Empowering Women Through InStepp, Inc.

Next month is woman’s history month! What will you do to empower another woman? I recently attended an event that thoroughly introduced me to InStepp, Inc. I felt compelled to serve and went through an adult coaching mentor training to be able to support and mentor women enrolled in the adult program with InStepp, Inc. that have experienced domestic violence or have been displaced in their lives due to previous run ins with the law and being justice-involved adult women. You never know anyone’s situation, I’m in the no judgement zone! Some of us aren’t as fortunate as others and one mistake or wrong decision, can potentially follow you for the rest of your life. If I can help and be a blessing to someone then why not be that ear to listen, life guide, or shoulder to lean on while these women are trying to sort out their personal situations and re-establish themselves in society. I hope I am effective and have an impact on my mentee.

About InStepp, Inc.: *Taken from InStepp, Inc. website. InStepp, Inc. is a non-profit organization in Durham, NC that is passionate about helping out local communities thrive by empowering at-risk adult women and adolescent girls to succeed personally and professionally through innovative, gender-responsive training, education and prevention series. There are a few different programs that InStepp, Inc. offers like “New Choices” An Economic, Self Sufficient Program for Women, “Nuevo Vida” New Life for Hispanic Latino Women, Employment Re-Entry Assistance Program for Justice Involved Women, InStepp Adult Mentoring Program, and Girls Leadership Academy.

Here are some benefits of Instepp, Inc. adult services!

1. An increased level of employ-ability after completing 30 hours of employ-ability skills training that focuses on career planning; job search & interview techniques, communication skills and job retention topics.

2. A higher probability of finding a job with assistance from dedicated staff who are trained to assist individuals with significant barriers to employment and who understand the business of the local community.

3. Personal support from a caring and compassionate professional female who serves as a friend, supporter, motivator and adviser for up to a year.

4. Individualized pre-employment and post employment counseling and support from a career employment specialist.

Check out the InStepp, Inc. website to learn more about the mission and volunteer opportunities.

InStepp Inc. Mentor Certificate

When Others Fear Your Success

Sometimes things happen for a reason. I recently found myself in a position where I reached out to a Entrepreneur who owns a small Marketing Company that I would consider a mentor of sorts because of the direction I would like to take my brand in. I was actually referred to this person from a friend. I wrote a very professional pitch letter and attached my media kit to the email asking to intern or become a mentee so I can further my professional marketing and PR experience. I was thrown off by the reply and even more surprised that after I responded to it I didn’t receive a reply to my response. While there are many established companies that welcome interns or mentees I guess there are some that don’t or maybe it’s just the cases where they may feel threatened.

I am going to give you my personal opinion of the situation and you can weigh in once I give you the details. The initial response to the first email I sent was that… “it seemed as though I was trying to do something similar to their company and offer similar services”. There were differences in their list of offerings and what I would like to do. It was also questioned how they thought they would be able to help me without becoming competitive and securing their clients. I honestly just wanted to learn and would never as a intern or mentee solicit another companies clients. That’s just really shady! I know they did their research on me by investigating my media kit and going to all my social media channels etc. to see if my stats were accurate and see how I engage on my social media platforms. They did mention that they were impressed at how far I have come on my own.

The conclusion I have come to after not receiving a response to my last email explaining that I had no intention of becoming competitive and was in no position to do that, I just wanted to learn. I got a sense of them fearing my success. I also offered my services to do things that may not be a strong suit for the company. I stated that there are people who always outsource tasks that they don’t particularly like doing themselves so they can focus on their passion and what they are happiest doing. At the end of the day, I got no response and decided to leave it be. What I did learn from this situation is that no matter what, someone is always watching you offline and online. I received a few emails after this particular incident with opportunities to do exactly what I wanted to do from larger corporate companies. I was elated that they thought of me and that I will be able to gain the experience I seek to expand my brand .

I am okay with the outcome because it wasn’t the right opportunity for me and I see that. Sometimes we may encounter obstacles or roadblocks but, when one door closes another one opens and it may exceed our expectations. A mentor shouldn’t mind you picking their brain, listening to you bounce ideas off of them or mind pushing you in the right direction. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt another person, blogger or company for that matter didn’t want to see you succeed or feared your success, almost putting you in a position where they viewed you as a potential threat to them? This was my first real up close and personal encounter with this type of situation. What are your thoughts?

error: Ask And You Shall Receive!!