The Urban League of Greater Hartford is celebrating 57 years of service to community on September 14th. To mark the occasion, there will be an Empowerment Week between September 12th and 18th — which includes an on-site Otis hiring event on September 15th from 12-1:30 PM.
Christine and Salt sat down to Zoom with ULGH President/CEO David Hopkins and Youth Development Manager, Kyrinda Richardson. The pair spoke of the Adult Education programs offered by the organization along with social media outreach opportunities such as their Facebook Live "Work Ready Wendesdays" featuring job search tips.
Kyrinda Richardson noted how important social and emotional learning are to the community, "within the last 18 months [people have] really been compelled to do something in their community whether it's a community clean-up or outreach event or a vigil or something that is hands-on that helps them feel like they are contributing to their community."
The Urban League of Greater Hartford's website states their Mission "is to reduce economic disparities in our communities through programs, services and educational opportunities." David Hopkins says personal finance classes are available, and for good reason, "it is a challenge because there are extenuating circumstances outside your control...you gotta figure out how to get through the month...we have certified counselors who can help people prepare budgets and set goals."
Hopkins adds, "once you get your education you're employable, through employment you can work towards building personal assets...there's so much life to be had, once you get your GED you have so many other options."
When asked what someone gets an organization on its 57th birthday, Richardson smiled brightly, lifted her hands rubbing her thumb and fingers together while gleefully responding, "we'll take paper!" Meanwhile, Hopkins — contemplating the ULGH's Mission — suddenly laughed and said the organization just adopted a new tag line, "the Urban League...we help you with adulting!"
Check out the video interview at the top of this page, or listen to the audio version below.