Seven Classes. Four Days. One Heart.

What a gift it was to launch our new slate of vocational training classes for refugee women! We are now a multi-site program, offering programming in proximity to areas where refugee women live. Childcare is provided at each location, as well as transportation help for those who most need it.

Here are the classes we are offering this semester:

• Sewing Class Level 1: Introduction to sewing, English terminology, soft job skills
• Sewing Class Level 2: Learn & Earn project, production sewing, continued job skill development
• Sewing Class Level 3: For students who have graduated, but want to continue, we’re offering a “Quilting as Storytelling” class
• Childcare Education: In partnership with Childcare Resources, Inc, we’re offering a basic preschool teacher education class for students with high school degrees from their home countries.
• Computer Skills, Level 2: For students who have finished our level 1 computer program, we’re providing training in Google Workplace programs, as well as basic programming skills.
• Vocational ESL: As a supplement to traditional ESL programs offered at Project 658, we’re providing a job skills focused ESL class two days a week. One student had never been able to write her name down on the timesheet at work, and after last semester, she can finally write AND recognize her name on work forms. We’ve expanded this program to meet the demand among our students.

Refugee women are new Americans. They love our country and are excited about contributing. Yet there are very few places for them to learn culture, build job skills and process trauma. We’re thrilled that Make Welcome Refugee Women’s Center can provide a place to support cultural integration and deeper understanding, plus as our programming grows and expands, we will hopefully help fill job vacancies in Charlotte!