Initiatives for 2021-2022
Initiatives for 2021-2022
For the 2021-2022 school year the Wily Network has adopted three initiatives that will help us continue to build on our foundation, expand our network, and improve our programming.
Expansion
We’re expanding our organization to serve more Scholars and meet the growing need for our services.
Learn more about our open positions.
Career Preparation
We hosted our first Career Fair to expose Scholars to job & internship opportunities. Learn how you and your company can support the 2022 Career Fair.
Make a Gift to Help Wily Serve More Scholars
Expansion
The sudden campus closures last March gave us a glimpse at the number of students who qualify for our services but are currently going without support. In the chaos of last year we received more new referrals than ever before. We don’t just want to grow, we need to grow in order to meet the need in Greater Boston.
In 2021, we hired four new staff members, added Emerson College to our list of partner institutions, and welcomed 19 new Scholars representing six different schools. We worked with 75 students in 2021, and we look forward to welcoming more Scholars across 2022.
In order to expand, we are hiring! Know someone who might be interested in helping us grow?
Mental Well-Being and Medical Leaves
Many Wily Scholars are managing a history of trauma while they tackle the ongoing pressure of college. This has been exacerbated by the social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Scholars are looking for therapists of color and therapists who specialize in working with people that have experienced trauma.
We are expanding mental health supports for Scholars by funding therapy that is not covered by their health insurance. We have also developed a “first of its kind” support program for Scholars who need to take medical leave from school. Now in its second semester, Wily’s medical leave program keeps students connected with coaching and Wily community events, while helping fund therapy, housing and food.
Do you know a Therapy provider who would like to help us offer affordable services to Wily Scholars? Please get in touch with info@thewilynetwork.org
Career Preparation
The network gap is an obstacle that Scholars face before and after graduation; with a diploma in hand to showcase years of hard work, intelligence, creativity, and resilience, they find themselves struggling to land work. Part of the problem is that most jobs are never posted online, but are filled through networking. Wily Scholars lack the family networks that most of their peers use to find their first jobs. In 2021 we launched the first annual Wily Career Fair.
We can’t wait for the 2022 Career Fair, planned for this coming November.
Do you have a job or internship opportunity that Scholars might be interested in? Would your company like to attend our Career Fair?
