Moving Ahead Program

Are you a woman that has been
UNEMPLOYED 6 months or more?

Moving Ahead is a FREE program focused on getting Bergen County women back to work!

Let’s look at the problem of long term unemployed women in Bergen County; a problem that should be addressed and taken seriously. According to the Federal Reserve Bank, Bergen County has a 4.2 % unemployment rate as of February 2015. The statistic are alarming. Ever since the Great Recession female heads of household have suffered tremendously for a variety of reasons. More recently, from 2007 to present, food stamp households have rose from 8,500 to 21,000. In addition, New Jersey has the highest foreclosure rate in the nation. A change in economic status can also bring along emotional distress such as depression, anger, behavioral issues with children, and shock over the shift of lifestyle. The necessity to resort to public assistance such as food stamps itself can be the cause of these emotions.

In an effort to remedy this situation, YWCA Bergen County was awarded a grant to kick off the Moving Ahead Program. In addition to the development of workforce skills, the key to this project is case management which will utilize one on one sessions to identify issues affecting participants’ function and well-being. Essential to the program’s success, case management will address housing, parenting those with special needs or behavioral issues, aging parents, mental health, credit issues, and current or past domestic violence.

A partnership with Teaneck Women Train and Work (TW2), Moving Ahead participants will learn the professional skills necessary not only to land a job but to keep it!

Session topics will include:

• Resume Writing
• Interview Skills
• Networking Skills
• How to Dress for Success

During the course of the program, women professionals from our Women’s Empowerment Network and annual Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) will utilize their networks to find job opportunities for program participants.

Moving Ahead gives women the tools to balance themselves physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Sessions will empower women to be confident, prepared, and career ready; helping participants learn how to seek and keep jobs. In an age of technology, our goal is to foster close relationships and promote a community development approach as we train women to become more independent and aware of who they are.

For more information, contact Jessica Monaco-Coppell.

In Collaboration with:

Funded by: Women United in Philanthropy

Join Our LinkedIn Group: YWCA Bergen County Moving Ahead Program

Resources

• YW Blog: Helping Unemployed Women Move Ahead
• Over 50, Female and Jobless Even as Others Return to Work
• Tips for Keeping Your Job Search Going, Even if You’re Long-Term Unemployed
• New Chesco Jobs Program Targets Long-Term Unemployed
• The Modern Executive: It’s Not What You Say
• The Job Hunter’s Short Course
• The Long-Term Unemployment Trap
• Small Businesses Willing to Go the Distance on Long-Term Unemployment
• Renewing Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits: Vital for Women & Families—and the Economy
• After months without work, advocate for jobless hired to help other-long term unemployed
• 3 Things That Help Women Returning To The Workforce After Children
• Long-term Unemployment: Definition, Statistics, Causes and Effects
• New Survey: 40% of Unemployed Have “Given Up”