The ‘home delivery’ style of facilitating Employ-Ability workshops grew after Makeda Cosper-Robertson, Program Manager of the Step Up Work Centre (new window), visited the Neil Squire Society’s Ottawa (new window), Ontario (new window) office. Makeda was sure the Step Up Work Centre members would find many of our Employ-Ability workshop topics interesting, but she felt that most members would be unable to attend our Monday afternoon workshops due to other commitments, energy levels and difficulties with transportation.
The Step Up Work Centre is a member run day program for adults with acquired brain injury (new window) facilitated by the Brain Injury Association of the Ottawa Valley. (new window)Membership at the Step Up Work Centre is voluntary, without time limits and most importantly, members choose the way they utilize the Centre.
Makeda took the idea to run some of our Employ-Ability workshops at the Centre to a Step Up Work Centre consensus meeting. The response from members was great and they came up with topics that they felt would be beneficial. The members chose a number of workshops including: Teamwork (new window), Conflict & Anger Management, and Time Management (new window) & Organizational Skills.
“Gaining teamwork skills helps to combat isolation, promotes inclusion and builds strong support networks,” explains Makeda, “Learning about Conflict & Anger highlights the importance of being self-aware and self-regulating as well as how to avoid and or diffuse situations. And, members are always looking for better ways to stay organized especially given that using time wisely and prioritizing is a key consideration in light of brain injuries.”
Eleven Step Up members participated in the February 1st Teamwork workshop facilitated by Polly Beach, Employ-Ability Program Facilitator (new window). Feedback from the members was very positive: “I was surprised I was able to focus for the whole workshop”, “I better understand [that] everyone being different is valuable especially in a team situation”, “I now know that better listening skills are so important to working in team”, “I’m more ready to work through any challenges to make things better”, “I feel Step Up Work Centre members have molded together and become family.”
The Conflict & Anger Management workshop was held on March 14th. Ten members shared openly around this difficult topic and reported many ‘ah ha’ moments. One member was struck by the strategy to focus on the problem or the ‘nuts and bolts’ of an area of conflict rather than the person. Another was keen to go home and run some of the ideas by his partner. Others were going to try and see conflict from the other person’s point of view, take a step back and stay positive.
After the first workshop, one past participant of the Employ-Ability Program returned for one-on-one job search support. Having gained skills at the Step Up Work Centre, this person felt much more prepared to tackle a targeted job search. A second participant has decided to join in some of the Employ-Ability workshops at the Neil Squire Society (new window) as part of the journey back to job readiness.
The partnership (new window) between the Brain Injury Association of the Ottawa Valley and Neil Squire Society has only just begun but it already feels like family – family sitting round the table enjoying ‘home delivery’.