The Back on Track would like to take this opportunity to share this local event. 

For more information visit Greater Miami Chamber

YOUTH INVITED TO HOLIDAY JOB FAIR!

Miami, Florida. October 10, 2009 –The Minority Chamber of Commerce, a national economic development organization, has developed a new way recruitment solution whereby Holiday Seasonal Job seekers and employers in need of hiring can be matched and connected. Corporate companies and local small business employers within the retail, hospitality, food- beverage industry, attractions, banking and delivery sectors will participate in this job fair, which will be sponsored by many of the most important organizations in south of Florida.

This unique and innovative resource maximizes our power in the effort of the Chamber of Commerce to help job seekers and employers alike during a mutual time of need. Youth between the ages of 15 to 24 are invited to attend a HOLIDAY JOB FAIR on Thursday, October 29 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 p.m. at the Double Tree Hotel Miami Mart, located at 711 NW 72 Avenue Miami Dade(formerly the Radisson Mart Plaza, near the intersection of 836 Dolphin Expressway & 72 Avenue).

The HOLIDAY JOB FAIR offers youth & skilled workers the opportunity to meet with representatives from local businesses looking for full-time, part-time, and seasonal help. Local employers will have representatives available to talk with job seekers about their companies.. Youth attending the job fair are encouraged to first visit the new Minority Youth Economic Opportunities Office in order to receive a list of participating retail stores and other resources for them.
 
The HOLIDAY JOB FAIR serves as a valuable one-stop resource to employers looking to hire and young & skilled job seekers looking for employment. Employers participating in the Job Fair will gain the opportunity to immediately match their needs with available candidates. Job seekers will also benefit by meeting potential employers and learning about different job opportunities and resources, all by visiting one location.

The Minority Chamber of Commerce recently creates a new service for youth in their employment training consortium. The Minority Youth Employment (MYE) Office is a no-cost job placement, training and referral service, as well as entrepreneurial orientation, and is available to assist youth in locating jobs and resource opportunities. Job readiness counseling and workshops are also available.

For more information, please call the Minority Chamber of Commerce at (786) 260-1965 or simply stop by the Minority Youth Employment Office near of you. More information about the Minority Youth Employment Office is available at www.minoritychamber.net

Posted on The Miami Herald on Saturday, 02.28.09

RELIGION

In search of faith -- and maybe a new job

BY JAWEED KALEEM
jkaleem@MiamiHerald.com
Johanna Suarez, a 26-year banking industry veteran, was laid off in November. Two weeks ago, Roberto Almeida lost his job after four years as a global logistics manager. Openings are scarce, and recent graduate Angie Salicetti is just beginning her search for an urban planning position.

Last week in a small, brightly lit room at a Kendall church, these job seekers joined a dozen others, bowing heads and holding hands.

Dear Lord: I thank you for everything. You gave me what I asked you. Losing my job was not a punishment but a reward, a blessing.

Members of this support group for unemployed Christians hope the 40 days of Lent, the penitential pre-Easter season of self-examination and sacrifice that began Wednesday, will be a time of ''spiritual transformation'' for them, into people with new priorities -- and, they hope, new jobs.

''These difficult times force us all to face ourselves,'' said Msgr. Pablo Navarro of St. John Neumann Catholic Church, where they meet. ``It's a great spiritual lesson.''

South Florida software workers founded the group, Back on Track, at the end of the dot-com bust, and in the past year, attendance has grown from 15 to as many as 50 people. Once a week, these former white-collar workers come together for workshops covering topics from networking and resume-building to pre-interview meditation and salary negotiation.

''You can either get upset at God because he has you in this situation, or you can have faith because everything will be taken care of,'' said Salicetti, 28, who received a master's degree from the University of Washington in December. ``You can be depressed or you can look at this as opportunity to get closer to God.''

Suarez, the longtime banker from Kendall, was at her fourth Back on Track meeting after being laid off as a Miami manager for Banco Itau Europa.

''I haven't had to go job searching in more than 20 years,'' said Suarez, 53, of Kendall. ``Things have changed dramatically.''

Themes of recent two-hour gatherings: ''Speed Interviewing,'' ''Beating the Blues When You Are Out of Work,'' ''The Power of Absolute Focus.'' A current of spirituality flows through the meetings.

I thank you for the opportunity to spend more time with you, listening, learning and serving you. Thank you for the additional time I now have to be with my loved ones. Thank you for the additional time I now have to take care of myself. Help me to use this time wisely.

Over the years, about 700 people have been through Back on Track's doors, and many have left with jobs. In November, it hosted its first career fair at St. John Neumann. More than 200 people attended and two dozen employers were represented.

Arturo Rodriguez, a financial systems analyst at FedEx Latin America and one of the nonprofit group's six founders, calls its growth both a blessing and a ''sad sign of the times.'' Old members, again jobless, are also returning. Last summer, a second chapter formed in Pinecrest at MorningStar Renewal, a Catholic community center.

Rodriguez, 49, was out of work for 14 months before he helped launched Back on Track in 2001. Laid off from a credit card company back then, co-founder Ricardo Gonzalez got another job in the industry, only to be jobless once more. He found a similar position last month.

Gonzalez, 50, sees a lesson for disheartened job seekers in the biblical story on which Lent is based: the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, fasting and praying, as the devil tempted him to prove his divinity.

''As you are going through this temptation [to give up], this is the time to bring the Lord into your life,'' he told the group. ``This is an opportunity to look at transferable skills and to reinvent yourself. We need to be on our knees in front of the Lord and ask for direction.''

Not all Christians observe the rituals of Lent -- fasting, for example, and giving up favorite activities as acts of spiritual cleansing -- but Back on Track reaches across denominational lines.

''As a nation, the Lord is teaching us to go back to basics. We are so used to having everything we want right here, right now,'' said member Hilda Schau, who belongs to Calvary Chapel of Doral and lost her job as an administrative assistant a year ago. ``We are so used to giving the plastic out, but the Lord wants us to be frugal.''

Schau found a temporary job in November, but most members are still searching for interviews.

At a recent meeting, a human resources specialist directed the group in stress-reduction exercises. Members balanced on one foot, circled their arms and took deep, focused breathes. ''When we pray, we meditate,'' said instructor Edalina Perez-Llaudy. ``We bring our thoughts closer to God.''

She flashed a poem on a projection screen and and asked her audience to read aloud.

Happiness keeps you sweet.

Trials keep you strong.

Sorrows keep you human.

Life keeps you humble.

Success keeps you growing.

But only God keeps you going.

New Back on Track Network Chapter Sponsored by St. Louis Catholic Church

On Tuesday, August 26, 2008, a new Back on Track Network Chapter sponsored by St. Louis Church will begin holding meetings every Tuesday evenings at 7:30PM at the Morningstar Renewal Center.

Now you will have two opportunities during the week to meet with fellow Backontrackers and receive the valuable support and information that will make your job transition an easier one: Tuesdays at Morningstar Renewal Center and Thursdays at St. John Neumann Church, both starting at 7:30PM.

For additional information on the St. Louis Chapter's events go here, or contact Jorge Lazaro Diaz 305-815-5811 / jdiaz@backontracknet.org.