Program gives women new opportunities

Local News

February 4, 2011

By Tim Mandell Register News Writer The Richmond Register Fri Feb 04, 2011, 12:00 PM EST

BEREA — BEREA — An organization here helps women get the necessary tools to be successful in the classroom or work place.

Twice a year, the New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW) selects 14 applicants to its program.

All applicants must be low-income women over 30, who are from the Appalachian region and have either a high school diploma or a GED, but do not have a college degree.

“The women in the program stay in a residential setting and go through classes to get them prepared for the workforce or professional life or college,” said Stephanie Beard, career/education counselor with NOSW.

The program was started in 1987 by Jane Stephenson, the wife of then Berea College president John B. Stephenson.

Participants take classes in a variety of fields, including basic math, computers, building self-esteem, understanding violence against women, public speaking, learning how to become enrolled in further education and knowing your government.

They learn job search skills, get makeovers, have health screenings and take cultural field trips and attend art-related events, such as visits to museums and the theater.

Internships at Berea College or in the Berea community also are a big part of the program.

Every afternoon participants shadow someone in a career field they find interesting in order to gain job experience and decide if that is a career they might like pursue, Beard said.

The program is free to all the women.

Food, lodging and tuition are provided for participants. Grants for travel and childcare are available.

For those interested in attending secondary school, there is an opportunity for small college scholarships.

Interested applicants need to write an essay and provide two letters or reference.

The current program begins Sunday. The deadline to apply for the summer program is April. 1 The summer program runs from June 5-25.

Applications can be found online at www.nosw.org or by requesting an application through mail from The New Opportunity School for Women, 204 Chestnut St., Berea, KY, 40403 or by phone at 985-7200.

Tim Mandell can be reached at tmandell@richmondregister.com or 623-1669 ext. 6696.

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