Our next MAX Academy, powered by the Georgia Justice Project, and focused on how best to serve justice impacted neighbors has been approved by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) as training counting toward continuing education hours (CEUs) for Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCs). Special thanks to Goodwill of North Georgia for serving as the sponsor with the CRCC for the MAX Academy.
In addition, we are excited to announce the addition of our best practices panel moderated by MAX vice chair Dana Inman, President & CEO, Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency. Panel experts include:
- Kellie Brownlow, Chief Mission Officer, First Step Staffing
- Kirsten Ford, Regional Manager, Career Navigation, Goodwill of North Georgia
- Cherri Harrison-West, Future Leaders Program Manager, STRIVE Atlanta
- Nikki Holliday, Director, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
- Greg Washington, Director of Family Reunification/Reentry, City of Refuge
Click here to register.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Unemployment, poverty and crime are inextricably linked, notes the Georgia Justice Project (GJP). According to GJP, a criminal record in Georgia is a major impediment to getting a job or keeping/obtaining public housing. And over 90% of those involved in the criminal justice system fall below the federal poverty line. Though poverty might have been one of the underlying factors for a person’s arrest, the criminal justice system too often becomes a force keeping folks in poverty.
Questions to consider when serving justice-impacted individuals include but are not lmiited to:
- Who are the justice-impacted individuals? What is the extent of their relationship with the criminal justice system? What role has trauma played in their experiences?
- How can we help justice-impacted individuals with their mental or physical health needs?
- What specific challenges do justice-impacted individuals face when attempting to reintegrate into the workplace and the community at-large? What potential barriers do they face and what resources exist for helping them address these barriers?
Joining us from the GJP will be Brenda Smeeton, Legal Director, Paige Jann, Supervising Attorney, and Zandria Redding, Social Worker & Reentry Employment Specialist.
The MAX Academy will also include a panel of experts on best practices moderated by MAX vice chair Dana Inman, President & CEO, Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency. Panel experts include:
- Kellie Brownlow, Chief Mission Officer, First Step Staffing
- Kirsten Ford, Regional Manager, Career Navigation, Goodwill of North Georgia
- Cherri Harrison-West, Future Leaders Program Manager, STRIVE Atlanta
- Nikki Holiday, Director, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
- Greg Washington, Director of Family Reunification/Reentry, City of Refuge
This MAX Academy will take place on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, at Atlanta Metropolitan State College (1630 Metropolitan Pkwy SW, Atlanta, GA 30310). Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
As a result of this training, participants will be able to:
- Better understand the justice-impacted population and their unmet needs.
- Learn how to best coach justice-impacted participants in communicating about their backgrounds with employers and resource providers.
- Learn how to help employers navigate the hiring process with justice-impacted candidates.
- Identify ways in which your organization can better support our justice-impacted neighbors.
Click here to register.
CREDENTIALED TRAINING
This MAX Academy has been approved by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) as training counting toward continuing education hours (CEUs) for Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCs). Special thanks to Goodwill of North Georgia for serving as the sponsor with the CRCC for the MAX Academy.
Both the International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP) and the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) recognize training programs held through the MAX Academy as relevant training hours for their certification programs. Hours spent attending MAX Academy workshops can count as training hours for earning a Certified Workforce Professional (CWP) credential from IAWP and also as professional development (continuing education) hours for CWP recertification. For NAWDP’s Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP), NAWDP will accept MAX Academy training hours toward the professional development hours required for CWDP recertification.
REGISTRATION
Join us for a day of learning and networking! The registration fee for this training is $25.00 for MAX members and $45.00 for non-members.
Because we recognize the value of having multiple team members from the same organization participate so concepts and practices may be discussed and reinforced, discounts are available when multiple staff from the same agency register for the workshop as follows:
MAX Members: $25.00 for the first registration and $15.00 for each additional registration from the same organization.
Non-Members: $45.00 for the first registration and $35.00 for each additional registration from the same organization.
Click here to register.
ABOUT THE MAX ACADEMY
Launched in 2014, the mission of MAX is to advance economic resilience in the Atlanta region by strengthening connections, collaborations, and practices among workforce developers and organizations engaged in workforce development.
The MAX Academy offers professional development and capacity building training workshops to help workforce development professionals develop new skills, learn best practices, and engage in peer-to-peer learning.
Visit www.metroatlantaexchange.org to learn more.