In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that began April 20, lifeguards on Gulf of Mexico beaches are testing the safety of water by “seeing what it feels like,” says Casi Callaway, executive director of Mobile Baykeeper, an Alabama-based organization that is a leader on regional oil-spill response efforts.
"That’s just not good enough," she said of efforts to safeguard swimmers and beach lovers. "Right now, there’s very little air or water testing taking place in the Gulf. We’ve got to develop an overall sampling and testing protocol - one that can be used on beaches from Texas to Florida - and we’ve got to identify the right lab to turn the results around quickly."
The city of Mobile is situated on the western shore of the 413-square-mile bay.
Protecting Mobile Bay’s water, white sand beaches and protective barrier of sea grasses always has been the priority for Callaway and her staff of five. But since the drilling rig exploded and an estimated 4.9 millions barrels of oil were released, the threats to Mobile Bay’s wetlands and shoreline have reached crisis proportions.
Of particular concern to Callaway is the effect of dispersants that are being used to dissolve the oil slicks.
"Chemical dispersants have broken up the oil – which makes it virtually impossible to clean it up," she said. "Dispersants make it appear that there’s no oil, but all you have to do is put a white towel in the beach water and it comes up orange. The oil’s in the sand; it’s everywhere."
One of the most frustrating aspects of the spill, she says, is that there is little the 6,000 volunteers who have contacted Mobile Baykeeper can accomplish in terms of cleanup.
Field observers – individuals capable of monitoring the shoreline, finding oil as it comes to shore and documenting the state of the environment prior to impact – are key to the area’s recovery, Callaway says. In collaboration with the Alabama Coastal Foundation, Mobile Baykeeper has recruited and trained close to 200 volunteer field observers so far and continues to offer trainings.
Mobile Baykeeper, founded in 1997 as West Bay Watch Inc., has a track record in terms of public education and training. Under Callaway’s direction, the organization has grown to include 4,000 members who engage on such issues as sewage, air toxics, mercury exposure, permit violations, industrial growth and other public health protection needs.
Since 1999, Mobile Baykeeper has been an affiliate of Waterkeeper Alliance, a movement encompassing 200 organizations that work to patrol and protect more than 100,000 miles of rivers, streams and coastlines on six continents.
Mobile Baykeeper has received two grants totaling $310,000 since 2008 from the Mott Foundation to support the activities of the Alabama Urban Stormwater Project, which includes the “Muddy Water Watch,” a statewide education program that trains volunteers to monitor stormwater runoff from construction sites.
Casi Callaway is executive director of Mobile Baykeeper.
Prior to the oil spill, urban runoff was the greatest threat to the state’s water quality, Callaway says.
"It was our silent oil spill," she said. "Thanks to Mott, we’ve become a lot more prepared to deal with Deepwater Horizon. Foundation support provided the cushion we needed to become a stronger organization. Now we have a team in place that’s capable of responding to this disaster."
Mobile Baykeeper also recently completed a comprehensive restoration plan for the 53 miles of beach and 600 miles of tidal shoreline that comprise the Alabama coast. Known as the "100/1,000 plan" – 100 miles of oyster reef, 1,000 miles of beds of grasses – it has become the framework for returning the bay to its optimal condition.
"Those grasses – that’s where the oysters, the shrimp, the fish breed," Callaway said. "They’re not only important environmentally, they are critical to our way of life, our economy and economic recovery, and our culture as a people."
Going forward, she is determined not only to push for restoration of the bay, but also to make sure that in the future, regulations governing offshore gas and oil wells are strong enough to protect the people who live near, or work in, the waters.
"A couple of years ago – regrettably – I told a reporter at the Birmingham Press that Mobile Baykeeper didn’t have the capacity to deal with oil and gas issues. For us, they were too big and too scary," Callaway said.
"But we’ve gotten over that. Now we’re looking at our work in terms of bite-size pieces. By doing that, even this spill hasn’t overwhelmed us so far."
If there’s an upside to the oil spill, she says, it is the opportunity to publicize the importance of clean water and the action that must be taken individually, as well as at the state and national levels, to protect not only Alabama’s waters, but also those across the U.S.
"Shortcuts - doing things the easy, cheap way rather than the responsible way – that’s what we fight every day," Callaway said. "We have to make sure that once Deepwater Horizon’s gone from our daily television screens, people don’t forget what led to this disaster."
[Editors Note: On June 11, 2010, Lifetime Entertainment Services LLC (which operates the Lifetime cable network) recognized Casi Callaway through its “Lifetime Celebrates Remarkable Women” campaign. View this tribute and a brief biography on MyLifetime.com]
Michel Venne said he didn’t recognize the value of sharing ideas and experiences on a global scale until he attended his first CIVICUS World Assembly two years ago.
“You realize how it can be different for a group to work in another country like Brazil or Nigeria,” said Venne, director general of the Institut du Nouveau Monde in Montreal. “I learned a lot about the obstacles and constraints that civil society has in some countries that we don’t have here. We can learn from them, and they can learn from us if we share our experiences.”
CIVICUS’ ninth global gathering, “World Assembly: Acting Together for a Just World,” will be held Friday through Monday (Aug. 20-23) in Montreal. It will focus on topics related to economic and environmental justice.
Between 500 and 600 people, representing 86 countries, are expected to attend. Because of its location, Venne said, there are more registrants from the U.S. and Canada than in past years.
Michel Venne
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, founded in 1993 and located in Johannesburg, South Africa, is an international network of individuals and organizations working at the local, national, regional and international levels to strengthen citizen action and civil society around the globe, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedoms are threatened.
As one of the founding partners of CIVICUS, the Mott Foundation has provided 31 grants totaling $4.015 million for its work since 1994.
Participants at the assembly will come from three sectors of society – nonprofit, government and business – plus the media.
The Institut du Nouveau Monde, which works for justice and equality in Quebec, was selected to help CIVICUS host the assembly because of its inclusion of youth in its work and also because it offered to help coordinate the 2013 World Assembly with a French-speaking organization in Africa, Venne said.
While there has been limited attendance from French-speaking countries at past assemblies, he hopes this year’s venue in a French-speaking city encourages more long-term participation from those nations.
“I firmly believe that bringing people together from different cultures to talk and exchange is rich. It helps identify what you can do better and what are your strengths and weaknesses,” Venne said.
“If you enter into the dialogue and you’re prepared to learn, you will find that sharing with others is something that will help you to grow.”
This year’s assembly – like the most recent one in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2008 – will include more young people, primarily because a youth assembly is being held prior to the main assembly from Aug. 18-20 in Montreal. About 100 are expected to attend the event.
Margaret Fish
That gathering is focusing on the same theme, said Margaret Fish, CIVICUS World Assembly manager. She said the youth assembly findings will be presented at the larger world assembly.
“They had a youth assembly in 2008 and it made a huge difference in the energy and alternative thinking,” Fish said. Phone-in radio interviews and blogs also will be a part of this year’s youth gathering.
An ongoing topic around the world has been the governmental and private sector cuts in funding to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) due to struggling economies, she said. Reduced income has had devastating effects on NGOs’ work in several areas, but environmental work has been especially hard hit.
“It is more critical than ever before to get together and talk about how the economy is impacting society,” Fish said.
The world assembly has become increasingly important since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S., Fish said, because it gives people a platform to discuss openly repression of human rights internationally.
“Nine-eleven changed the world. A lot of repressive regimes are clamping down on civil society and using 9-11 as an excuse,” she said.
“Where human rights are an issue, and where people are trying to change the status quo, they’re being repressed, tortured, intimidated and locked up.”
In response, the world assembly publicly honors people who have been imprisoned for working to build a strong civil society, Fish said, adding that several will be acknowledged this year as well. The event also has featured freed prisoners as guest speakers.
The 2010 format is designed to encourage more participation and likely will generate potential solutions to pressing problems, she said. In addition to the plenary sessions that feature invited guests in a roundtable discussion, there will be 32 workshops to stimulate input from everyone in attendance.
“I think it’s useful to have different kinds of sessions,” Fish said. “When people don’t feel comfortable in traditional sessions, they are more likely to participate in workshops and interactive formats. It provides some variety for everybody. Hopefully, there’s more interaction and more participation and, hopefully, more ideas come out of it.”
It was 1935 when philanthropist Charles Stewart Mott made an investment to keep six schools open after hours in his adopted hometown of Flint, Michigan. The goal: Provide area families with opportunities to learn, play and grow after the final school bell rings.
The success of that educational experiment helped breathe life into the community schools movement, which ultimately took root throughout the U.S. and around the world.
Seventy-five years after Mr. Mott made that initial grant, the foundation that bears his name remains committed to out-of-school learning – in Flint and across the country – as a pathway out of poverty.
YouthQuest "will help to open new doors ... for Genesee County kids and their families," notes Rhetta Hunyady (center) from the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Rick Smith.
The chamber announced this week that YouthQuest – with the help of a one-year, $3.1-million grant from Mott – is gearing up to offer afterschool activities during the coming academic year at 15 elementary and middle schools throughout the greater Flint community. The program’s goals are to enhance participants’ academic skills; expand their knowledge and experience in such areas as the arts, culture, health, fitness and nutrition; and provide them with a safe, supportive learning environment.
Mott support for YouthQuest, which was originally launched by the United Way of Genesee County in 1998 as Bridges to the Future, has totaled $20.9 million since 2000. The chamber assumed administrative oversight of the program in June as part of a formal, long-term strategic plan.
Rhetta Hunyady notes that a key strength of YouthQuest will be its integration with the chamber’s other programs targeting area kids, including Mott-funded youth development and summer employment initiatives.
“The addition of YouthQuest will position the chamber to significantly enhance the local kindergarten through 12th grade experience,” said Hunyady, group vice president of operations and employer education and training at the chamber. “Ultimately, this will help to open new doors to opportunity and success for Genesee County kids and their families.”
Research suggests that quality out-of-school learning programs can have significant impacts on children. These include improved personal, social and academic skills; stronger performance on standardized tests; more consistent school attendance; and increased likelihood of completing high school.
Studies show that quality out-of-school programs can have important impacts on children and youth. Photo by Bonnie Jacobs.
However, the nation’s supply of such programs falls short of the demand. The Afterschool Alliance – a longtime Mott grantee – reports that more than 25 percent of children in the U.S. are alone and unsupervised each day after school. And polls show that most parents would enroll their kids in an afterschool program, if one were available.
Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant notes that successful afterschool models can build broad support for out-of-school learning; offer important lessons for creating new programs and strengthening existing ones; and creating a seamless educational environment that helps kids achieve success inside – and outside – the classroom.
Ultimately, says Grant, programs such as YouthQuest can help young people, including those living in underserved neighborhoods, shape a new future for themselves, their communities and the nation.
“Whether students are building robots, choreographing their own musicals or calculating statistics for their favorite sports teams, high-quality afterschool programs make learning come alive,” she said. “The resulting academic, social and professional development of these kids will help determine our country’s global standing for decades to come.”
[Editor’s Note: Mott funding for afterschool outside Flint focuses primarily on demonstrations, evaluations and advocacy at the state and federal levels. This includes a total of $140.2-million since 1998 for the country’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers and statewide afterschool networks.]
ADDITIONAL RESOURCE
Learn more about the community schools model in this report by the Mott-funded Community Schools Coalition
When his mother died soon after he graduated from high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Timothy Farris admits to feeling lost and even stumbling into a bit of trouble with friends.
At the invitation of concerned relatives, he moved to Detroit. There, he found his footing, completed an associate degree in business and was working as a rental store sales manager.
He was making money, but still felt adrift in a job that didn’t provide much opportunity for growth or advancement.
Focus: HOPE has helped change the life of Timothy Farris and many other Detroit area residents. Photo by Sheila Beachum Bilby
“I went through a character transition, I believe, at Focus: HOPE,” said Farris, now 25.
Focus: HOPE was founded in Detroit in 1968 to help battle such social ills as racism, poverty and injustice. The longtime Mott Foundation grantee has received $14.7 million in support since 1981.
For years, Focus: HOPE offered an array of job-training programs to help area low-income workers prepare for entry into the labor market -- historically in Michigan’s automotive industry.
But the faltering economy and the dramatic decline in the country’s manufacturing sector have left many industrial communities, including Detroit, facing mounting job losses. Focus: HOPE and other organizations with manufacturing-related workforce training found that their programs were no longer preparing participants for the actual jobs available.
So Focus: HOPE took up the challenge and began partnering with local universities to better align its programs with the changing labor market. The nonprofit retooled two of its core workforce programs, the Center for Advanced Technologies (CAT) and the Machinist Training Institute (MTI), to offer career options beyond the auto sector.
CAT students now can earn four-year engineering degrees under partnerships with Lawrence Technological University, Wayne State University, the University of Detroit Mercy and the University of Michigan.
MTI offers state-licensed courses in precision machining and metalworking, preparing students for careers in advanced manufacturing and computer-aided design.
And Focus: HOPE hasn’t stopped there. Its Information Technologies Center, which has launched more than 1,200 students into information technology careers in the past decade, still offers basic technical training in computer skills. Over the next two years, thanks to a program launched in 2005 under a partnership with Wayne State, an initial cadre of 17 ITC participants will earn four-year degrees in computer sciences.
Monica Brockmeyer, an associate professor of computer science at Wayne State, helps oversee that effort. The Information Management and Systems Engineering program is designed to bring more minorities and women into the information technology field and give them the academic support they need to complete a college degree.
“They are faring pretty darn well,” said Brockmeyer, crediting the program with more than tripling the number of African-American computer science majors at the university since 2004.
Focus: HOPE has further diversified its job training capacity with initiatives targeting two growing sectors: health care and, through a property weatherization program, “green” jobs.
The collaborations with area educational institutions reflect a basic tenet of the Focus: HOPE approach.
“Education is the key,” said Eleanor Josaitis, co-founder and a board member of Focus: HOPE. “I don’t think you’ll ever eliminate racism and poverty until people have education, until they have jobs, until they have opportunity in their lives.”
Not satisfied with just working to advance job and education prospects for adults, Focus: HOPE has launched another venture that will touch many neighborhood families and their school-age children.
Focus: HOPE’s job training programs have evolved to meet the needs of a changing labor market. Photo courtesy of Focus: HOPE
Under the HOPE Village Initiative launched in 2009, the organization has partnered with neighborhood schools, businesses and other nonprofit groups to promote quality education and offer support services to almost 8,000 residents living in the neighborhoods surrounding its 40-acre campus. About 40 percent of neighborhood families, most of them headed by women, live in poverty.
As part of the initiative, a Family Learning Center will open this summer on campus. Area residents will have access to computer training, financial and adult literacy as well as job-search and health-care assistance. School-age children will be able to get tutors and mentors to help with homework and life skills.
“The whole idea of creating this interconnected network of services and approaches isn’t new, but having the will and the gumption to go ahead and do it is, I think, where we excel,” said William F. Jones, Jr. the CEO of Focus: HOPE.
Sid E. Taylor, chairman and founder of SET Enterprises Inc., a Warren-based metal-processing service, was so impressed with Focus: HOPE that in the late ’90s he hired 20 workers trained through MTI. He recently hired three additional graduates and expects to bring seven more on board in the coming months.
“Focus: HOPE already has them pretty much acclimated for the business environment,” Taylor said, “and that was very important to me.”
As for Farris, within two years of enrolling at Focus: HOPE, he completed a curriculum of basic office and network administration classes, and received an advanced network computing system certificate. After earning top marks in his classes, he was a teaching assistant in the ITC program before eventually joining IC Data Communications, a Detroit-based information technology firm.
Farris’ drive and focus are what impressed Terence Willis, the firm’s co-owner.
“Tim is an example of an ideal employee, properly prepared,” Willis said.
Farris credits that preparation to Focus: HOPE, which helped him develop “not just computer skills, but life skills” in building a foundation for success in a career that fulfills him. He plans to strengthen that foundation with more advanced training at Henry Ford Community College later this year.
As the U.S. economy struggles toward recovery, the latest report on a Mott Foundation-funded study offers compelling evidence that high quality sectoral job training programs can help strengthen the financial futures of workers, employers and the country.
The rigorous, random assignment Sectoral Employment Impact Study, launched in 2003, tracked the labor market outcomes of low-income adults participating in sectoral job training programs.
Such programs help individuals prepare for careers in industries or “sectors” chosen specifically for their growth potential. And because employers are involved in the programs’ design and launch, the participants learn the specific skills those industries need.
The study and its findings, their implications for workforce development policy and the value of the sectoral approach are highlighted in the four features below:
Reflections from Jack Litzenberg: Job training does matter Litzenberg, senior program officer at Mott, shares his perspectives on the role of job training – including the sectoral model – in creating true pathways out of poverty. [Read more]
Tuning In to Local Labor Markets This new report, published by Public/Private Ventures with assistance from the Aspen Institute, highlights the significant impacts that sectoral job training programs can have on the employment and earnings of low-income workers. [Read more]
Mott Conversations: Sectoral Job Training In this video Q&A, Harry Holzer, professor of public policy at Georgetown University, discusses the sectoral model and the importance of the new report’s findings. [View the video 3:41]
Study bullish on benefits of sectoral job training This story posted in May 2009 explores early findings from the sectoral employment impact study. [Read more]
For the past 15 years, our country’s workforce development system has been rooted in the idea that low-income people can lift themselves out of poverty by entering the labor market and developing their employment skills on the job, rather than in a classroom or training center.
Overall, this “work first” approach did open the doors to employment. Unfortunately, for some low-income, low-skilled workers, that initial step up the career ladder was often their last.
A key reason is that the U.S. labor market has undergone a dramatic change. Entry-level jobs in many sectors, particularly manufacturing, have almost disappeared. Mid-level positions have become more complex, often requiring advanced education and training.
Jack Litzenberg
And employers, trying to stay competitive in the global marketplace, are increasingly seeking out workers who already have the skills and experiences relevant to their particular industry.
Yet skeptics all too often dismiss the importance of employment training programs, citing a lack of reputable evidence that such strategies help low-income people succeed in living-wage jobs.
Well, it’s a new day in workforce development, thanks to an exciting new report from a Mott-funded study of sector or industry-focused job training programs which shows that job training really does matter.
The results, explored in-depth in the new report, are impressive:
Participants in the sectoral programs earned an average of 29 percent or $337 more per month during the second year of the study than did their non-participating counterparts.
Participants also worked an average of 250 more hours in the second year and were significantly more likely to work in jobs that offered higher wages and benefits, such as health insurance and paid time off, than non-participants.
When these findings first emerged in early 2009, we were excited about their implications for the country’s approach to workforce development. The report has since been reviewed and scrutinized by a number of noted leaders in the field, including Harry Holzer at Georgetown University, Robert LaLonde at the University of Chicago and William Julius Wilson at Harvard University.
And the collective opinions support what many of us have long-believed: high-quality training that leads to living-wage jobs in growing industries can effectively help low-income families put themselves on the road to self-sufficiency.
The report also points out the ripple effects of the sectoral model. For example, engaging employers in the programs’ design and launch means that participants develop the specific skills those industries are looking for. As a result, those workers are prepared to “hit the ground running,” which reduces the costs to businesses for staff training and turnover. And as companies become more profitable and grow their market share, the local communities benefit through new work opportunities and greater economic impacts.
Many sectoral programs are also strengthening impacts for both workers and employers by helping industries across the country restructure such employment practices as recruitment, hiring, training, promotion and compensation.
In short, job training – including the sectoral approach – does matter to workers, employers, communities and the nation.
We at the Mott Foundation believe that education still is the best pathway out of poverty. This new report highlights the important role of sectoral employment in delivering education to low-income, low-skilled people desiring better employment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Editor’s Note: Jack Litzenberg is senior program officer in the Mott Foundation’s Pathways Out of Poverty program. He has helped lead the Foundation’s funding of workforce development strategies – including sector or industry-focused models – since 1984. Mott has made more than $91 million in grants since 1978 in support of sector-related initiatives, including field studies and evaluations designed to test the approach and its outcomes.]
For millions of people around the globe, the 2010 World Cup provided not only an exciting month-long sports competition, but also a first-hand look at the host country. Recognizing that, the Mott Foundation decided to show a side of South Africa not generally seen by sports fans and casual travelers. The Foundation invited a group of grantees in South Africa to write brief essays about their work in the nonprofit sector and to share what they see as the challenges and hopes for their country.
While each of the 19 essays we received was written as an individual piece, together these works comprise a collection of diverse and rich voices; they are a colorful tapestry of expressions about what excites, frustrates and inspires NGO leaders to continue their quest to create a just and equitable civil society in South Africa.
In addition, each writer was asked to share a “beloved places” – an area of their homeland that holds special meaning for them – and what resulted was a fascinating mix of off-the-beaten-path sights that are sure to inspire the armchair traveler.
We invite you now to browse through the essay collection and the meaningful destinations, or “sit a spell” and read them all. We think you’ll find them interesting, enlightening and entertaining.
About the writers
Those who agreed to participate in this Mott project are diverse in age, race, gender, geographic location and field of interests, such as education, philanthropy, gender issues, human rights, and others. Some are seasoned NGO professionals who fought in the anti-apartheid struggle while others are closer to the beginning of their careers. All, except three, are Mott grantees based in South Africa. Two of the exceptions are Mott staff – one lives in London (Shannon Lawder) and the other in Johannesburg (Vuyiswa Sidzumo). The third exception is a former director of Mott’s South Africa office (Christa Kuljian) and a longtime Johannesburg resident.
We hope these writings do for you what the World Cup games did for millions of people on and off the field: They energized and challenged them – and also provided discussion fodder for days to come. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Magley says he felt like he lost everything the 2008 morning he walked into a plant stripped of machinery. He was handed an indefinite layoff notice that day. Not only did his 40-hour paycheck disappear, but also his health, dental and vision benefits.
This marked the second time during the past decade that Magley, who has a two-year associate’s degree in mechanical engineering, had seen a job in Michigan’s automotive manufacturing industry evaporate. Fortunately, this time around, his foreman had been alerted to a package of retraining benefits that he shared with his co-workers.
“He told me he was going to use TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance) to go back to business school, and he encouraged me to do the same,” said Magley.
New high tech equipment at Mott Community College’s main campus in Flint provides opportunities to train students to become certified cooks and chefs through a nationally recognized Culinary Arts program.
Thanks to that help, he is scheduled to graduate in December 2010 from Flint’s Mott Community College, with an associate’s degree in culinary arts.
“This time around, I wanted skills that I could use anywhere in the world,” he said of his decision to become a pastry chef. “I figured I’d go into baking; it’s something I always liked to do. Eventually, I’d like to open my own shop, be my own boss.”
TAA is a package of benefits offered through the U.S. Department of Labor to workers like Magley, who have been laid off or experienced a reduction in hours because their employers have been affected adversely by foreign trade.
Those who qualify for TAA often are entitled to weekly Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) after their unemployment compensation has run out in addition to support for up to two years of job retraining.
Use of TAA has expanded in Michigan - approximately 8,700 Michigan workers filed for benefits in 2009. This increase is due in part to the efforts of the National Employment Law Project (NELP), which has helped the state piece together a rapid and effective response to severe job loss and economic dislocation with grants totaling $1,276,000 from the Mott Foundation.
For Magley, completing an associate’s degree would not have been possible without the combined support of TAA and extended unemployment benefits.
“To be honest, I couldn’t have finished in two years if I had to take classes full time and work,” he said. “That weekly check made the difference, especially when I was taking 21 credits last semester.”
Since starting school in 2008, Magley has maintained a 3.87 grade point average.
“To keep your benefits, you have to maintain at least a 2.0 [GPA],” he said. “If you’re not motivated, you’re not going to make it.”
“By having the kind of detailed exposure to the problems Michigan workers are experiencing using TAA and other programs created for them, we can better identify barriers and do something about them.” - Rick McHughThat goes for applying for Trade Readjustment Allowances benefits as well.
“It takes a lot of time and paperwork and there are plenty of hoops you have to jump through - eligibility requirements, orientation sessions, informational meetings,” Magley said. “But they (Michigan Works!) got me ready for school in two weeks so I wouldn’t miss the fall semester.”
Career Alliance, the Michigan Works! agency for the Flint region, is one of several partners working with NELP to improve the delivery of training benefits and other services for the state’s unemployed, according to Rick McHugh, staff attorney and director of NELP’s Midwest office.
In an effort to familiarize these partners with each other’s services, NELP worked with the Center for Civil Justice in the Mott Foundation’s home community of Flint to develop a “toolkit” training curriculum.
Designed to help union representatives, human service workers and anyone else who deals with benefit programs, the training has been well received, and several Michigan cities have requested presentations, according to Terri Stangle, the center’s executive director.
Much of what NELP is learning through its work in Flint and the Midwest is being shared nationally.
“By having the kind of detailed exposure to the problems Michigan workers are experiencing using TAA and other programs created for them, we can better identify barriers and do something about them,” McHugh said.
For Robert Magley, the opportunity to learn about TAA and TRA and access those benefits made a major difference in his future.
"Sure, it was hard to start over again,” he said. “But I don’t want to wake up some day and ask myself, ‘How would my life have turned out if I hadn’t taken this chance?'" _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDITIONAL RESOURCE
Lorene Randall pulls up to International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 948, a union hall in Genesee County, Michigan. She’s been invited to speak to a group of laid-off workers brought together by the AFL-CIO. This Saturday is a typical morning for Michigan’s only dislocated worker facilitator.
Randall spends her workdays building relationships with the people, agencies and resources that can help laid-off workers connect with and increase the use of available training and family-support resources.
Randall would not have this job if she had not opted to retrain, she says. In mid-career, Randall retired from the automotive manufacturing industry, took advantage of employer tuition assistance and went back to school, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in labor relations from Wayne State University.
Rick McHugh and Lorene Randall work out of NELP’s Midwest office to increase the participation of Michigan’s unemployed workers in benefits programs that lead to retraining for new jobs.
She spends considerable time working with mid-Michigan’s dislocated autoworkers, a group that often is eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), a package of benefits that delivers tuition assistance, income support and case-management services through the U.S. Department of Labor.
“I’ve been there,” Randall said. “Now it’s my turn to give back by serving as a listening ear and by finding the answers people need to get back to work.”
“Lorene looks out for people who have lost their jobs,” said Rick McHugh, NELP staff attorney and director of the organization’s Midwest office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “And thanks to her work, that’s one of the things NELP has been able to bring to the table - the worker’s perspective on what’s needed to develop effective workforce training programs in Michigan and elsewhere.”
Since 2006, NELP has been working in the Midwest to provide public education, technical assistance and advocacy around an agenda of policies and practices to help workers affected by economic dislocations. Funded with multiyear support of $1,276,000 from the Mott Foundation, NELP has developed a basic dislocated worker package for Michigan and Ohio, where tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs have been lost or moved off-shore. The Chicago-based Joyce Foundation also funds the project.
When NELP began working in Michigan, a number of state laws and policies stood in the way of accessing and distributing dollars through various workforce training initiatives, McHugh says. Few of the state’s workforce agencies were familiar with federal supplemental benefits programs such as TAA, which is available to workers who become unemployed as a result of increased imports from, or shifts in production to, foreign countries.
Using TAA: One worker's story
Working as a chef is a big change from assembling automobiles, but Robert Magley is determined to start a new career by using TAA benefits to complete a two-year associate’s degree in the culinary arts. Read his story here.
Established as part of the federal Trade Expansion Act in 1962, TAA was expanded in 1974, when Congress established the training component of the program. TAA currently provides support for up to 104 weeks of approved training in occupational skills. The program also provides weekly income-support payments - known as Trade Readjustment Allowances - for a full year after a worker’s unemployment compensation benefits have been exhausted.
“With TAA benefits, qualified workers have the time, as well as the resources, to complete an associate’s degree or another type of training that can move them into solid, family-sustaining employment,” McHugh said.
“No one at the state level really understood how to apply for TAA - and frankly, the amount of paperwork required made it a big pain for workforce agencies. But the sheer number of people who needed assistance compelled the state to begin looking for other resources.”
Along with distributing more than 3,000 of its certification manuals, NELP developed a series of trainings on TAA for state officials and staff of Michigan Works!, the statewide system that manages local service centers for job seekers. NELP also helped develop new guidelines for distributing and tracking training dollars, enabling state agencies to steer extra dollars to areas experiencing large-scale worker dislocation.
“Once those log jams were broken - and agencies gained some experience with TAA - the handcuffs started to fall off and money began flowing,” McHugh said.
NELP has conducted more than 50 public presentations about TAA in union halls, college campuses and nonprofit agencies to date, McHugh says.
“We’ve been gaining a little notoriety," said Randall, noting the uptick from cities across mid-Michigan requesting that NELP present its “Building a Toolkit” training. Created in conjunction with the Michigan Center for Civil Justice, the training combines coverage of basic TAA and dislocated worker programs with information on human needs program eligibility.
Approximately 8,700 Michigan workers filed for education and income support benefits through TAA in 2009 - a significant increase from 2005, when 2,800 workers accessed assistance. While the state’s sagging economy has propelled these numbers, NELP’s efforts have helped to pump an additional $30 million in training and family support funding into the state’s economy during that period. The practical experience that NELP has gained through its Midwest Economic Adjustment Initiative has been used to inform policy at the national level, McHugh says.
Mid-Michigan’s Mott Community College offers a number of educational options for new and returning students, including occupational associate degrees, certificates of achievement and alternative training preparation.
In 2009, the passage of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which delivered additional Workforce Investment Act funds for training and services for dislocated workers, gave NELP the opportunity to provide language and policy suggestions to inform reauthorization of TAA, says Andrew Stettner, NELP’s deputy director in Washington, D.C.
“Our Michigan and Ohio work has helped us identify many of the obstacles that stand in the way of workers accessing help, and we were able to work with Congress to put language into the legislation that removes those barriers,” McHugh said.
While expanding the use of TAA has been a major focus of its work in the Midwest, NELP also has worked with states to direct their dollars and other resources to assist distressed firms avoid layoffs altogether. While both Michigan and Ohio have some features of Early-Warning programs (Early Warning Networks are used to give communities time to avert or minimize the effects of plant closures and business failures) in place, they are not fully integrated and do not offer the technical assistance, access to capital and scale sufficient to avoid job losses and further closings.
“Right now, every time there’s a major dislocation, the state invites us in to explain worker rights,” said McHugh of his team of four that includes Randall; Lynn Minick, a workforce development specialist; and Lindsay Webb, a TAA coordinator.
But more needs to be done, he says. Using advance notice of plant closings gives both employers and employees time to consider layoff-aversion strategies, such as employee buyouts, seeking new products or restructuring businesses. Better use of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) law could help preserve jobs, as could such practices as “work sharing,” which enables workers to remain in their jobs through a combination of reduced work schedules and unemployment benefits.
Going forward, NELP plans to focus on closing the gaps that exist between TAA and coordination of other unemployment services and help state “One Stop” agencies improve their reporting of TAA and training approval processes. Another goal, says McHugh, is increasing the number of “peer” networks, a particularly effective approach to helping laid-off employees during transition crises.
Peer networks give workers the opportunity to collect the information they need, connect with community services, begin looking for job referrals and prepare resumes. They also work with community leaders to plan a cooperative response to layoffs.
Which is why having a dislocated worker facilitator such as Lorene Randall - someone who is an effective, on-the-ground advocate for people who have lost employment - is so valuable to communities experiencing long-term job losses.
“NELP strives to bring a different perspective - a new pair of eyes - to systems in place to help the unemployed,” McHugh said. “We try to identify what doesn’t seem to be working, point out the barriers to participation and work with people to negotiate around those obstacles.” ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDITIONAL RESOURCE
For Dawn Winans, the newly opened Witherbee’s Market & Deli in downtown Flint is a great addition to the local urban landscape.
“I don’t think there is a grocery store like this in the city limits,” Winans said as she and three co-workers from nearby Kettering University enjoyed takeout lunches on the market’s outdoor patio, the noonday sun reflecting brilliantly off the store’s white exterior.
Witherbee’s - the first full-service grocery to open in downtown Flint in 30 years - is the result of a collaboration of private, public and philanthropic partners, including the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Each viewed the project as an important piece in the ongoing renewal of downtown Flint, which is experiencing an upsurge in new and refurbished office space, residential and student housing, and restaurants.
Access to high-quality, fresh foods is key to the revitalization of urban neighborhoods. Photo provided by Witherbee’s
“Every development is helping push the revival of downtown,” said David White, co-owner of Demeter’s Horn LLC, which is responsible for managing the 10,000-square-foot store, open seven days a week.
Indeed, the coordinated efforts that made Witherbee’s a reality reflect a growing understanding of the vital roles that such stores can play in supporting the redevelopment and revitalization of urban communities around the country.
Witherbee’s, whose location is central to five downtown neighborhoods, offers affordable, high quality groceries - including fresh meats, fruits and vegetables - to area residents, many of whom have low incomes, no cars and often rely on pricier convenience stores or gas stations for food.
“Our produce was the number one selling item in our store on opening day,” said Perry Compton, a co-owner. “It just goes to show that people want fresh food and if they have choices, they’ll make better choices.”
As longtime downtown residents, White and Compton had kicked around the idea of a local grocery for years. While larger grocery chains had given the concept a look, they quickly rejected it as incompatible with their big-store business models.
In addition to groceries, Witherbee’s offers takeout lunches, which can be enjoyed on the store’s outdoor patio. Photo provided by Witherbee’s
“We’re excited to see the impact that the store ultimately has on the neighborhoods,” said Judith Christenson, program director for NIPP, a nonprofit and key partner on the project. “This was a new venture for us and we are pleased it has been received so well.”
Witherbee’s would not have been doable without NIPP, said Michael Freeman, now program director for the Flint-based Center for Community Progress. When he was at LISC, he helped coordinate the initial funding for the $1.8-million project. LISC provided a $900,000 construction loan to refurbish the 82-year-old building.
“We have all the convenience and the competitive pricing because the nonprofit was involved in the mix,” said Freeman, who lives in the neighborhood.
Compton and White stock and equip the store, and pay a monthly lease to NIPP, which owns the building with help from a $165,400 grant from Mott.
Supporters say the grassroots origins of Witherbee’s may be a tipping point for Flint.
“That’s where I think this downtown development has taken a different turn,” said Sue Peters, a LISC program officer. She notes that as new housing and businesses have drawn more people to the core-city area, the expansion of basic services – like Witherbee’s – has become a natural and important next step.
“If it is successful, we can pull the pieces out of it that are replicable, and we can take it to other cities in Michigan or other states,” Julie Hales Smith, Cities of Promise program manager. The state program provided a grant and tax credits totaling $385,000 to help fund Witherbee’s development.
Cade Surface, a 21-year-old communications major at the University of Michigan-Flint, also located downtown, predicts Witherbee’s will have a dramatic impact on local neighborhoods.
“Until now, it still hasn’t had all the qualities of a real community, a livable community,” said Surface, who lives in a nearby fraternity. “So this is a huge step in that direction.”
As the U.S. economy struggles toward recovery, the latest report on a Mott Foundation-funded study offers compelling evidence that high quality sectoral job training programs can help strengthen the financial futures of workers, employers and the country. 
For millions of people around the globe, the 2010 World Cup provided not only an exciting month-long sports competition, but also a first-hand look at the host country. Recognizing that, the Mott Foundation decided to show a side of South Africa not generally seen by sports fans and casual travelers. The Foundation invited a group of grantees in South Africa to write brief essays about their work in the nonprofit sector and to share what they see as the challenges and hopes for their country. 
Y. Obenewa Amponsah,
Amanda Blankfield,
Saeanna Chingamuka,
Amanda Cooper,
Christine Delport, 
Bernie Dolley,
Ela Gandhi,
Jenny Hodgson,
Sue Howell,
Christa Kuljian, 
Fr. Michael Lapsley, SSM
Shannon Lawder,
Oshadi Mangena,
Sibongile (Bongi) Mkhabela,
Chris Mkhize,
Anthony Prangley, 
Vuyiswa Sidzumo,
Ingrid Srinath
Dylan Edwards
Witherbee’s - the first full-service grocery to open in downtown Flint in 30 years - is the result of a collaboration of private, public and philanthropic partners, including the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Each viewed the project as an important piece in the ongoing renewal of downtown Flint, which is experiencing an upsurge in new and refurbished office space, residential and student housing, and restaurants. 
