This is the time of year when I think about “what
if.”  What if everyone started life with
a safe place to live, to learn, and with enough to eat?
Having spent a year at JobTrain, I have another
“what if” on my list.  What if we truly
believed that everyone has the potential for a better life?  Instead of “x-ing” people out and limiting
ourselves to those we let in, we decided that everyone should be included?  What if we believed failure was not an
option? 
When faced with scarce resources, our communities
often respond with choosing people we know will succeed.  What if, instead, we decided that everyone
had potential, and that those most in need could succeed?  What if we developed a set of supports and
programs, in an atmosphere where everything was geared to helping people
realize this potential and where everyone believed in them and insisted that
they not give up? 
A young man recently spoke of his time at
JobTrain.  Everything around him was
dragging him down a path he knew would lead nowhere.  He didn’t really believe in himself.  Everyone at JobTrain kept telling him: “we
know it may seem easier to fail, to not try, to not make it.  But, that isn’t an option here… we won’t let
you.”  He began to see that a new life
was possible.  Today, he runs his own
business and even employs JobTrain students. 
He said that this was the first time and place, anywhere he had ever
been, where the only option was to succeed.
JobTrain’s own numbers demonstrate the impact of
this approach: 89% graduate.  Over the
past several years, our graduates have gone on to collectively earn millions of
dollars of wages, and for those who have been incarcerated, are more likely to
be employed than go back to jail. 
Our new Three Year Strategic Plan is a vision for
JobTrain’s future, created by supporters, friends, and community members who
know that in a world where failure is not an option, fewer people fail.  More people find a path to success, where
they contribute to the community, prosper, and grow.  This in turn leads to a world where fewer and
fewer people are hungry, homeless, and cold. 
We are so grateful to our community, our
supporters, and our champions, who believe, as JobTrain does, that failure is
not an option.  Thank you for your
continued support and may you have a joyous holiday season.   

To learn more, or to support JobTrain, please CLICK HERE.
Nora Sobolov
Executive Director