success looks like in a job interview and hone their communication soft skills.
Because I was aware that many of these women have children and leverage the support and opportunities available at Family Resource Centers, I partnered with my local Parent Resource Center, which offered to host the training through a sponsorship from the Stanislaus County First 5 Commission. Child care and dinner were provided.
A total of 16 people participated in the training. Over the span of two hours, participants learned strategies to become more hirable and desirable employees and I shared ways they could increase their value in the workplace. We held engaging conversation about non verbal communication, body language, embracing other's differences, critical thinking and decision-making. We talked at length about what constitutes a strong interview and how the ideal candidate presents themselves. These women felt empowered to begin a path to self-sufficiency and financial freedom.
What was presented? This 2-hour training was designed to help women with little professional experience understand what employers are looking for so that they could develop the soft skills necessary to begin building a life of self-sufficiency through gainful employment. I wanted to equip and empower women from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and support them professionally. I coined the training, Understanding What Employers Look for: The Critical Soft Skills that Lead to Success.
The curriculum included a crash course on: basic communication competency, professionalism and ethics, collaboration, problem solving, embracing diversity and demonstrating compassion.
To a person, the participants enjoyed the training and learned valuable information.
Why does this matter? People who have come to expect failure and setbacks in life can become discouraged and repeat the cycles they are familiar with. This cycle can include a period of unemployment, followed by unhealthy relationships for personal gain, abuse/domestic violence, substance abuse and eventually incarceration or homelessness. Armed with the knowledge gained through this training, along with mentorship, and nonprofit resources, I am hopeful that some of these women will believe in the prospect of a brighter future, form a plan and apply themselves to it.
Based on the participant feedback reflected in the surveys, all attendees gained useful and important (potentially life-changing) information. The anonymous survey measured; 1) Whether or not attendees enjoyed the program, 2) If they found the information valuable, 3) If they believe their soft skills improved based on what they learned, 4) If they believe that this training will help them find a job or promote in their current employment, 5) If they believe this experience increased their knowledge and preparation for interviewing and job seeking, and 6) if they feel this advanced their social skills.
After tabulating the survey results, I found that 100% were positive. Participants enjoyed the presentation and found the information valuable. They also believe the class increased their knowledge, advanced their social skills and better prepared them for interviews and job placement. Every participant answered yes to the questions on the survey and agreed to the follow up contact. Some identified their favorite part of the training, noting various activities which ranged from affirming your superpower to conflict management tools.
What happens now? The participants were asked if to take a short follow-up survey in 3-6 months. If they were willing, we collected their email addresses. I plan to follow up with each of them to assess whether or not their employment status has improved, and if they feel that additional training and assistance could help them. I will work to determine what that could look like and offer resources. This could mean connecting them to the County Workforce Development department, a GED or literacy program and vocational programs/opportunities.
As a new volunteer trainer and partner to WELL Women, I plan to continue to offer this training annually, or biannually, in partnership with WELL Women and the Parent Resource Center. I will fine tune and customize each presentation to fit the audience.
The leadership competencies demonstrated through this project are: communication, coaching/transforming leadership, servant leadership, and adaptive leadership.
