2010 Resolution: We're Going to LISTEN

There are changes taking place at Advance Memphis. Our four week Jobs for Life/Financial Freedom class is becoming a six week class. We're adding more "deliverables" - meaning that students are required to participate in KeyTrain and literacy testing, complete computer training, and create a Life Application Plan, among other things. We'll have slightly fewer graduates, but we feel confident that our graduates will be more prepared to move toward the goal set in our mission statement: economic self-sufficiency. All of the changes we're making reflect our desire to develop deeper relationships that will allow us to love and serve our neighbors.

John 13:35: Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you, love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other.

Below, Jobs for Life instructor Andrew Vincent discusses the conviction he felt to strengthen our programs by allowing time and space for listening.

There are two core beliefs of our Jobs for Life Program. First, every human being is created in God's image and therefore each one of us could not be any more or any less valuable. Not only do we have an infinite amount of value, but through the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, there is nothing we can do to destroy this God-given dignity or separate us from the love the Father has for us. The second belief is that God knit us together in our mother's womb, which means all of our strengths and weaknesses, and even our unique personality quirks, are part of that intricate design.

I state these beliefs nicely on paper and they roll easily off my tongue, but the sad reality is that too often my life teaches an opposite set of beliefs. Too often I am too "busy" to sit down and truly listen to someone. This is especially true when I am counseling someone who, for one reason or another, has become trapped in the struggle of poverty and the various problems associated with poverty like crime, death, crisis, and shame. What about you? What does your life teach? If you, like me, are quick to teach, but slow to listen and learn from the poor then you, too, struggle with the "god-complex." We think we have acquired success by our own hard work, and therefore, we think we know what's best for poor people. The truth is, one of the major problems with generational cycles of poverty is people like me. By constantly trying to "solve" people's problems, rather than simply listen to them, I am denying the core beliefs I mentioned above. Instead, my actions are communicating that this white, twenty-five year old always knows best. As it turns out, I am the one who really needs to learn something! I am the one who has it all wrong!

Of course, I am not the only problem. It's much bigger than you or me. Our welfare programs reinforce the same wrong beliefs. Too often our programs are designed to get as many people through the doors as quickly as possible, so that we can "save" as many people as we feasibly can with our vast knowledge. Oh how wrong we have it! I think that if we really believed what the Bible teaches, namely about each individual's inherent value as God's image bearers, both our lives and our non-profits would look drastically different. We would at least do a little less talking, and a little more listening.

This is exactly what we are trying to do more of in 2010: listen. We are making some significant changes to the structure of our program to make sure we are accomplishing this. Some of the decisions we are making seem counter-intuitive to the non-profit world. For example, we are cutting the class size from 24 to 16 and stretching the length of the program from 4 weeks to 6 weeks. Both of these changes will mean fewer graduates in 2010, even though the demand for our program is the highest it's ever been. Though this is opposite of what we feel pressured to do (results! higher numbers!), we believe that these changes are necessary to truly invest in the ones who are coming through our doors.

andrew@advancememphis.org

Bringing HOPE to the HOPELESS

While many of us enjoyed a long holiday, Advance Memphis Employment Specialist Juanita Johnson spent much of the last week helping Advance grads find jobs. Below, she writes about an experience working with a recruiter who is hiring for the 2010 US Census.

It is very discouraging to see a recent Jobs for Life graduate, eager to start work after passing their drug test, become disappointed to find that they are still not eligible to work because of his/her criminal background. I, along with the other staff members, try to uplift and encourage, however, it is very disheartening. So, to have an opportunity to introduce these grads to a potential employer who does not automatically disqualify past felons was a blessing and joy! Ms. Marissa Jenson, a former resident of 38126 who currently attends church at Mt. Nebo down the street, is a recruiter for the 2010 US Census Bureau. I took a call from Ms. Jenson who originally wanted to come by and leave some flyers - but as we continued to talk I quickly saw a greater opportunity that would benefit both she and our graduates. I invited her to hold an orientation here and she was very excited!

When I started to make phone calls, some of the graduates were concerned to hear that they would have to pass a 28 question assessment to qualify. Even after being told that they only had to get 10 correct answers - there was still some worry. However, after getting here and listening to the recruiter, they were all eager to test and to get their results the same day.

I have never seen such joy and encouragement
shine in the faces of those who passed!

One of the ladies who confessed to me that she does not read well scored a 14! She confessed to me later that she took my advice and said a prayer before attempting the test and she was praising God once she received her results.

We had thirteen out of fifteen scheduled attend the orientation. Although only six of the thirteen passed the written assessment, the other seven may take the assessment over as many times as needed. Several have already come by to get information about retaking it on Monday.

juanita@advancememphis.org