Koliesha: Then and Now
"Koliesha hopes to still be here in six months, working alongside people she has really come to love."
You might remember reading this in Koliesha's spotlight from her first days as a Wildflyer employee. Back when she mistakenly insisted St. Paul was superior to Minneapolis? Okay, she still thinks that.
When Koliesha first started with us in June, she shared that her most significant challenge in maintaining employment was her struggle with anger. She often lost her temper at work, resulting in conflict with management and ultimately being let go. By the time she started with us, this struggle with losing control had already caused her several jobs.
We experienced this challenge almost immediately. During one of Koliesha's first shifts, an intense conflict erupted at the cart. Koliesha threatened to quit, and after being on the receiving end of some unpleasant communications with her, I was discouraged enough to want to wring my hands of the whole situation and say, "Fine, quit then."
However, we were able to talk through what happened and coach her on more appropriate ways to handle emotions in the future. Around the same time, we had a conveniently planned classroom session through our Development Academy based on emotional regulation at work. Koliesha was able to start cultivating new skills to help manage emotions better on the job. She was successful in doing so because recently, she realized that her time at Wildflyer is the longest she's maintained employment in one place.
We came to this conclusion together one day at the cart, and she said, "I'm proud that I've worked on my anger. I used to be angry all the time, and I'd lose jobs and relationships because of it. Now I've been at Wildflyer for six months and haven't had any outbursts. I've really worked on it, and being at a job for this long is proof that I'm succeeding."
Proof indeed! Six months ago, her only goal was to be still working with Wildflyer at this time. Not only is that true, but she is so much more than just employed, she is genuinely exemplary at her work. She works hard to be on time, has learned coffee so she can better converse with customers, and takes incredible ownership of the cart. She is a true leader and barely needs us at the cart anymore because she is so adept at running it solo.
For Koliesha, having dignified work led to remarkable changes in her life and well-being. She reports, "I've learned how to control my anger better. I have better relationships now and am not getting into trouble at school or work."
Speaking of school, when she started with us, Koliesha wasn't enrolled and wasn't sure if she'd go back. Although she knew she wanted to go to college, the barriers of being unstably housed had become so high that she had dropped out the year before coming to work at Wildflyer. A decision she regretted but also felt she had no choice over. She re-enrolled in school this year, and is working extremely hard to juggle that, work, and finding housing stability. She is even taking night classes to make up for last year and to graduate on time. She shares that one of her most significant accomplishments is not dropping out of High School for good because she still wants to become a nurse.
As I reflected more on her incredible growth this year, I also noticed that she tells me every time she sells a bag of coffee. Whether it's over text or in person, she finds a way to let me know about her successes. It is evident that she feels immense pride in the growth she's experiencing and the skills she's cultivated. She told us that she's less shy and has more confidence since entering the program. She reflects this confidence in her incredible sales skills.
The shift I've witnessed in her throughout the program has been incredible. She's now asking if she can become a manager with us someday. The confidence and optimism she portrays is a sharp contrast to how she was when first starting with us. One of her most recent goals is to become a shop manager with us next year because she can "do this better than anybody." We don't disagree.
The youth we employ at Wildflyer have experienced trauma, abuse, and rejection, which has a significant impact on how they view themselves and what they think they can accomplish. By providing opportunities to cultivate skills that lead to independence, you help young people grow in confidence, pride, and hope for their future. Koliesha's personal and professional growth is just one more example of why we believe so strongly in the power of dignified employment.
We're on an ambitious mission to triple the number of youth we can employ in 2020 to guarantee more young people like Koliesha will experience the power of dignified employment. Our organization is expanding to meet the growing number of youth who want to leave homelessness but need access to the knowledge and skills to do so successfully.
With support from contributors like you, in 2020 we will:
● Triple the number of youth we employ
● Provide each employee with full-time hours
● Offer each youth twenty-four cohort-based foundational life skills training sessions through our Development Academy
● Offer each youth thirty-six individualized employee check-ins to promote professional development
With your partnership, we can reach our ambitious goal of equipping even more youth to leave homelessness and maintain independent housing and stable employment in 2020. Please join us today to create increased employment opportunities so more young people can leave homelessness.