Who better to work in the communities with the greatest need for human service agencies than people from those communities? That’s the question Dr. Johnelle Luciani, RSM, and Sister Mary Reilly, RSM, asked themselves three years ago. They answered it by creating a program for welfare recipients who want to work in the human resource field.
Project E.M.P.O.W.E.R.S., a 12-credit college program, started last month through Salve Regina College, where Luciani is a professor. The classes take place twice a week at Dorcas Place Parent Literacy Center in Providence, where Reilly is executive director.
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“They have the experience in the culture and have worked with the system; consequently, that direct experience will be valuable when working for human service agencies,” said Dr. Luciani, chairperson of Salve Regina’s social work department.
E.M.P.O.W.E.R.S. stands for Educating and Mentoring Paraprofessionals with Opportunities for Workforce Employment Retraining and Self-Sufficiency. The course is financed by the state Department of Human Services’ Welfare to Work program, which pays for the students’ tuition, transportation and child care during the classes. Salve Regina cut the tuition of the course by 70 percent to make the project feasible.
Along with the classes, which run to June, the 21 participants will intern at an agency 16 hours a week. The participants are mostly single mothers, who range from having a short- to long-term reliance on welfare. Luciani said the students have a shared goal.
“I have never seen a more highly motivated group. They have plans for their future and want to be role models for their children,” she said. The difference between this program and most welfare to work attempts is that the participants are not only looking to better their lives but help families like their own. They also bring with them unique experiences that fit the job description.
“They have a lot of skills that those of us with doctorates don’t have, but are needed in these communities. They have language skills that I don’t have. Many of them have knowledge of the culture in which they will find themselves working,” she added.
Agencies that the participants could work for include welfare to work programs, domestic violence centers or at-risk teen programs. The classes being taught at Dorcas Place explore work with individuals, groups and families. By offering a 12-credit program it “moves the goal post” closer for the participants who would not be likely to complete a bachelor’s degree program at this time, Luciani said. Reilly added that because the course is taught in Providence it makes it much more accessible for the students than it would be in Newport.
“This is a great setting for them. They feel comfortable here,” she said. She added that because the class is affiliated with a university it will carry some weight when the participants look for a job. It also builds their self-esteem being in a college class.
Gina Bly of Central Falls said that not only is she excited about going to classes, but her children are as well.
“My older son told my youngest not to cry when I left to come here. He said ‘mommy is just going to school,'” she said.
Bly added that she has always wanted to be a role model to her family in hopes of giving them a promising future. She wants the same for people in similar situations.
“I want to reach people so their children don’t fall into the cycle of welfare that so many kids do,” she added.
Another student, Veronica Pugh of Cranston, said the perspective that she and her classmates can bring is valuable.
“We have the hands-on experience of the system,” she said. “We have been through it all and know what problems are out there and how it affects the family.”
She added that what the students will take from the class will be just as important as what they brought with them.
“The teachers have treated us like professionals from the first day. That makes us feel good. We know we will make a difference as professionals,” Pugh added.
