Barriers to Employment and Intervention Strategies

Public

Discussion:

Hi Victoria ,

Thanks for sharing both a challenge and some intervention strategies you have used. This is a tough challenge to overcome since there is only so much one can do and insufficient financial support can cause a lot of stress for students only making the problem worse. Since you raised this important challenge that I'm certain others face, I'll share some other strategies to consider:

1. Develop a carpool program matching students who need a ride with students who have vehicles and are willing to help out. We kept a "Carpool" board in the student lounge so people who needed a ride could sign up and those offering rides could find those in need. We also advertised the program and matched students so it helped a lot!
2. Work with City transportation - I know each city is different but in the past, my school was able to get a large amount of free bus passes and bus passes at a significantly lower rate to provide students
3. Start a food pantry - We collected non-perishable food items we stored. We provided items to students who needed it most and kept our pantry full through continued "food drives" within the institution. This was managed by student services in coordination with Career Services.
4. Collect donated clothing items - We collected clothing items donated by staff. At first, we focused on professional dress attire but expanded to casual clothing as well. Once we started and word got out, more people started donating items. We kept the quality items and donated what we didn't keep to local charities.
5. Collect change - Ever see one of those 5 gallon water jugs filled with spare change? If there is a staff lounge or some sort of location that would work, see if staff are willing to donate their spare change which could be collected monthly to help with the food pantry or some other program such as buying more bus passes for students. Every penny helps!

I'd love to hear other interventions people may have used to help overcome this challenge. Thanks for raising the issue Victoria!

Regards,

Robert Starks Jr.

Hi Victoria , Thanks for sharing both a challenge and some intervention strategies you have used. This is a tough challenge to overcome since there is only so much one can do and insufficient financial support can cause a lot of stress for students only making the problem worse. Since you raised this important challenge that I'm certain others face, I'll share some other strategies to consider: 1. Develop a carpool program matching students who need a ride with students who have vehicles and are willing to help out. We kept a "Carpool" board in the student lounge so people who needed a ride could sign up and those offering rides could find those in need. We also advertised the program and matched students so it helped a lot! 2. Work with City transportation - I know each city is different but in the past, my school was able to get a large amount of free bus passes and bus passes at a significantly lower rate to provide students 3. Start a food pantry - We collected non-perishable food items we stored. We provided items to students who needed it most and kept our pantry full through continued "food drives" within the institution. This was managed by student services in coordination with Career Services. 4. Collect donated clothing items - We collected clothing items donated by staff. At first, we focused on professional dress attire but expanded to casual clothing as well. Once we started and word got out, more people started donating items. We kept the quality items and donated what we didn't keep to local charities. 5. Collect change - Ever see one of those 5 gallon water jugs filled with spare change? If there is a staff lounge or some sort of location that would work, see if staff are willing to donate their spare change which could be collected monthly to help with the food pantry or some other program such as buying more bus passes for students. Every penny helps! I'd love to hear other interventions people may have used to help overcome this challenge. Thanks for raising the issue Victoria! Regards, Robert Starks Jr.