Hello, my name is Aimee, I am a member of the 2018 Atlanta Bear Breaks Immersion trip.

Overview of Volunteering Activities

Today started out with arriving at the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency (http://www.atlantacss.org) and dividing into two groups.  ACsS offers employment readiness and job placement opportunities for homeless individuals. One group finalized our presentation on mental health while the other worked one on one with clients to help them complete resumes and fill out job applications.

Mental Health Among the Homeless

We presented to the clients over the topic of mental health.  Forty-six percent of the homeless have a mental illness, a drastically high number compared to the 1 in 5 ratio of adult Americans who have a mental illness.  The clients were very interested in the topic and we had some great conversations with them.  We offered them methods to help control their breathing, such as Triangle Breathing. We also gave them a few examples of free or sliding scale clinics that offer counseling.

Resume Building and Application Completion

Our other group of volunteers worked with clients in the computer lab.  We helped them figure our their skills and helped them describe their work experience.  After that, we helped them format resumes to highlight their talents and goals.  We also helped them create or log into emails and then used those emails to fill out online applications.  Many of the clients had interesting tales to tell from their previous experiences or places of work.

Exploring Atlanta

After finishing the presentation and helping people complete resumes or fill out applications, we took a trip into town for some sight seeing. We went to Little Five Point and browsed a few of the local shops and admired the awesome graffiti art on all the building walls.