Aaron Downes
The Dublin Job Club, Dublin |
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 Photo by Maureen McDonnell |
In response to the current economic climate, and in particular in reaction to the spectacular rise in numbers of unemployed this year, Aaron established The Dublin Job Club (DJC) in February 2009. The DJC is a support network for job-seeking executives, professionals and managers. This growing group of workers who typically are older, experienced, highly-skilled, educated and trained are not currently served by the traditional established state support structures and resources. Aaron runs weekly meetings of the DJC at various locations around the city. He does not get paid for this work, and there is no charge to attend the open meetings. He draws on the goodwill of sponsors to provide meeting venues, guest speakers and refreshments. Unemployed professionals benefit from this free support structure, which is specifically targeted at their particular needs. The objective is to get members off the live register and back into the workplace. Some of the initial participants have already found re-employment, which they attribute directly to the support of the DJC and the valuable mentoring they received personally from Aaron. His foresight to recognise and address this need at an early stage marks him out as a volunteer genuinely invested in the community.“In the Dublin Job Club, we have a rule that people are not allowed to talk about themselves as being unemployed. Instead, they talk about what they have to offer now. It acts as a psychological boost for people. My three Cs: Courage – to get up and take responsibility; Compelling story – we all have great stories, we need to sing them; Community – build a group of people around you to provide support and encouragement. A special thanks firstly to all the supporters of Dublin Job Club, who have given their time freely to support others; secondly to my wife and daughter who back me up every day.” – Aaron |