Virtual Job Friends Dinners Create Connections

Jubilee Jobs prides itself with not only helping clients find employment, but also connecting them to community resources that will enhance their everyday life. One way we do this is through our monthly Job Friends Dinner, where we bring local organizations and agencies to speak on a theme with Jubilee Jobs clients placed in jobs. These events are interactive and clients appreciate the support.

Due to COVID-19, we had to transition from an in-person dinner to Zoom. The goal of Job Friends is to not only connect Jubilee Jobs clients to resources, but also to build community, and it was important for us to try to encourage the sense of community virtually. We start to establish connections on the Job Friends with the icebreaker where each client introduces themselves and gives a special welcome to their Job Counselor. For some Job Friends, we also have breakout room discussions that give clients an opportunity to share more deeply in a small group.

Despite not being able to serve meals for the Job Friends Dinner provided by longtime partner DC Central Kitchen, each month clients are given $15 grocery cards for attending Job Friends. Anthony DiGiovanni, a client working at Federal City Recovery Services, says that “Job Friends is so great because of the information that we have access to, and those gift cards are very helpful, too.”

Inspector Sylvan Altieri

Throughout the year, Jubilee Jobs has had the pleasure to host incredible guests from organizations such as MANNA, United Planning Organization, and PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education). Some of the themes this year included Housing for All, Healthy Living, and Race Reconciliation. However, it was July’s Building a Safer Community Job Friends Dinner that had a deep impact on everyone. After the tragic shooting in Southeast DC that led to the killing of six-year-old Nyiah Courtney, Jubilee Jobs reached out to violence interrupter organizations such as Alliance of Concerned Men and Cure the Streets DC as well as Inspector Sylvan Altieri of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sixth District to help discuss solutions to help create safer communities. After the presentations, clients were placed in breakout rooms to discuss their personal stories as well as offer solutions that would benefit the community.

Vince Van, Volunteer and Program Coordinator of Jubilee Jobs, said during the dinner that “This is what makes Jubilee Jobs so different, as much as we care about placing you in a job, we also care about your life outside of the job.”

The next Job Friends Dinner will be on December 15th at 6:00 pm. If you are interested in joining us then on Zoom, contact Vince at vvan@jubileejobs.org.