The search for a new job is rarely easy, but it can be particularly challenging when the most recent line item on your resume in “prison time.”
WorkWell, a Lawrenceville-based nonprofit that seeks to facilitate the transition back into the workforce for the previously incarcerated, hosts a panel discussion titled “Moving Forward: A Conversation About Life After Incarceration” on Thursday, February 22, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church, 2688 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrence. Admission is free but a $20 donation to WorkWell is requested. Register online at movingforwardconversation.eventbrite.com.
WorkWell, which has its administrative base at the Presbyterian church in Lawrence, offers a four-week training and counseling program that prepares clients for a sustainable return to the workforce. The program is a successor to CookWell, which trained those returning to the workforce for jobs in the culinary field from 2018 until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The program includes work on communication skills, conflict resolution, being part of a team, and other common workplace situations. The training center is housed within the First Presbyterian Church of Trenton at 120 East State Street, Trenton.
Through partnerships with other community organizations, WorkWell also provides assistance with basic needs like housing, health insurance, and obtaining government-issued identification.
The February 22 panel discussion will be led by Anthony Batista, WorkWell’s lead trainer, and will include four WorkWell graduates as well as Dontae Thomas, the CEO of Team Chizel Fitness in Hamilton. A Trenton native, Thomas spent 10 years behind bars for drug dealing but turned his life around by discovering a passion for fitness and sharing it with others.
Batista was raised in the Bronx and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who holds degrees in criminal justice and technology/military science training. While in the Air Force he served as an instructor at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and as an “international force protection instructor” training military and civilian law enforcement agencies from Latin America. He is also a licensed real estate agent, personal trainer, and professional wrestler.
A question-and-answer session and opportunity for informal discussion follow the presentation.
For more information on WorkWell, visit www.workwellpartnership.org.
