Programs foster career and business skills
By Katharine Brenton
Residents of Northeast Park Hill will recall a time not so long ago when the site of the old Holly Square shopping center was an abandoned lot packed with unpleasant memories – and not a lot else.
But today, between the Hiawatha Davis Rec Center across the street, the Pauline Robinson Library, the Hope Center, the basketball courts and the new Boys & Girls Club, Holly Square is a center of activity and community vitality.
The Boys & Girls Club provides afterschool programming for hundreds of neighborhood youth. The organization, at the Nancy P. Anschutz Center, at 3399 Holly Street, is also home to dynamic new programs for adults designed to support career advancement and small business development.
These programs – collectively known as the Innovation Lab – were designed in collaboration with the Holly Area Redevelopment Project (HARP) to support the economic advancement of residents of Northeast Park Hill. Mi Casa Resource Center, the nonprofit organization operating the Innovation Lab, worked alongside the members of the HARP committee to develop a vision for adult programming at the new facility that would meet the needs of community residents.
The Innovation Lab offers individual and small-group career training and business development services that are free and open to the community. The Innovation Lab offers workshops, classes and self-guided modules meant to support the unique objectives of each individual, supporting them to define and implement a plan for career path employment or small business ownership.
The Innovation Lab is equipped with 14 laptops and meeting space. In addition to class offerings, the Innovation Lab is a space for community members to utilize as needed – for brainstorming sessions, individual study or meetings.
“The Innovation Lab provides Northeast Park Hill residents with a hub where they can work with other community members toward their professional and entrepreneurial goals,” says Innovation Lab Manager Robert Hernández. “This space was created to inspire creativity and facilitate collaboration.”
Programs focus on four aspects of career and business training:
Career Planning –résumé and cover letter writing, job searching, interview preparation
Entrepreneurial Counseling – starting a business, writing a business plan, marketing support
Financial Literacy – money management, budgeting, understanding credit, saving, financial products and services
Technology Training – computer navigation skills, internet and email, online research and Microsoft Office programs
“The goal of the Innovation Lab is to put people to work and support new and existing businesses, and the Lab will evolve to meet community needs,” says Hernández. “It is not limited to the programs currently offered but will develop in response to what our neighbors need and want.”
The Innovation Lab is operated by Mi Casa Resource Center, which is dedicated to helping hardworking Denver families achieve their economic goals through career training, business development services, afterschool youth programs and supportive services.
“Mi Casa has a long history of helping people realize their goals of employment and business ownership,” says Christine Marquez-Hudson, CEO/Executive Director. “We are honored to have this opportunity to expand our services to work with members of the Northeast Park Hill community in their efforts to find fulfilling work and launch and grow small businesses.”
For more information on the Innovation Lab call 303-388-8213.
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