Essential Skills for Work and Life

Eleven committed, engaged women in Northeast Spokane invested in a six-week ‘essential skills’ career development program in the summer of ‘24, one that promises a brighter future for themselves and their families.

This is the 4th cohort of women experiencing the Essential Skills program, which helps unemployed and underemployed women build skills and professional confidence.

The topics covered are a compelling combination of the thought-provoking and philosophical as well as the purely practical. Financial literacy, computer skills training, strengths assessments, time management, and career development sessions are presented right alongside HOPE workshops, “finding your inner mentor” sessions, vision boards, mindfulness practice and discussions about emotionally intelligent communication.

“I heard about the program from my son’s ECAP [Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program] administrator at Logan Elementary,” said Mandie Norman, a graduate from the class of 2023, who helped facilitate the 2024 program.

“Before I took this class, I felt unprepared to enter into the working world despite having a college diploma,” she says. “Being a Mom - especially a new Mom - you lose yourself in the endless dishes and laundry, meal planning and bill paying – struggling from one bill to the next. Every lady in the class had a similar experience in life, with similar struggles.”

The program provided vital information and a community of support right in the neighborhood.

“We were able to talk to one another openly and find advice that was relevant to our situations in everyday life,” Norman adds. “The best thing was that we grew together as a group by learning together.

“This class pushed me to overcome my anxieties, and find my inner voice that is strong, confident and capable to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish,” she reflects.

Participants attended classes three hours a day, four days a week for six weeks throughout the summer. Seven of 11 participants live where the program was taught – at Gonzaga Family Haven on Hamilton at Foothills Drive. Childcare is provided.

The small class size ensures the personal attention students value. In addition, every participant has the opportunity to participate in a federally funded internship at Gonzaga University, Catholic Charities, the Northeast Community Center or other area businesses, and get support with going to college or being directly employed.

“The genesis of this program came from Greater Spokane Incorporated (GSI), Spokane Workforce Council, and large employers as they sought a pilot course for inclusive workforce development that could prepare women to be ready day-one with skills needed for success,” explains Jene Ray, director of The ZONE at Northeast Community Center, the program’s co-founder. “Numerous partners have been involved in development of the curricula and wrap-around supports over time – it’s been a ‘whole village’ effort – and partners like GSI, WorkSource, SCC, and YWCA’s Our Sister’s Closet continue to support each cohort.”

“The majority of the curriculum is taught by Gonzaga University faculty and staff,” Ray continues. “Each content area and lesson facilitator are provided feedback by the participants to continuously improve course content. This year we added a panel of professional women in the community who told stories of their career journeys and discussed the power of networking (80 percent of jobs are obtained by knowing someone). They offered LinkedIn connections for new graduates, leveraging their relationships to help these women broaden their community of support.”

Gonzaga University’s Center for Community Engagement, another co-founder helps address the variety of experiences that help participants flourish.

“Faculty and staff from GU teach and help students discern their educational and career goals,” says Molly Ayers, assistant dean of CCE. “Mock interviews provide valuable practice in presenting one’s self. Participants collaborate on a community service project, and there is extensive training on ways to access and use job search resources.” GU departments actively participating include Career & Professional Development, Institutional Technology, and the Center for Life-Long Learning.”

Catholic Charities also brings an essential ‘family’ perspective.

“We are grateful to host this transforming program at Gonzaga Family Haven,” says Peg Haun-McEwen, director of community at GFH. “It is so humbling to watch the women shift from surviving to thriving over the six weeks. In the end, this experience impacts them and their entire family system. We are honored to be part of Essential Skills and celebrate each participant’s success!”

It’s working:

• Since 2021, 46 women in Northeast Spokane have graduated from Essential

  Skills and gone on to job and/or education opportunities.

• Graduates have maintained employment and received promotions at such employers as Salvation Army, Ross, Sodexo, Gonzaga University and Northeast Youth Center.

• Program graduates continue to take computer and other coursework to further their career pathways. Several have enrolled at Spokane Community College in everything from web-building to cosmetology.

• One previous graduate ran for City Council in 2023.

Personal reflections from recent classes reveal how participants see themselves differently as a result of this class:

• “I have more confidence.” x4

• “I learned that I have more strengths than I thought.”

• “I have tools to build a future and raise my kids.”

• “I am becoming a better mom and self.”

• “I am becoming something better than I was so that things around me can be better too!”

• “I’m experiencing growth and healing at the same time.”

• “I’m finally going where I want and know where that is. I’m not just throwing my hands up and not caring what’s going on.”

• “I feel empowered.”

• “I feel connected to this group, like I have people I can call if I need to talk or need some help.” All of the woman in the room responded positively in agreement to this notion.

• “I have a stronger sense of belonging in my community.”