"I believed a lot of the enemy’s lies over the years, [I believed] that I would never amount to anything, I was a nobody and could never achieve anything…”
—Trish
Trish was living in a recovery house in Shelbyville when we met her along with a number of other women who had been released from incarceration. She was anxious to finish her term there and get back to her two children, but her future looked bleak. Most of the women had experienced difficult, even dangerous relationships. They had had personal failures, most had used drugs, and experienced abuse which had reduced their self-respect and left them without hope.
Trish was shy. You could say she saw life through a negative lens and had little expectation for a better life. The old saying goes: “If you don’t expect something good to happen, you won’t be disappointed when it doesn’t.” In fact, that’s a pretty common belief among women who’ve experienced trauma. Pretty clearly, Trish had no faith in her potential and figured failure was lurking around every corner.
But then 2nd Chance Indiana's job preparation classes started…In walked Doug Evans and Scott Whiting, two praying men with kind hearts and a Bible-laced curriculum for job preparedness. Not only did Doug and Scott arrive with books, handouts, and caring smiles, they helped arrange mentors—women—who would sit with the ladies during classes, talk over the information, and how it applied to their lives.
Trish, like so many, started to believe she had a chance for advancement and success—she almost fought it. They learned what an employer expects and how to get ahead. They got it. Trish and the others took tests that measured their gifts and talents. Most felt they had no gifts or talents, but with understanding and care, the teachers led them to the kinds of work they could enjoy and be good at. Over the weeks, they became focused on the idea of having jobs they enjoyed that would enable them to support their families.
Meanwhile, the mentors provided caring emotional support and made it a point to make each woman understand her value—which is often a difficult concept to sell to a damaged soul. Tell a woman who may have been beaten, sold for drugs, or called “trash” most of her life that she’s valuable, and you’re in for a long, long talk, and possibly some weeping. It’s not an easy job, especially with an adult who has never heard a kind word. But these mentors came through.
Weeks went by, and the women who had been sure the class would be a waste of time became the biggest promoters of the experience. Now they knew that God loved them. They knew what employers would be looking for. They’d practiced interviewing for jobs and had a resume ready to go.
Today Trish has bought a house and lives with her family, she is taking college courses to pursue a degree in business administration, and is a manager for McDonald’s after graduating from its management development program.
Does job training, mentoring, and employment make a difference for a person reentering society?
Big yes. And, not just for Trish.
Jim
(Make sure you see the video!)
