YWCA SEMA Launches Economic Empowerment Series: Practical Digital Skills and Digital Literacy during COVID-19

Economic Empowerment Series: Practical Digital Skills and Digital Literacy during COVID-19

Alternating Wednesdays on Zoom @ 6:00 pm
Register at the links below!
Questions? Contact Jordan Latham at jlatham@ywcasema.org / (508) 999-3255

All workshops are facilitated by Josh Botvin, Lecturer in the English Department and Assistant Director of the Multiliteracy and Communication Center at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He teaches courses in Business and Professional Communication as well as College Level Reading and Writing.

2/17/21 6:00 PM COMMUNICATING IN A VIRTUAL WORKPLACE

COVID-19 HAS UPROOTED OUR LIVES IN COUNTLESS WAYS. AMONG THEM HAS BEEN A DRASTIC SHIFT TOWARDS A DIGITAL SPACE. IN THIS CHANGE, WORKERS HAVE BEEN ASKED TO NOT ONLY UPEND THEIR WORK HABITS BUT DEMONSTRATE NEW COMMUNICATION SKILLS. THIS WORKSHOP WILL EXPLORE WRITING SKILLS IN A PROFESSIONAL, DIGITAL WORKPLACE, INCLUDING EMAIL ETIQUETTE, VIDEO COMMUNICATION, AND THE FEATURES OF INTERNAL VERSUS EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Click here to watch a recording of this workshop!

3/3/21 6:00 PM LANGUAGE AND TONE IN THE WORKPLACE

A SKILLED COMMUNICATOR HAS THE ABILITY TO WRITE WITH PROPER LANGUAGE DIRECTED TO A CLEAR AUDIENCE. IN A VIRTUAL WORKPLACE, THESE SKILLS ARE ALL THE MORE CRUCIAL. IN THIS WORKSHOP, WE WILL EXPLORE THE RHETORICAL CONCEPTS OF AUDIENCE AWARENESS AND SITUATIONAL WRITING, DEFINE AND EXPLORE THE IMPORTANCE OF TONE, AND DISCUSS STRATEGIES TO IMPLEMENT ANTI-RACIST AND ANTI-GENDERED PRACTICES IN YOUR OWN PROFESSIONAL WRITING.

Click here to watch a recording of this workshop!

3/17/21 6:00 PM NAVIGATING GOOGLE WORKSPACE

THE PUSH TO REMOTE WORK HAS CAUSED AN EXTREME SHIFT IN DAY-TO-DAY WORK EXPERIENCES. A HEIGHTENED LEVEL OF TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY HAS BEEN APPLIED TO ALL WORK TASKS SEEMINGLY OVERNIGHT. IN THIS WORKSHOP, WE WILL DISCUSS NAVIGATING NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN ORDER TO FAMILIARIZE YOU WITH GOOGLE WORKSPACE AND ZOOM.

Click here to watch a recording of this workshop!

3/31/21 6:00 PM THE JOB APPLICATION PROCESS

FINDING A JOB IS A STRESSFUL AND OVERWHELMING PROCESS, MADE EVEN MORE DIFFICULT IN A VIRTUAL SETTING. THERE ARE, HOWEVER, PRACTICES YOU CAN DEVELOP TO HELP MAKE THIS PROCESS A BIT EASIER. IN THIS WORKSHOP, WE WILL LEARN STRATEGIES TO SELECTIVELY READ JOB POSTINGS, IDENTIFY SPECIFIC QUALITIES SOUGHT BY EMPLOYERS, AND BEST PRESENT YOURSELF AS AN APPLICANT.

Click here to watch a recording of this workshop!

4/14/21 6:00 PM RESUME AND COVER LETTER WRITING

FEW TOPICS ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO WRITE ABOUT THAN YOURSELF, ESPECIALLY WHEN CONFINED TO THE SPECIFIC PARAMETERS OF RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS. TOGETHER, WE WILL DISCUSS ORGANIZATION STRATEGIES FOR RESUME WRITING LIKE FORMATTING, PARALLEL STRUCTURE, AND GUIDED READING PRACTICES. WE’LL ALSO DISCUSS TIPS FOR PUTTING TOGETHER A STRONG COVER LETTER SUCH AS WRITING TO A SPECIFIC AUDIENCE, SHOWING RATHER THAN TELLING, AND ADVOCATING FOR YOURSELF. REGISTER @ HTTP://BIT.LY/YWCAEE5

4/28/21 6:00 PM VIRTUAL JOB INTERVIEW STRATEGIES

INTERVIEWING FOR A JOB IS DIFFICULT ENOUGH. THE REALITY OF INTERVIEWING OVER A VIRTUAL PLATFORM ONLY ADDS TO THAT. IN THIS WORKSHOP, WE WILL ADDRESS GENERAL INTERVIEWING PRACTICES TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR ALL JOB INTERVIEWS, SUCH AS WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK, HOW TO HONESTLY DISCUSS GAPS IN EMPLOYMENT, AND HOW TO NEGOTIATE SALARIES, AS WELL AS SPECIFIC STRATEGIES FOR NAVIGATING THE NEW ETIQUETTE OF REMOTE INTERVIEWS.

Click here to watch a recording of this workshop!

5/12/21 6:00 PM SOCIAL MEDIA & DIGITAL LITERACY IN THE MODERN AGE

SOCIAL MEDIA AND VIRTUAL PLATFORMS CAN BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE BEST OUT OF THIS BAD SITUATION, AND TO STAY CONNECTED WITH FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES. BUT WHILE SOCIAL MEDIA ARE AN EXCELLENT WAY TO STAY CONNECTED TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY, THEY ARE PLATFORMS THAT MUST BE USED WISELY. TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES AND OUTLETS MASQUERADING AS NEWS OFTEN ATTEMPT TO MANIPULATE USERS. THIS WORKSHOP IS DESIGNED TO TEACH SKILLS TO ENHANCE YOUR DIGITAL LITERACY, BY SHOWING YOU WAYS TO READ SKEPTICALLY AND TO LOOK FOR CREDIBILITY IN A PIECE OF INFORMATION.
REGISTER @ HTTP://BIT.LY/YWCAEE7

THANK YOU TO THE FUNDERS OF THE YWCA ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT SERIES: HAWTHORN MEDICAL ASSOCIATES CHARITABLE FUND; OPERATION MONEY WISE; AND UNITED WAY OF GREATER FALL RIVER!