Wednesday, October 30, 2013

2012-2013 YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley Programs:
 

The YWCA is the oldest and largest multicultural women's organization in the world. Established in 1905, the YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley, an independent 501(c)(3), has long been a pioneering voice in the fight for racial, economic, and gender equality. From our pre-1920 racial integration plan to the early 1970s founding of the nation's first Big Sister program and the area's first rape hotline, we have long been on the cutting edge of responding to the needs of women. Our mission is simply stated: "The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all."
 

We are excited to share our 2013-2014 programs:
 
EncorePlus (Jan-Dec): Free mobile mammograms through a collaboration with Planned Parenthood

Just For Girls(Sept – June): An after-school program where girls dream big, explore new ideas, learn new skills and just talk
 
TechGyrls (Sept –June) : A 12-week course that teaches girls computer programs and internet safety
 
Adult Computer Class(Sept – June): A free 12-week course for adults looking to learn how to better navigate their computer and internet
 
Girls Empowerment Camp (July-August): A 4-week summer camp that empowers girls between the ages of 9-16; camp includes field trips, guest speakers, lunch and college tours
 
Parent Trap(Quarterly): A workshop that teaches parents how to navigate behind their children on the internet and protect them from the dangers associated with the World Wide Web
 
Week Without Violence(October): An annual week long series of events that showcase or demonstrate alternatives to violence linked to racism and prejudice
 
Women for Racial Justice Breakfast (October): A breakfast that exemplifies the YWCA’s mission by honoring those in our community
 
Women’s Networking and Leadership Day (May): A social event that helps local women increase their professional network while gaining advice and suggestions from peers



5 Ways to Use Twitter in Your Job Search


twitter
Are you a college student about to graduate in December or May? Have you already graduated and are still looking for that dream job? Did you know that you might be able to tweet your way to a job?
That’s right … Twitter. It’s not just for following sports and your favorite TV show. The social network continues to be a viable resource for college students and grads to network with employers, identify potential job opportunities, and gain real advice on how to best approach the job hunt.

5 WAYS USE TWITTER IN YOUR JOB SEARCH

  1. Search for jobs and internships. While there are many hashtags that you could try out, here are a few to start with: #jobs #hiring #genY #entrylevel, #hireme, #gethired, #internships #intern. You can also subscribe to industry specific job feeds via TweetMyJobs.
  2.  Use the advanced search option and specific keywords to find recruiters, jobs, influencers and more information. You can create lists to organize your searches and follow those accounts for future engagement.
  3. Follow company career handles. For example @GEICOCareers @SodexoCareers @GECareers @MicrosoftJobs @attJOBS share photos, videos, job postings and more. Read what they are offering or direct message them with a question.
  4. Follow your school’s career center. If your university’s career center does not utilize Twitter, follow ones that do. Syracuse, NYU, San Diego State, SUNY Stony Brook and Miami are schools that share job leads, resume tips and career-related articles on Twitter.
  5. Participate in a job seeker chat. Chats are great ways to connect with peers for insight or industry experts who can offer real advice. I’ve always enjoyed #internpro on Monday nights. It’s a good chat focused on Millennials and careers.

JOIN #SOCIALJOBCHAT ON NOVEMBER 5TH

Are companies really using social to find candidates? Which social sites are best for job hunting and why? What’s the best way to utilize social media in the search? These questions will be answered during the first-ever #SocialJobChat.
On Tuesday, Nov. 5 from 9 to 10 p.m. EDT there will be a new one-time Twitter chat co-hosted bySUNY Stony Brook and GEICO. The hour will be spent discussing best practices for using social media to find job leads and connect with employers. Students, alumni, career professionals and job seekers are encouraged to attend. Attendees are asked to follow and use the hashtag#SocialJobChat in their tweets.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Bad Work Habits You (Seriously) Need to Break Now
Have you ever sat next to a pen-clicker?
It goes like this: You open up a fresh Word doc, ready to churn out the assignment for your 5 PM deadline, when—click-click-click-click-click. Your cube-mate is deep in thought—too deep to notice that he’s incessantly clicking his retractable pen, annoying everyone in earshot.
But don’t just blame your co-workers for their annoying habits. Because the sad truth is, you probably have some yourself. Ranging from the innocently distracting (click-click-click) to the seriously career-risking, check out the following all-too-common work habits—and if you recognize any, vow to kick them ASAP.

The Distracting

Idle Cubicle Habits

When you’re deep in thought, you may tune out your wildly jiggling foot, the pen cap that’s getting mangled between your teeth, or, yes, the incessant clicking of the pen under your thumb.
But your co-workers? They notice. And it probably makes it difficult for them to focus on their work. So when you catch yourself in one of these habits, switch to something quieter or a little less noticeable—like squeezing a stress ball or doodling on a notepad.

Unnecessary Noise

It’s great to have a fun office culture and co-workers you can chat with throughout the day. But while you’re loudly reliving your awesome weekend, your co-worker—who’s on the phone with an important client—doesn’t appreciate the background noise.
Maybe your team is focusing hard on finalizing the month-end report—and your cell phone (on “silent”) is vibrating its way off the table in your co-working space. Or, you have constant reminders that pop up on your computer to alert you to emails, IMs, or upcoming meetings—each ding bringing your co-workers a little closer to insanity.
The bottom line? If you don’t have your own office with a door, quiet those unnecessary noises (or at least check in with your co-workers so you’re on the same page when it comes to office din).

The Gross

Anything Hygiene-Related

You wouldn’t think it’d be a common practice to clip your finger- or toenails at the office. But after working in corporate America for just a short while, I’ve heard the unmistakable clip, clip, clip of nail clippers more times than I’d like to remember.
If you do this, stop. Please, just stop.
 Sniffling All Day
A little cold and runny nose doesn’t seem like it should stop you from coming into the office. If you’re not running a fever or falling over nauseous, you’re good to go—right?
Not so fast. Your all-day sniffling is going to annoy your co-workers, but worse, you’ll also expose them to your sickness. As much as they appreciate you putting in your share of work at the office, it’s not fair to them to spread your cold—causing them to use the sick days you should have used in the first place. (And, if nothing else, leave the room to blow your nose!)

The Inconsiderate

 Refusing to Do Your Part
I’ll admit, I was once one of those workers who would stealthily empty the last of the coffee into my mug, and then with a quick glance back and forth, scurry off back to my cubicle without brewing a new pot.
But doing this kind of thing on a regular basis is going to quickly earn you a lazy reputation. Same goes with leaving a printer jam un-fixed, letting whoever discovers it next open an IT ticket, or leaving your spilled soup in the microwave for the next unsuspecting employee.
Eventually, instead of being known for your killer work and positive attitude, you’ll be recognized for not pulling your own weight.

Showing Up Unprepared

Maybe you call it efficiency—but speed-reading a meeting agenda once you’re already in the meeting isn’t exactly the picture of preparedness. And when the meeting leader asks you for your three suggestions for a training program (which she’d asked for in the aforementioned agenda), your impromptu ideas probably won’t impress.
Your lack of preparation isn’t only disrespectful to the leader—it’s inconsiderate to the other attendees, too. And using your busyness as an excuse probably won’t get you much sympathy.

The Career-Wrecking

Arriving Late (to Everything)

A late morning here or there is understandable. But arriving a few minutes late to the office everymorning (not to mention your tardy arrival to every meeting, presentation, and training session to boot) is just plain unacceptable.
A late few minutes may seem harmless, but this habit doesn’t just put you at risk of disrupting your co-workers—this is something your boss is going to notice pretty quickly. And if he or she can’t count on you to show up on time—ever—you may not be able to count on that job for very long.

Griping (About Everything)

You may not be an eternal optimist (I admire the person who is!), but the office tends to be a more enjoyable place when everyone focuses on the positives. In other words, no one really wants to listen to you grumble about the clients you’re given (“I always get the worst ones!”), your management team (“They don’t know what they’re doing!”), and your co-workers (“No one works as hard as I do!”).
And your boss, who overhears the complaints about your workload, salary, and, er, boss? He or she would probably agree that’s a habit to kick—ASAP.

Friday, October 25, 2013

YWCA Week Without Violence 2013

We’ve completed another successful Week Without Violence events.  We kicked the week off with our Women for Racial Justice Breakfast on Monday, October 21st at the Pasadena Hilton.  Dr. Analise Enrile delivered a powerful message that left all guests ready to take action against human traffickers and empowered guests to stand up for women’s rights.  Cher Calvin from KTLA news was the Emcee and Dr. Jacqueline Jacobs received our 2013 Women for Racial Justice Award.  A special thank you to U.S. House of Representative Congresswoman Judy Chu for serving as our 2013 Honorary Chairwoman.

Special thanks to all of our sponsors Avery Dennison, Kaiser Permanente, Southern California Edison, Wells Fargo, All Saints Church, The Gas Co., Pacific Oaks College, PCL Construction and US Bank. To all of our supporters and donors, a BIG THANK YOU because we could not have done this without you.  

We would also like to thank our in-kind donation sponsors who contributed to our raffle:  Los Angeles Sparks, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Lakers, Pasadena Ice Skating, Tournament of Roses, Sharp Seating Company, In-N-Out, Tommy's Burgers, Nestle, Aquarium of the Bay, Aquarium of the Pacific, Pasadena Police Department, Johnnie Mae Teacakes, Los Angeles Zoo, Boomers Gofl, A Noise Within, Pasadena Playhouse, El Portal, Mark Robert Halper Photography, Massage Envy, Zoey Van Jones Waxing Studio, Wine and Canvas, Color Me Mine, Santa Anita Park and UCLA. 

Our media sponsors included: Pasadena Now, Pasadena Magazine and Mosheh Photography.  Other thanks go to 10,000 Villages, Arcadia Sign Company, Gorilla Banners, Pasadena Water and Power and Eleanor Lee.



























On Tuesday, October 22nd the YWCA hosted Mind, Body and Soul: Survivors Edition, a three-part workshop for survivors of Domestic Violence.  Our survivors attended three workshops that covered the mind, body and soul.  Chella from Money Basics 101 presented our financial literacy segment, Brittney from ‘A Temple Within,’ conducted a yoga workshop that challenged the ladies to stretch away their current worries and our masseuse helped the ladies enjoy the power of touch.  We would like to thank PF Chang’s General Manager, Kevin Sedik for the generous donation of food.  We would also like to thank Jamie Barton of FEMDefend for providing items for the gift bags.  Tears and laughter closed another successful event for our Domestic Violence survivors.  Remember that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we are collected items at our office to assist women and their children, this campaign runs through November 1st. Please call our office for more information 626-296-8433.












The YWCA took over City Hall for their first Annual Chalk for Change Festival.  More than 100 people gathered to chalk for a change.  We would like to thank the City of Pasadena, Jackie Robinson Center, Panda Express – Panda Cares Program, Planned Parenthood Pasadena, Pasadena Police Department, Day One, La Pintoresca Teen Center, Peace Over Violence and Institute for Girls Development for being a part of a committee that planned such a successful event.  The kids were able to express themselves via art and they had positive and inspirational messages and pictures to share with passerby’s.