Solar Now Provides Twice As Many Jobs As the Coal Industry, Co.Exist
While the coal industry faces a sharp decline, solar power is growing at record levels — adding jobs at a rate 17 times faster than the overall workforce. The industry is also a more lucrative option for people without higher education. As one advocate puts it, “This is just an incredible example of the opportunities that exist for people that need these opportunities the most.”
Building Trust Cuts Violence. Cash Also Helps. The New York Times
A radical approach to gun violence has helped reduce the homicide rate by nearly 60 percent in Richmond, Calif., formerly one of the nation’s most dangerous cities. Spearheaded by DeVone Boggan, a NationSwell Council member, the program identifies those most likely to be involved in violent crimes and pays them a stipend to turn their lives around. Aside from the cash benefits, participants receive mentoring from “neighborhood change agents” who have come out of lives of crime themselves.
Iceland Knows How to Stop Teen Substance Abuse but the Rest of the World Isn’t Listening, Mosaic Science
In the last two decades, Iceland has implemented an ambitious social program that’s nearly eliminated substance abuse among teens. After research showed that young people were becoming addicted to the changes in brain chemistry brought on by drugs and alcohol, experts decided to “orchestrate a social movement around natural highs,” offering extensive after-school programs in sports, dance, music — anything that could replicate the rush of drugs. This, coupled with stricter laws and closer ties between parents and schools, led to a huge societal makeover. Proponents of the program hope to recreate it in the U.S., but funding and public opinion remain obstacles.
Continue reading “Solar Trumps Coal When It Comes to Jobs, Cash Handouts Deter Crime in California and More”
Tag: employment
On #DayWithoutImmigrants, Check Out These NationSwell Must-Reads
Ask the Experts: Why Should Americans Care About Employing Immigrants?
Those in the know explain why hiring skilled, educated newcomers helps the country’s economy and the fabric of society in ways you might not have considered.
The American Dream Isn’t Dead. This Is How Immigrant Families Are Achieving It
Vocational training comes full circle at the Instituto del Progreso Latino, where MacArthur Fellow Juan Salgado pioneers a sustainable approach to rising above poverty.
How Nashville Is Training a New Generation of Leaders from Its Immigrant Communities, Citiscope
A free, one-of-a-kind leadership program gives new Americans insight into how local government works.
For This Century-Old Civil Rights Nonprofit, the Real Work Is Just Beginning
The New York Urban League (NYUL) was founded in 1919, at the start of the Great Migration, to connect blacks who left the agricultural South with jobs in the industrial North. At the time, descendants of slaves poured into a metropolis where they had to fight against housing discrimination and boycott stores where black job applications weren’t accepted. Nearly a century later, Arva Rice, a NationSwell Council member and president of the New York Urban League, is continuing to fight for equality within New York City’s education system and job opportunities. NationSwell spoke to her recently about the ongoing fight for civil rights, as the nation’s first black president leaves office.
New York Urban League is approaching its centennial. What issues are you anticipating will be core to the league’s next century?
One challenge for us is how the conversation about race has changed over time. When I meet with others, I talk about the importance of this particular time in history. The fact that when I first came to the Urban League in April 2009, President Obama had just been elected and we were hearing, “You all have a president. That’s the ultimate level of equality.” Unfortunately, in the last seven years, we have also had Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray and all things in between, like the intentional voter-suppression laws and attacks on the Voting Rights Act. The work we do is more critical than ever. There’s a generation that cares about racial equity, but we need to engage them in different ways. Maybe they want to march and be involved in grassroots movements, some want to be engaged in policy discussions and some want to become part of the establishment themselves and run for office. All of those ways are correct and right, and we have to figure out how to support that going forward.
Besides equal access to education and employment, the NYUL’s mission statement references working toward a “living environment that fosters mutual respect.” What does that mean to you?
Envisioning a world of mutual respect means that folks can not only tolerate but appreciate difference. I’m fascinated by how we define diversity and inclusion. Diversity is inviting people to a party, where inclusion is getting everyone to dance. I think that distinction is important, because to get everyone dancing, you have to think deliberately. You need to think about what is going to include people across generations, and most importantly, you need to be intentional in order to create environments that bring others to the fore. You have to be thoughtful, because it’s not going to happen by accident.
The racial biases pointed out by Black Lives Matter and the rising economic inequality in American cities were both on the minds of many voters last year. In what ways does New York reflect and buck the trends of what we expect from cities?
New York is often leading the way. We’re the ones who were really pushing for higher wages, with the Fight for 15 campaign. We’re also second place for technology and innovation. That’s why the New York Urban League is focusing some of our work on STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics], giving young people the opportunity to not only play with technology but also be creators. There are some folks that say, “Oh, people of color aren’t interested in tech, because it’s not cool enough.” And I push back on that. This is not about being cool; this is about being accessible. Without having somebody who you know, any experience, any interaction with someone who works at Facebook, Google, Twitter, how can they know that’s something they can do? We’re helping to break through that, and then provide skills. The fact is that people of color will be passed over if, once again, they are not included in intentional ways. The reason why I feel privileged to lead a historic black organization is because you’re constantly focused on making sure that there really is equality. Until the day we feel like there truly is real parity, we’re not finished.
What have you learned about leadership during your time at NYUL?
I have learned that leadership is about doing things that make your stomach hurt. And that just because your stomach hurts doesn’t mean that you’re unusual. If you are doing it right and pushing yourself and the people that you manage and your stakeholders and your donors, there are going to be times when it’s uncomfortable. It’s a growth pattern. The other thing I’ve learned is that the only people who don’t make mistakes are the ones who aren’t doing anything. So I need to forgive myself for those times I made mistakes, figure out what I learned, dust myself off and go on to the next thing.
What are you most proud of having accomplished so far?
We have a program called Empowerment Days for our young people, which is basically Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work days. We take 200 girls and 150 boys on the first and last Friday of March, respectively. They’re able to go and meet people at places like O, The Oprah Magazine, black enterprises, the Yankees, Google and Microsoft. Basically, they spend the day with people who may look like them or have similar backgrounds and experiences, and find out how they got into those careers. And one of the reasons I’m so proud of that is because we have a level of access, as an organization that has a 97-year history of impact on communities. So I can call people and get my calls returned at a level that I wasn’t able to in any other position in my career. Every time we do an Empowerment Day, the young people are excited about a senior vice president or a receptionist that they met. That’s fantastic, because we would not be able to do that, if it were not for the relationships that the Urban League has within the city.
To learn more about the NationSwell Council, click here.
Continue reading “For This Century-Old Civil Rights Nonprofit, the Real Work Is Just Beginning”
In a Single Year, This Determined Arkansas Woman Helped 2,000 Ex-Felons Find Full-Time Jobs
Finding employment after being in prison can be next to impossible.
Not only do these people have to battle the stigma of a criminal record, they are also barred from some types of jobs entirely, including those in the childcare, education and healthcare fields. It’s no wonder that so many ex-felons turn back to a life of crime just to get by; two-thirds are re-arrested within three years of their release.
But in Little Rock, Ark., one woman has given thousands of former inmates a second chance to contribute to society, local station THV11 reports.
For the past three decades, Darlene Lewis’s nonprofit organization, the Lewis-Burnett Employment Finders Inc., has helped ex-offenders prepare for interviews, assisted with job placement and provided help with resume writing and GED prep — all at no cost.
Last year alone, the nonprofit aided 2,000 men and women find full-time jobs, reports say. The organization also helps with housing and advocates for offenders in court.
Yes, it costs a lot of money to help a former felon find gainful employment, but reducing the rate of recidivism ultimately saves the country even more. According to Lewis-Burnett, about $3.6 million in taxpayer money is saved for every 100 ex-offenders who avoid rearrest or living on welfare.
MORE: The Legislation That Has the Potential to Reduce Youth Recidivism in California
Lewis started her nonprofit in 1987 for very personal reasons. “I had a son go to prison many years ago and when he got out of prison it was so difficult for him to get a job,” she tells the station.
In a touching radio broadcast, former inmate James Taylor (who served seven years for weapons possession and drug charges) describes the “almost impossible” task of finding jobs. After getting in touch with Lewis, she was able to help him find a job at a local McDonalds as a manager. Although he lost the job and admits he could have easily found “quick money” by going back on the streets, he went back to Lewis, who was right there to help him back on track. Taylor now works as a videographer and a youth mentor and also volunteers at the nonprofit.
“She saves people, she need a cape,” Taylor tells THV11. “I’ma get her one, one day.”
DON’T MISS: The Restaurant That Serves a Second Chance to Kids Who Need It Most
This College Graduate Is on A Cross-Country Mission to Work Hourly Jobs
As more millennials leave college and enter into the workforce, they’re soon realizing that the office job at a computer may not be what they expected. That’s what 23-year-old Heath Padgett found when he graduated from Concordia University in Texas and began working for a software company.
Like many young people, Padgett wanted to find something more meaningful, which led him and his fiancee, Alyssa (who is now his wife), to come up with the idea of traveling across the country while working hourly jobs in each state. The goal, they hope, is to illuminate the nation’s 75.9 million hourly hardworking employees who go unnoticed.
With the help of Snagajob, an online network for hourly employment, Padgett and his wife kicked off Hourly America (and their honeymoon) on June 1, leaving their hometown of Austin, Texas, just one week after their wedding. The two have notched 38 states so far, traveling across the country in a 20-year-old refurbished motorhome.
“Through this journey, I want to be able to create a stronger connection between hourly workers and their customers and help break certain stigmas that exist about the hourly employment industry,” Padgett says.
The couple are currently in Kentucky, working as janitors in a KOA campsite, according to Business Insider. Padgett said he works two or three various jobs each week, showing up to learn about the position and interviewing his coworkers about their work. The pair have experienced everything from lifeguards and paint mixers to line cooks and electricians.
“A lot of businesses have said yes before even taking a look at our website or media coverage,” Padgett tells Business Insider. “Some places think we are just crazy kids who are trying to do something meaningful with their lives, and they would be right.”
Padgett is planning to release a film on his experience in August 2015, but in the meantime, he contends there’s no one way to go about starting a career.
“Don’t let people tell you there is a set way to go about your career. I’ve found that the safe and normal way rarely yields the results of stepping outside of the box,” he says. “I had so many people tell me I was crazy for pursuing this 50-state-50-job quest, however, I’ve had more opportunities open up because of it then I would have ever had if I’d stayed in my office job back in Texas.”
MORE: When It Comes to Jobs, These Counties Are Booming
The Reason Why Businesses Should Hire Employees With Disabilities
Finding a job is difficult for the average person. Add a disability into the mix, and the odds seem impossible, especially since there’s the stereotype that hiring people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) will be a detriment to business.
All that could change, however, thanks to a recent study showing that employees with IDD aren’t just charity cases and that they contribute positively to both the work environment and the bottom line.
The study was conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), an organization which examines high performance organizations. According to the report, hiring people with IDD “adds highly motivated people to the workforce (which can lead to increased productivity) and it promotes an inclusive culture that appeals to the talent pool organizations want to attract.” All of this translates into a better community image and an increase in profits.
Of the employers surveyed, three-quarters gave their employees with IDD ratings of “good” or “very good” in the areas of work quality, motivation, engagement, integration with co-workers, dependability and attendance. Adding to that, 80 percent reported positive experiences and one-third reported having their expectations exceeded.
The Institute’s study confirms what organizations that work with individuals with IDD have been saying for years, like Best Buddies International, a nonprofit that has been working to find equal employment and opportunity for those with disabilities since its inception in 1989.
In response to the study’s release, Best Buddies started a media campaign entitled “I’m In To Hire” highlighting the positives that come along with hiring those with disabilities. As of October 24, the website had 100,000 pledges of support.
Anthony K. Shriver is the Founder and Chairman of Best Buddies and remarks how individuals with IDDs can transform the workplace.
“They’ve hired an effective and enthusiastic employee, and now have lower turnover in those jobs,” Shriver tells The Daily Beast. “The culture of our schools have changed since we began inclusion of people with IDD. Our offices can transform as well.
Pathways to Careers is another organization working with individuals with IDD. Rather than focusing on the disabilities, Pathways markets the individual and matches the skillset with the job.
Considering 85 percent of people with IDD don’t have paid work, both the report and programs such as these has the potential to inspire change.
Bottom line: These workers have much more going for them than the disability that constrains them.
MORE: The Yelp-Like Website Helping Migrant Workers Avoid Bad Bosses
Looking for Work That Has Meaning? Fuse Corps Can Help.
More than any other generation, the millennial generation is looking for “meaningful” work. What they mean by that, as the New York Times has noted, is working in the service of others. Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 find meaning through giving.
But millennials often struggle to find jobs that fulfill them in this way. As NationSwell reported, the bad job market for young Americans is “a serious economic issue — and it’s not improving.” Even those who do find work are often forced to compromise, taking a job that might not serve others.
In a recent Medium post called “My Job Lacks Meaning, What Can I Do?” Peter Sims said, “The sex appeal of a job at Goldman Sachs or Wall Street has virtually vanished and shifted to Silicon Valley, entrepreneurship, and social entrepreneurship.”
MORE: Washington Needs to Be Fixed. These Innovators Aren’t Waiting for Congress to Do It.
Sims co-founded an organization called Fuse Corps in response to the emergence of talented millennials who want to make a difference. Every year, the nonprofit pairs ten to 20 mid-career private sector professionals with a forward-thinking elected official. By working in government, Fuse Corps fellows can find a way to make the change that some find harder to achieve in the private sector.
So far, the program has attracted professionals from finance, journalism, law, and design. You can meet some of them in this video.
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One fellow helped San Francisco, California launch its entrepreneur-in-residence program. Another helped Richmond, Virginia, embrace civic technology and make its public data available to constituents.
Fuse Corps just opened four new San Francisco fellowships aimed at solving problems like pedestrian safety and outdated technology in schools. You can find more information on how to apply here, or share the page with anyone you’d think would be interested.
Military Spouses Didn’t Feel Represented by Congress. This Initiative Helps Them Find Their Voice
After managing sales at a clothing boutique and earning a master’s degree in social responsibility and sustainable communities, Katie Lopez thought her experience spoke for itself. So when she couldn’t find a job after relocating last summer to live with her husband, an Army service member stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the challenge was unexpected. “I was surprised that at interviews, one of the first questions I was asked is when I was leaving,” she says, even though she didn’t know when or where her husband would be stationed next. “There was never any follow-up after the interviews, so I was getting more and more discouraged. And I knew I wasn’t the only one experiencing it.”
She certainly wasn’t. Studies show that labor markets near big military bases are often “saturated with overqualified military spouses eager to work,” according to the Huffington Post. Military spouses face additional challenges, like the fact that they don’t qualify for unemployment insurance when they lose jobs in more than 14 states, since changes of station are seen as “voluntary” moves.
Even when she did attend events geared at hiring veterans and their family members, Lopez found that most job recruiters were targeting veterans themselves — and the positions available were often entry level, virtual jobs that didn’t fit her level of experience. “There was nothing for those of us who were college educated and on a professional track,” Lopez says. “It’s disheartening to think we spent this time and put in the work to advance ourselves and our careers only to get entry level jobs at a call center.”
MORE: Washington Needs to Be Fixed. These Innovators Aren’t Waiting for Congress to Do It.
In Gear Career is a nonprofit that helps military family members with all career-related challenges — from finding jobs and networking to education and professional training. Haley Uthlaut, a military spouse and veteran, conceived the idea in 2009 and then took it to Donna Huneycutt and Lauren Weiner, owners of a consulting firm focused on hiring veterans and their spouses. They helped her make the vision a reality. Although headquartered in Tampa, Florida, In Gear Career has more than 2,000 members in 22 chapters across the country, from Texas to Tennessee.
“The biggest issue we saw facing military spouses was the lack of a professional network — you don’t get that when you move every two or three years,” says Weiner. “We want to help military spouses stay employed, because big gaps on a resume are a red flag. And ultimately, if we get the spouses engaged, we’re going to keep our best and brightest in the military. It’s a military readiness issue at heart.”
Last October, during the government shutdown, Huneycutt and Weiner were in Washington, D.C. for a conference, watching C-Span during a break between sessions. Sitting with a member from Military Spouse JD Network, a group that helps military spouses maintain their legal careers amid relocations, Huneycutt and Weiner became increasingly frustrated listening to politicians on the screen blame their opposing party for the shutdown.
“Enough already!” one of them screamed.
“Fix it!” another one yelled.
“Forget about these politicians,” one finally said. “I’m sick of everyone telling me to call my congressman. I want to be my congressman.”
Looking back, it was a light bulb moment.
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Just one fifth of those who serve in Congress have any military experience, according to a September 2013 Pew Research Center survey. And the voices of military spouses have even less representation. “The number of veterans in Congress is only dropping,” says Amanda Patterson Crowe, executive director of In Gear Career. “And for spouses, that’s hard because we’re living the life that Congress makes decisions on, from child care to military pay. We had to figure out how to make our voices heard too, how to get into politics.”
So after the conference, In Gear Career teamed up with Military Spouse JD Network to create Homefront Rising, a nonpartisan initiative aimed at getting military spouses more involved in the political process, from volunteering for campaigns to running for office. “Many people don’t realize that military spouses are uniquely qualified to represent us,” says Weiner. “They’ve lived in small town America and cities, rural areas and overseas. They understand a slice of America that most people who stay in one place don’t.”
Homefront Rising launched this February with an event in D.C. and recently held its second gathering this June in Tampa. The daylong events are packed with seminars and sessions from elected officials, former service members and other leaders on topics like “Building a Public Image” and “How Extraordinary People Lead.”
Homefront Rising’s two events have already inspired several members, including Katie Lopez, to volunteer with local campaigns such as state-level House and Senate races. “I’ve found that when I approach campaigns, their leadership tells me it’s exactly what they want to hear — military spouses having an opinion and getting involved,” Lopez says. Even though she couldn’t attend, learning about the D.C. event motivated military spouse Susan Reynolds to begin writing a column in her local newspaper, the Fayetteville Observer, on military families. And Angelina Bradley was so inspired by the inaugural Homefront Rising event that she successfully lobbied the D.C. Public Schools’ Chancellor’s Parent Cabinet to add an additional seat for the nearby Bolling Air Force Base, where she is currently stationed, giving military families a voice in education that they previously didn’t have.
A New Fleet of Food Trucks Offers a Better Path for Formerly Jailed Kids
Snow Day is the first in a potential fleet of food trucks by the New York City-based nonprofit Drive Change. On its menu: locally-sourced, maple syrup-inspired food that is prepared, cooked and served by formerly incarcerated youth.
Jordyn Lexton founded the organization in 2013 with the goal of reducing the number of young people that return to jail after being released with a criminal record. She employs them at $11 and hour and provides what she hopes will be a launchpad into the food industry or other employment opportunities.
When It Comes to Jobs, These Counties Are Booming
After the recent financial meltdown, many Americans probably know what it’s like to search and wonder where all the jobs are. Recently the Bureau of Labor Statistics provided a little more insight by releasing a report that analyzed the number of employed people in each of the largest 334 counties.
Topping the Bureau’s list is Weld County in Colorado, with 1,864 jobs gained in the year. The Bureau sites major increases in construction as the reason for its success. On the other hand, St. Clair County in Illinois experienced the largest decline.
In order to be considered a “large” county, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that a county needed to have an average annual employment level of at least 75,000 people. The study was conducted December 2012 through December 2013, a period in which the country gained 2.3 million jobs nationally—a 1.8 percent increase to 136.1 million jobs.
Another thing to celebrate: the country’s 10 largest counties all experienced an increase in employed people, particularly King County in Washington, which includes Seattle, with a 3.9 percent increase.
Although these numbers provide more insight into the employment arena, the numbers are not exempt from error. For instance, a county that experienced decreased employment is not necessarily a negative. Unemployment may not be going up, but, rather, more people are retiring. Such is the case with three counties in Virginia – Fairfax, Alexandria and Arlington. For these three counties, the number of employed people dropped, but so did the unemployment rate. Similarly, an increase in employment numbers might be because of a migration of working age people, not necessarily a strict decrease in unemployment.
MORE: Ask the Experts: How Can We Solve the Young Adult Unemployment Crisis?