By Heather Newcomb, VWW Program Manager Renovations have begun on a new career resource center at Vermont’s only prison for women, Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility (CRCF). Once the center is fully operational, all programming about career exploration, work-readiness, vocational trainings, and re-entry employment planning will be delivered in a single… Read More
By Heather Newcomb, Program Manager Vermont Works for Women’s Reentry Services support women transitioning out of incarceration, so they can successfully integrate with their community, gain employment, and thrive. We work directly with women as they plan for their release from Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility (CRCF), meet them upon their… Read More
By Alison Spasyk, AmeriCorps VISTA member Throughout the winter and early spring, Vermont Works for Women organized a series of virtual job shadow events to highlight careers in the trades and other non-traditional fields for women. Each event featured a local company or employer, and a live tour or pre-recorded… Read More
$196,000 of CARES Act funds employment and support services; sustained state funding needed for ongoing successful reintegration Being unemployed is one of the top predictors of recidivism. And yet women leave incarceration without a state-issued ID, a reference from their job in the facility and the necessary executive… Read More
“We opened the kits today and the girls were so excited!” – Winooski Middle School teacher By Caelan Keenan, VWW Youth Program Manager Rosie’s Girls Afterschool is currently underway at Winooski Middle School! Our Youth Team spent the fall adjusting our Rosie’s Girls Afterschool program – traditionally an in-person,… Read More
To our community: Our VWW team includes 14 women, 12 children, 26 pets, and 5 counties. Our hours are unpredictable, our meetings are mostly on screens from kitchen tables and makeshift office spaces, and our laundry is at our feet – yet our organization is needed more than ever. Read More
Policies need to center women of color Vermont Works for Women has launched a social media empowerment campaign to shed light on the economic disparities Black women experience, elevate policies and practices that focus on improving economic outcomes for Black women, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, and amplify the voices… Read More
By Susan Lyons, VWW Regional Re-Entry Support Specialist I spent my eighteenth birthday in the penthouse suite of a five-star hotel in Denver, Colorado, eating lobster tails and drinking Cristal champagne. I was on top of the world! Excited to be starting my freshman year in college – as far away… Read More
10/16/2020 update: The panels are now held bi-weekly on Mondays from 1-2 pm, with the next on Monday, October 19, and the following on Monday, November 2. Please contact Program Manager Missy Mackin mmackin@vtworksforwomen.org to participate. 7/2/2020 update: Throughout June, VWW virtual discussion panels have tracked the changing landscape of… Read More
By Heather Newcomb, VWW Program Manager It’s not a surprise that COVID-19 has caused the majority of us to adjust how we accomplish our work. Vermont Works for Women (VWW) is no different, and some of our changes due to COVID-19 have been in how we serve our justice-involved women… Read More