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Anita Adams, Tammy Bibbs Community Education #648 Project Demonstration.
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Anita Adams, Tammy BibbsCommunity Education #648Project Demonstration
Community educators play vital roles in the communities they serve. Their actions often improve the quality of life for the people that reside in those communities. Throughout history community educators have been used to inform, educate, and bring about a social change in many communities.Some well known community educators that have impacted communities throughout history:Anna Julia CooperMyles Horton
Community Educator Heralded as an educator, feminist, social critic, and author, Cooper devoted her entire life to the education and empowerment of African American youth and adults through much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. For Cooper, adult education for the African American working poor was a necessary “doctor and unfailing remedy “ that would not only lift them from poverty but also prepare unlettered and continuing education adults for the “ solid foundations of a more satisfactory and serviceable adjustment to the duties and responsibilities of life ( Johnson, 2009, pg. 45).
Myles Horton Community Educator Myles Horton was an educator, socialists, and cofounder of the Highlander Folk School, famous for its role in the Civil Rights Movement. Horton was often referred to as the father of the Civil Rights Movement. Some of the greatest African American Leaders were at one time attendees of Highlander. Hundreds of black Southerners were influenced and inspired by Highlander. Horton also worked with a variety of labor unions throughout the South. He played an essential role in several labor movements. Horton believed that education could be used to bring about social change. He also believed that the education process should be placed in the hands and minds of those being educated.
Program Investigation • As part of the process of designing our group’s training program, New Beginnings, we investigated two Indiana organizations that provide people in their communities with the necessary tools to become self-sufficient. • The two organizations, Training, Inc. and Jobs Corps, dedicate their time and resources to empowering disadvantaged people.
Training, Inc. is a nonprofit United Way agency that provides career and life skills training to disadvantaged women and men to help them transition into entry-level office jobs. Training, Inc. of Indianapolis is part of a nationally recognized workforce development organization. The organization utilizes collaborative partnerships. There is extensive involvement of employers, volunteers, donors, and community agencies in program events and services. Training, Inc. offers two computer-based career training programs designed to prepare their clients to enter the workforce. Both programs are geared towards equipping people to become self-sufficient in the rapidly changing new technology-based economy. In addition to job training, Training, Inc. offers a variety of other services, such as life skills workshops.
Job Corps is a free education and career technical training program designed especially for young adults between the ages of 16 through 24. The purpose of Job Corps is to improve the quality of their lives through academic and technical training. The Job Corps program is authorized by Title-IC of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Job Corps promotes its program as an opportunity to create transformational change by empowering participating students with education and training. Job Corps offers a second chance opportunity for many young adults.
The Work of Community Educators • The community educators that work within these programs are required to use a wide range of skills in their training of others. • Their work extends beyond the immediate skills training and counseling that they do to include building and strengthening community partnerships. • Community educators serve as motivators, coachers, and mentors
Creating A Community Network • The Training, Inc. and Job Corps programs incorporate the needs and resources of several different organizations and institutions within their communities. • This network of involvement can benefit program participants, the related organizations, and the community at large
Influencing Factors on Design • Built upon the values of community educators, who have empowered adults who are marginalized in society. • We met with community leaders and employers to brainstorm community needs. • We assessed the changing and evolving needs, such as computer requirements for accessing FSSA benefits.
Suggestions from Community Educators on Assessing Needs 1. Do not have preconceived notions about the community. 2. Find out what the community knows and what are the needs 3. Find out what you can learn from them (Leydens, Lucena, Schneider, 2008).
Learning Assumptions • All adults are able to learn and become empowered through education which helps in the development of practical job training skills. • Learning is a way for people to transform their lives in order to become more self-sufficient. • Computer skills are essential for job success in the 21st Century • Transformation occurs through empowering relationships and motivation for change. • Community educators must offer tools to assist all people in being able to come to the table to begin in the process of engaging others to learn.
Designing of Program • Desire to design a job training program that provides basic computer skills, general office skills and training in the use of Excel to empower community members. • Created based upon the demonstrated and identified need of the community being served. • Decided a 12 week program, structured in a three tier approach. Each tier lasts four weeks.
Course Objectives • Provide a computer course to an underserved population of adult learners who are striving toward self sufficiency. • Train adult learners in specific computer skills, such as how to turn on the computer, begin navigating the Ikons on the desktop, conduct a basic web page search using search engine and learn the basic fundamentals of keyboarding
Course Objectives (Continued) • Empower the program participants to learn job training skills which are essential to employment readiness in the 21st Century. • Support community wide efforts to increase computer literacy skills amongst adults who are seeking employment and transitioning out of dependency on governmental programs. • Support adults in climbing out of poverty by building toward economic stability. • Create partnerships with other community agencies to provide referrals for additional training programs and employments opportunities for those who complete this program module.
Three Tier Approach • Tier One: Participants will set personal goals, and begin acquiring basic computer skills, general office skills and keyboarding fundamentals. Participants will begin resumes & cover letters. • Tier Two: New skills training is offered on internet job searching, Microsoft Excel and basic money management through budgeting. Professionalism is practiced through the implementation of specific assigned positions. • Tier Three: Emphasis on job readiness, interviewing techniques and collaborative learning through feedback from other learners about completed assignments. Implementation of critical thinking skills and problem solving. Community building.
Tier One of New Beginnings • Week 1: Review Goals and Objectives for the Course, and have each participant set a personal goal. Begin to navigate computer software and design. Learn how to turn on/off a computer, and navigate through different software Ikons, and how to use the computer setting.
Tier One (Continued) • Week 2: Learn how to conduct a web page search. Learners will also learn the basic principles of Internet search engines and how to conduct a job search on the internet. • Week 3: Focus upon Microsoft Office. Begin learning proper hand positioning for typing and gaining familiarity with keyboarding. • Week 4: Continue with Microsoft Word and typing skills. Introduction to Resume Writing and Cover Letters. Review Sample Templates.
Tier 2 of New Beginnings • Week 5: Participants will work in groups to brainstorm strengths and assets that could be featured in a resume. After brainstorming, each participants will choose a sample template to begin creating a personalized resume. • Week 6: Participants will gather in small groups to look over one another’s resumes and offer constructive feedback to one another. Learners will then incorporate group ideas back into the resume by learning how to edit and modify a Word document. • Week 7: Participants will continue to work on keyboarding skills, and will keep on working on refining their resumes. They will also begin searching websites for possible jobs, and begin preparing cover letters.
Tier 3 of New Beginnings • Week 8: Participants will be introduced to Excel, and have the opportunity to explore the programs. Learners will also begin searching for jobs, and begin preparing for creating a budget. • Week 9: Learners will review Excel, and begin constructing a budget. Participants will practice critical thinking skills by determining the difference between wants and needs. • Week 10: Participants will continue working on budget plan, as well as make final changes to resumes and cover letter.
Tier Three: Course Conclusion • Week 11: All work is completed. Guest speaker will come into discuss professionalism and business attire. Participants will have the opportunity to select business attire. • Week 12: Graduation party and recognition ceremony. A community educator and leader will come to offer words of encouragement to the participants.
Conclusions & Reflections • Our intention was to meet the needs of people in the community and provide them with tools to empower them. • Follow up meeting with community leaders to reflect on experience and what they have learned. • Collaborate on both the strengths and growth areas of the program design and implementation. • Continue to find ways for community educators to create a bridge between community members and cultural changes/changing times. • Evaluate cultural sensitivity and knowledge of community needs.
Evaluations of New Beginnings • Two active and engaged community educators were asked to evaluate the design and offer constructive feedback. • Both evaluators encouraged us to clarify objectives and learning assumptions. • Also encouraged to create a specific program goal and learning objective for each week. • Offer incentives for program completion.
References • http://atterbury.jobcorps.gov. Retrieved on 2/21/12. • http://indypendence.jobcorps.gov. Retrieved on 2/21/12. • http://www.traininginc-indy.org/. Retrieved on 2/1/12. • Information was also gathered from promotional and marketing materials produced for distribution by Job Corps.
