To jump start its work in closing the opportunity gap in Southeast Dallas, Jubilee hired a Community Support Specialist, Alejandra, to lead the charge on creating a Family Empowerment Program to strengthen families and build a pipeline of local leaders.
In partnership with National Center for Families Learning, Jubilee works with families through a year-long Family Empowerment Program aimed at building stronger families and encouraging advocacy within the community. The Family Empowerment Program consists of four main focus areas: Adult Skill Building, Parent Time, Parent/Child Time, and a Family Service Learning Project. Adult skill building seminars - such as resume workshops, interview prep, small business 101, public speaking, and home ownership courses - are hosted by the Family Empowerment Program but many are open to the public and provide crucial tools for Jubilee residents to take ownership of their livelihoods and their futures. From the first resume workshop alone, our neighbors made great strides:
S.J. and her daughter Carla came to the resume workshop hoping to build a stronger application for a quality job or internship over the summer that could prepare Carla for college applications. Within just a couple of months, Carla landed a shadow program position for the summer at a large corporation headquartered in Dallas.
Maria was looking for employment and had not been working while she had young kids at home. Worried about her qualifications after being out of the workforce for so long, Maria thought maybe the resume workshop could help. When Jubilee staff called Maria just one month after the workshop, she had secured a new job in child care paying $16 per hour – that’s more than double her previous wage. Not just any additional income, this livable wage means so much for her family ‘s future and we are excited to see what’s next!
This fall, the 14 families signed up for the Family Empowerment Program will take the skills they’ve learned about local government systems, advocacy, and planning to embark on a Family Service Learning Project of their choice. Ideas that came up in initial planning were speed bumps in front of the Community Center or a free book share program. We look forward to keeping you updated on their progress!