One of our top 5 strategic priorities for 2021 is to widen our impact. To do so, we are partnering with key schools and communities in our area to share our resources and develop partnerships to address local community needs. With the help of funds from an anonymous donor, one of our projects is in partnership with our neighbouring community, Freedom Park. Working alongside community leaders, we are developing skills-development workshops to help address key needs within the community and help build self-efficacy among community members. The first workshop, the Building my Career Workshop, was hosted by our Career Development department, and saw staff volunteers help residents to create and print a professional CV, give them guidance on how to apply for a job, prepare for an interview process and how to keep a job.
Local Freedom Park resident, Liezel T (20) who is trying to get a job as a Domestic Worker, says that she learnt a lot from the workshop and she looks forward to attending more. She says, “I feel like there’s hope for me to get a job and that Christel House is actually helping me to do that.”
In addition to receiving five printed copies of their new CVs and supporting documentation, each attendee also received a food parcel to assist with emergency relief during COVID-19. Since the workshop took place, three Freedom Park residents have already been employed.