Briefcase Project - A Day of Career Empowerment for Women!

Each year, AmeriCorps offers 75,000 opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds to serve the community through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups. This past year, the UJA-Federation of New York and the Metropolitan Council for Jewish Poverty partnered together with AmeriCorps to create sustainable volunteer programs that address the needs of the poor and near poor in the areas of career services, job readiness, hunger relief and nutrition education.

The mission of The Briefcase Project aims to provide low-income New York women with resources to prepare them to enter into the workforce. Inspired by International Women’s Day, a day of career empowerment for women was developed to become part of The Briefcase Project as a way to enable our communities to come together to inspire and strengthen those in need. The events will take place on April 27^th, May 1^st, 2012 and spread across the UJA-Federation New York network to provide women with hands on educational seminars and speakers, valuable job-readiness tools, and a new professional bag to help them get back on their feet.

The Briefcase Project was developed to provide women with resources to help them look and feel their best at job interviews and prepare them for successful entrance to the workforce. The Briefcase Project is a day of career empowerment for women to help them gain vital tools such as social media education, resume building, and interview skills to help them get back to work. Manhattan, Westchester, and Long Island will each host an event led by AmeriCorps members in their areas.

All donations will go directly to clients attending this event. Agencies that are already on-board with this initiative include:

F.E.G.S. – offers a wide variety of employment and career services that serve as a catalyst of change in the lives of many.

Mary J. Blige Center for Women – Through a partnership between WJCS and FFAWN, the center is committed to providing girls and women with skills, knowledge, resources and type of support that will empower them to pursue their personal goals and become self-sufficient, confident women.

Met Council’s Career Services Center – is a resource for low to moderate-income New Yorkers who want to find jobs or advance in their careers. Experienced employment specialists help New Yorkers with resume and interview preparation, short and long-term career planning and job search and placement.

Getting Involved

We need to collect briefcases to distribute at the locations hosting an event. Through the donation of new briefcases, portfolios and/or messenger bags to The Briefcase Project you would be supporting programs that work to strengthen, empower, and equip low-income New York women with the tools needed for their professional development and success. This donation coupled with a day of strength, inspiration, and education for women will provide them with the added confidence they need as they embark on their journey towards financial freedom and stability.

Here’s your opportunity to help us decrease the unemployment rate!

We will also be looking for skilled volunteers to help out on the day of the event. We need both professionals and non-professionals to help with a variety of projects.

The project aims to not only provide low income New York women with skills and a new briefcase or portfolio, but also a scarf to help them look and feel the part of a new professional. We are hoping to collect 200-250 new or gently used scarves to support this project. Donate towards this endeavor by dropping it off to us here at UJA-Federation New York office (529B) or sending it to our attention through the mail. Start your spring cleaning early to help empower the women of New York - donate a scarf, today!

Donations of briefcases, messenger bags and portfolios will help further motivate New Yorkers to achieve independence and financial security. Our target goal is to gather and distribute 1,000 briefcases packed with career oriented educational and support materials. This will help job seekers feel one step closer towards financial freedom and stability.

We want those in need to feel as professional as possible. Please see below for more details on the program. Your generosity truly makes a difference in our communities.

For further information or to discuss donations or volunteering, please contact:

Alexandra S. Levy at 212-836-1339/ LevyA@ujafedny.org.