An employment and training office for Bay Area vets

Education, Employment, Transition, Veterans No Responses »
Nov 212008

Swords to Plowshares announced this week its plans to open an Oakland-based facility that “will include one-on-one employment counseling, interview coaching and assistance with job search and costs.” See the local ABC-TV video story here.

A San Francisco-based group has announced plans to open an employment and training office for Bay Area veterans. “We are opening this new satellite office in Oakland to make it easier for veterans to access veteran-specific employment and training services in their community,” explained Amy N. Fairweather, director of the Iraq Veteran Project for the “Swords to Plowshares” veteran support organization.

“We see a growing number of veterans in the East Bay, and we want to make employment and training services as convenient and accessible as possible,” she said.

The services offered at the Oakland office will include one-on-one employment counseling, interview coaching and assistance with job search and costs. The new office also will reach out to employers in the community and secure interviews for clients.

“We also hope to have our other service departments visit that office periodically to provide help with GI Bill and [Veterans Affairs Department] benefits,” Fairweather said.

Swords to Plowshares helps veterans with health and social services, transitional and permanent housing, employment and training and through its Iraq Veteran Project.

“We launched the Iraq Veteran Project in 2005 to better meet the needs of a new and unique population of post-9/11 veterans,” Fairweather said. The Iraq Veteran Project staff provides resources and referrals to veterans of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and their families, including help with navigating educational benefits, accessing VA care and finding veterans services where they live, she added.

Michael Ergo, a former Marine sergeant, recently used the group’s employment training program to complete a paralegal certificate course at San Francisco State University.

“When I went in to see them, I asked if they had any legal training programs to put me in,” Ergo said. “They found the paralegal program within an hour. I was enrolled within a week. Swords to Plowshares definitely care about their clients. I got the impression that they were eager to help me and did not consider it a burden to serve me.”

A handful of Vietnam veterans established Swords to Plowshares in 1974. Today, a staff of 85 helps veterans with transitional and supportive housing, mental health care, employment and training, legal services and case management.

In additional to its local services, Swords to Plowshares now provides legal representation for VA claims and discharge review services to post-9/11 veterans regardless of where they live. The group also has developed military and veteran cultural competency training for clinicians and first responders to give them a basic understanding of resources and issues.

“Of course, we continue to provide our local services to veterans of all eras, but hope that by intervening as soon as possible, we will prevent this new generation of combat veterans from some of the suffering their chronically homeless predecessors continue to endure,” Fairweather said.

Posted by admin at 6:33 pm

Farming is a good fit...a healing process

Agriculture, Organic, Transition, Veterans No Responses »
Nov 142008

The Point Reyes Light, a small newspaper published in the rural town of Point Reyes Station near the coast of Northern California, interviewed an Iraq War veteran, Jason Yarbrough, this week, along with FVC’s Michael O’Gorman and pioneering organic farmer Warren Weber about the transition from warfare to farming.

Jason had loaded and launched fighter-bombers in the Persion Gulf during his 4-year stint in the service. He came home with post traumatic stress.

“The experience was hard to digest,” he said on Sunday afternoon at Star Route Farms in Bolinas. “There is a choking feeling that eventually catches up with you.”

The feeling caught up with him in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder, and after several years of trying to cope with disabling fear and anxiety, Yarbrough ended up at a homeless facility for veterans on Treasure Island.

That was where he connected with FVC, which led him to complete an internship at Crescent Moon Farms in Santa Rosa, California. As Warren Weber was quoted:

“Soldiers may be particularly suited to farming; the discipline they learn in the military may serve them well in farming.”

Posted by admin at 7:21 pm

Shepherd Bliss - "Feeding people can be as patriotic as protecting people."

Land, Support, Transition, Veterans 1 Response »
Sep 242008

Shepherd was the first speaker at the benefit dinner in Sebastopol. Drawing from his experience as a military veteran, small farmer, poet and psychologist, he talked about the “broken systems” of our country’s veterans affairs and farming industry. Having been working with veterans for many years, he understands the healing potential that comes with working with living plants in the fields. He knows the power that farming holds in the transition from warfare to civilian life.

Posted by admin at 11:54 am Tagged with: ,

Nadia McCaffrey - "Let's do this!"

Agriculture, Land, Support, Transition No Responses »
Sep 182008

Nadia McCaffrey is a Gold Star Mother: she lost her son in the Iraq War and is doing something about it. She founded Veterans Village to provide compassionate healing and living environments for returning veterans  damaged by their war experience.

In these clips from her address – following her introduction by FVC’s Michael O’Gorman – she describes the expansion of Veterans Village to sites in Minnesota and New York, where land is avaiable for farming and gardening – important components for both the healing and livelihood of the communities.

Nadia sees a clear connection between Veterans Village and the agricultural training goals of the Farmer-Veteran Coalition. We hope to soon be helping vets become the competent farmers and gardeners that they can be.

Posted by admin at 12:29 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

Swords to Plowshares holds vet job fair in San Francisco

Employment, Transition No Responses »
Sep 112008

The non-profit organization Swords to Plowshares, known for working primarily with veterans who are homeless, or have drug or alcohol problems, sponsored its first job fair Tuesday (9/9) in its home city of San Francisco.

The event, held at the War Memorial building across from City Hall, attracted “about 100″ veterans, mostly from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dave Lopez, director of training and employment services for Swords, said there’s a great need for employment programs for veterans, considering the multitudes who are getting discharges after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, or generally in the “Global War on Terror,” also known as “GWOT.”

“Because of the kind of work that Swords does, we felt it was time to step up to the plate,” Lopez said. “We went around and asked a bunch of employers to come here to talk to the vets, and no one said no.”

Lopez said a lot of veterans don’t realize the importance of the job skills they learned in the military.

“It pains me to talk to some young guy who says, ‘I was just a grunt,’ ” he said. “Even as a grunt, you learned about leadership and working as a team. You have some very good skills that employers are looking for.”

There were 30 employers represented at the fair, most of them being police departments and businesses specializing in security or construction. In the future, FVC plans to be present at many such job fairs, offering alternative vocations in the food and agriculture industries.

In the S.F. Chronicle article, Sean Scharf, a Marine veteran of two tours in Iraq, described the difficulties that many veterans encounter in adjusting to jobs as civilians, saying that they tend to get frustrated before settling into the new rhythm of their new vocations, and return to the military where they feel more accepted and comfortable.

“That’s when you have to call your buddy so he can remind you of all the reasons you got out to begin with,” he said.

The Farmer-Veteran Coalition, hope that many vets will find that the working environments of the food and agriculture vocations will provide rewards and motivations that will offset some of the discomfort found in current job offerings.

Posted by admin at 1:10 pm Tagged with:

New Website Informs Employers About Hiring Vets

Employment, Support, Transition No Responses »
Aug 202008

At long last, the U.S. government is acknowledging the difficult job situation of 600,000 veterans of the combat in Afghanistan and Iraq by providing guidance to potential employers for hiring vets with post-traumatic stress syndrom (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). America’s Heroes at Work has two main subsections

Learn How to Help Employees with TBI/PTSD Succeed, which informs employers how they can “play a vital role in the recovery and rehabilitation of people with TBI and/or PTSD.”

Learn How to Hire a Veteran provides employers with resources to help them recruit, hire and retain qualified veteran employees.

Posted by admin at 5:20 pm Tagged with: , , ,

Steep job slope for disabled vets

Education, Employment, Support, Transition No Responses »
Jul 072008

The latest statistics from Department of Veterans Affairs tell us there are a total of about 869,000 veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and about 225,00 are collecting disability benefits. Paul Rieckhoff, executive director with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, confirms our logic that,“Disabled Veterans have a lot of unique challenges and they have a hard time finding jobs.” He estimates from his 100,000 members that the jobless rate is in double digits with no sign of relief in sight.

The Department of Labor reports – according to Veterans Today – that “only 81.8 percent of disabled Iraq and Afghanistan vets are active job holders or jobseekers compared with 90.7 percent of veterans without a disability.” Of course, some disabled vets will be unable to work because of the nature of their disabilities, but many others don’t know where to turn for training and employment.

Ryan Kules of The Wounded Warrior Project – who lost and arm and a leg in Iraq – says that many wounded vets have great potential to be productive workers. “There are jobs they thought they’d never be able to do, and these things need to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. But with help like special software, or just a bit more time to do things, they can go back to work.”

The agricultural job market includes many roles that can be filled by disabled vets, from planning to marketing and distribution of products. FVC fully intends to develop these opportunities.

Posted by admin at 2:17 pm

Growing produce, training vets in SoCal

Agriculture, Education, Employment, Farms, Organic, Support, Transition No Responses »
Jun 182008

Michael O\'Gorman of FVC and ColinSergeant Colin Archipley, a former Marine, has established a small, innovative farming operation in southern California. At Archi’s Acres , Colin and his wife, Karen, grow produce utilizing sustainable agricultural methods that require the minimum of water, applying techniques pioneered in water-challenged areas such as Israel and Australia. Given its location in Escondido, California, where water shortages and rationing are becoming the rule, Colin (seen in this photo with Michael O’Gorman of FVC) is leading the way in establishing appropriate agricultural practices in the face of global warming.

The other distinguishing feature of Archi’s Acres is its open offer to provide education and hands-on training in produce farming to military veterans.

As a former Marine who served three tours of duty in Iraq, Sergeant Archipley’s infantry position gave him the teaching experience and tools necessary to instill confidence and work side-by-side with fellow veterans who are returning to the workforce. He understands the structure veterans are comfortable with and how to manage the demands of civilian life.

As the program is described:

Archi’s Acres offers programs targeted to veterans who may be disabled or who are interested in returning to the work force in the agricultural industry. We coordinate with the Compensated Work Therapy/Veterans Industries (VI/CWT) program. Our Organic Gardening course offers trainees a full range of learning experiences that include hands on training and text book learning. Course work includes produce production, from seeds to the end user, and sales channels from wholesalers and retailers to the farmer’s market.

Posted by admin at 7:29 am Tagged with: , ,

Veteran jobs in conservation and environment

Education, Employment, Transition No Responses »
Jun 052008

Washington state has established a Veteran Conservation Corps program that provides “volunteer opportunities on projects that help protect and restore Washington’s rivers, streams, lakes, marine waters and open lands.”

All Veterans are eligible. Veterans who choose to participate will be added to the Veterans Conservation Corps list and in return, veterans will have an opportunity to help the environment, contribute to the community and earn valuable job skills in the environmental field.

Activities range from stream restoration to office-based administrative work. Veterans are encouraged to use their participation as training in new skills and as enhancements for their resumes.

The program also includes an education component – the Veterans Conservation Academy – with room for 30 returning veterans from OIF/OEF/ONE. The Academy can help veterans qualify for opportunities in “green collar” careers. The Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader carried an article inviting vets to apply for a nine-month course at Olympic College in Bremerton, WA.

Coordinator Jeff Reyes said he’s hoping to sign up veterans by June 6 for the program, which begins in September. There are openings for up to nine people.

“Since space is tight, the earlier the better,” Reyes said of people signing up.

As an enrollment benefit, veterans receive a $1,000 monthly stipend for participating in the program. It is granted based on participation.
“This is an excellent opportunity for returning vets with an interest in ‘green collar’ jobs, and the VCC would love to help these individuals make a successful transition into civilian life,” Reyes said.

“This program will be a mix of classroom work and on-the-job training in projects in Kitsap County that we will be identifying for veteran crews to learn from and complete, with the assistance of internship instructors and VCC staff,” Reyes said.

Posted by admin at 2:15 pm Tagged with: , ,

Washington state's new veteran employment program

Education, Employment, Transition No Responses »
Jun 022008

Change of scene, change of atmosphere – that’s how this article from Seattle’s Peninsula Daily News begins.

From the sun-scorched Iraqi desert with deadly enemies all around to a misty forest glade surrounded by silent trees — the transformation sounds too good to believe.

But it’s among benefits belonging to the state’s Veterans Conservation Corps, designed to help vets return to civilian life.

The program of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs is poised to expand, putting veterans in work environments outdoors, in nature, where a different kind of healing can take place. Participating vets have the option to take a 9-month environmental training course that can lead to higher pay and career work.

Thanks to Veterans Today for the pointer to the article.

Posted by admin at 12:47 pm Tagged with: ,
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