by Willy Franzen on March 28, 2009
You may be looking for a job, but I’ll wager that you probably haven’t considered how inherently human it is to work. It’s not something that I thought about when I was job searching, and it’s not something that I think about much when I’m helping other people with their job searches; however, we as humans were made to work. Thousands of years ago it was hunting and gathering, but as we’ve realized the power of comparative advantage, we’ve chosen to specialize in the things that we’re best at. Contributing to society is part of what makes us as humans go, and that’s why Job Path exists. They’re a New York City based non-profit organization that “supports people with developmental disabilities in their efforts to make choices about their lives.” They “encourage people to explore what they want out of life” and then “provide the opportunities and support for them to succeed at whatever they want — whether it’s paid or volunteer work, living in their own homes, or participating in community life.” At a theoretical level it’s not all that different from what we’re doing here or at Found Your Career. It’s all about helping people become fulfilled.
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by Willy Franzen on December 7, 2008
As I’ve been expressing in my posts about our upcoming job search training course and the HP Magic Giveaway, there’s nothing better than the feeling of sharing your skills and knowledge with someone who can use the help. CoachArt is a Los Angeles based non-profit that allows every day people to share what they’re good at with underprivileged children and adolescents who are dealing with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. CoachArt’s coaches offer free, personal lessons in arts and athletics – including art, music, photography, yoga, creative writing, acting, dancing and more – to improve the lives of kids who are facing serious, adult issues. They’ve already served thousands of children in just 8 years of operation. CoachArt sounds like an amazing program that would be well worth working or volunteering for.
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by Willy Franzen on November 2, 2008
Last weekend we talked about Harlem Success Academy and how they’re making huge strides in educating children from low-income families. What happens at school is extremely important when it comes to educational outcomes for children, but what happens at home can be just even more important. AchieveAbility is a Philadelphia based non-profit organization that is “working to permanently break the cycle of poverty for single parent, low income, formerly homeless families through education, supportive services, community and economic development, housing and accountability.” By helping low-income parents achieve their dreams, AchieveAbility is paving the way for a brighter future for both the parents and the children.
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by Willy Franzen on August 3, 2008
Now that you’re job searching, the college application process is probably long forgotten. There are some similarities in the processes, but applying to college is much more structured and standardized than applying for a job. Structure and standardization doesn’t mean easy. Applying to college can be daunting for even the most well groomed students who have had access to best tutors, college counselors, and coaches that money can buy. Talented students who come from low-income families face the same challenges, but they often face them alone without the guidance of people who have been through the process before. The Quest Scholars Program offers two programs, QuestLeadership and QuestBridge, to help high-achievieng, underserved students get into in some of the country’s top colleges and universities.
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by Willy Franzen on August 2, 2008
The day of the mile run was always my least favorite in elementary school. As an overweight asthmatic, I dreaded the experience because it was both painful and humiliating. Getting lapped isn’t fun. By middle school I realized that asthma was a good enough excuse to get out of the mile run. In high school the mile run was replaced by suicides in basketball practice – same pain and humiliation, but in 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes (Yes, I’m exaggerating. No, I wasn’t THAT slow.). At 23 I’m finally starting to almost, kind of enjoy running. I figure that anything that makes my body feel as awful as it does after running must be good for me. The people at the New York Road Runners Foundation probably disagree with me about how running feels, but I’m pretty sure that they agree with me about running’s health benefits. That’s why they’re working hard to build “community-based running programs which enhance physical heath, emotional well-being and personal achievement within underserved populations throughout New York City.”
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by Willy Franzen on May 31, 2008
To many people squash is a type of fruit, but for those of privilege it is a sport played at your private racquet club. Growing up in Connecticut, I was quite familiar with the phenomenon of rich parents’ forcing their children to play squash in hopes that the kid will get recruited to play in college. The truth is that squash isn’t nearly as easy of an in to the Ivy League as people expect it to be, but that hasn’t stopped parents from signing their kids up. StreetSquash is a non-profit organization that also sees squash as a way to better the futures of young people, but in a very different way. They make squash more accessible to inner-city youths while combining “academic tutoring with squash instruction, community service, and one-on-one mentoring.”
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by Willy Franzen on November 12, 2007
You were always a great student. School always came easy to you. It was like a game, and you knew how to beat it every time. In fact, you kind of actually enjoyed long nights in the library. Exams were fun – you loved filling in those bubbles with your No. 2 pencil. You’ve been at it for 17 years (maybe a few less if you were really good) and now it’s almost over. You’re worried that your finely tuned school skills may not translate into a real world job. You’re thinking about grad school, but six figures is a lot to pay for an extra few years of security. Maybe you can get a PhD after that…
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