“Job Club in Nationalities Service Center”

Ewa Janczewska

‘Job Club’ is a name of job training, one from many services offered by NSC that enables new comers to become independent. It is a part of the Matching Grant programs that aim to help refugees, as well as Cuban, Liberian and Asians entrants and asylum seekers, attain economic self-sufficiency within four months of the date of eligibility for the program without accessing public assistance.

The program started in November 2005. Thanks to our clients’ suggestions and comments we are continuously working on improving and enriching our program. 

So far, training consists of five modules, each dedicated to a different topic and skills. The content of the training ranges from understanding and filling in job application forms, practicing interview skills, as well as setting short and long term goals, to discussions about cultural differences and sharing common experiences. Clients come to learn how to use the public transportation, buy a token and get answers to questions that they have had since the day of their arrival.

‘Job Club’, therefore, is more than a place where people meet every Tuesday morning to practice job related skills. Clients of NSC come from war zones, are often victims of prosecution, or simply try to reunite with their families. On Tuesday mornings these people are getting a general introduction to the American culture.

Job counselors Beverly Mallard, and Bethany Hamoud, who take turns leading the workshops, are very sensitive and caring professionals. Clients often refer to them as relatives. They are consistent, and know precisely what they want the newcomers to learn. They never forget to smile, and look at their clients with empathy and understanding. They keep in mind their clients’  difficulties that they run into in the new country – a place that is often totally different from the one they know.

Words of the clients speak for themselves. When I asked Spencer W. about the Job Club and whether he finds it useful, he said” This is the place where I learn how to cope with the American society”.

Paul S. said that the ‘Job Club’ “gives you the feeling of belonging, as if you were a part of NSC. Everybody has a smile on their face. You don’t feel like a stranger, you feel welcomed. They even take you to an interview. It feels like NSC workers are your relatives, you know that they make sure that you will eventually get a job. Not only that, they follow up and call you to see if you are going to come to the ‘Job Club’. You get this incredible feeling that someone cares for you here in U.S. Once you have a job you should do a contribution to the organizations. You should come and tell newcomers your story, so that they will believe that it is possible to have a good and peaceful life far away from home”.

The most exciting day for everyone is when someone gets a job. If the person was attending the ‘Job Club’ sessions regularly and didn’t show up, people know that he or she got a job and that is where he/she is on Tuesday morning. People start to believe that is possible. One of the things that strikes me the most about NCS clients is that despite the difficulties they went through, and despite all the problems that they are facing, they are hopeful, cheerful and very grateful for the opportunity of being in the safe country.  That is all that matters.

The most important of all is that ‘Job Club’ is a place where people gain confidence, encouragement and strength to deal with every day life in America. Job Club makes a difference.