Campaign for Southern Equality organizes trans employment clinic and job fair in Asheville

Press release from Campaign for Souther Equality:

The Campaign for Southern Equality has organized the first-ever Trans Employment Clinic and Job Fair in Asheville. These joint events are designed to connect the Transgender community in WNC with support related to job-readiness and to local trans-friendly employers and resources.

The Trans Employment Clinic will take place on July 16th at First Congregational UCC in downtown Asheville (20 Oak Street). On July 21, the Trans-Friendly Job Fair and Resource Bank will take place at the UU Church (1 Edwin Place, Asheville). These free events are co-sponsored by TranzMission, Malaprops, and the Asheville UU – community members are invited to attend. All are welcome!

“Connecting with a trans-friendly employer improves our chances of gaining and maintaining employment. But we also know the needs in the trans community extend beyond jobs. This is why we’ve coupled the job fair with a resource bank to help folks find stop gap resources like local food pantries, screening for benefits like Low Income Energy Assistance Program crisis intervention and food and nutrition assistance programs, affordable local therapists, crisis intervention support, and more,” says Ivy Gibson-Hill, LGBT Rights Toolkit Coordinator for the Campaign for Southern Equality, lead sponsor of the events.

The schedule for the Employment Clinic on July 16th is as follows:

9:30 a.m.: Doors open – join us for coffee and bagels!

10:00 a.m.: Applications, resumes, legal names, oh my

11:00 a.m.: Writing your best CV/resume workshop

12:00 p.m.: Networking lunch – free and served on site

1:00 p.m.: Transitioning on the job

2:00 p.m.: Navigating anxiety in the workplace

3:00 p.m. Personal branding

4:00 p.m.: Mock interviews – practice interview skills on site

Connecting with a trans-friendly employer improves the chance of a Trans or Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) person has at gaining and maintaining employment, and we also know that employment alone doesn’t meet the immediate needs many in the Transgender community are facing. This is why we’ve coupled the job fair with a resource bank to help folks connect with stop gap resources screening for assistance benefits like SNAP, food pantries, affordable local therapists, crisis intervention support, and more.

On July 21, the Job Fair and Resource Bank will feature employers such as Starbucks, Goodwill, JB Media, Caring for Children, Four Points by Sheraton, Crowne Plaza Tennis & Golf Resort,  and resource providers like Mountain Housing Opportunities, Appalachian Harm Reduction Collective, Western North Carolina AIDS Project, and Western North Carolina Community Health Services. Other resources will include affirming mental health professionals, screening for eligibility for Child tax credits, Earned Income tax credit, FAFSA, Health Insurance coverage, Low Income Energy Assistance crisis intervention, food and nutrition services, cash assistance, voter registration, veterans’ education benefits, and more.

The Campaign for Southern Equality’s LGBT Rights Toolkit provides Pop-Up Clinics, support services, and an online resource center (www.lgbtrightstoolkit.org). These clinics help LGBT people in the South (1) know and protect their rights under current laws and (2) access LGBT-friendly legal, advocacy, health information, services, and – in this case – employment.