Almost every Friday morning, fresh coffee trickles into a pot, a box of frosted donuts sits open on a table, and the Rock County Job Center hosts a Java & Jobs meeting event. Coordinators from the Job Center head to the Local Union No. 95 UAW on Lafayette Street and meet with unemployed or dislocated workers struggling to find a job. The conversations are a chance for individuals to talk freely about their job search experiences while getting advice and feedback from the coordinators.

The Job Center was kind enough to arrange for me to attend one of these meetings last week. As an outsider coming into Janesville for this storytelling project, the discussion was an eye-opener. A mixture of frustration and determination, with a handful of jokes thrown in for good measure, the people I met with talked about what they’re finding themselves up against: a lack of jobs – to begin with – advancing technology, age discrimination, outsourcing, and so much more.

One of the meeting’s participants, Gary, was laid off from a local company in December 2008. He had worked in the Information Technology department. “Most people think it is one of the most stable areas around,” he says. “But a lot of the positions are being outsourced to outside the country, and if your training or background is somewhat dated, [meaning] it’s older than ten years, you’re basically S.O.L.”

Despite the fact that Gary already has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Technology, he decided to enroll at Blackhawk Technical College earlier this year with the help of a grant. “It’s basically to update my skills and focus more on what the need is for the market.”

Behind the Scenes Dispatch by:
Zahra Haider, a member of the EngageWisconsin team

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PARTICIPATE: If you are a resident of Janesville, Wisconsin, or Rock County and you’re interested in sharing your story or the story of your business or organization, please contact Zahra Haider via email – zahra.haider@engagewisconsin.org – for more information. More specifically, we are also looking for high school students who might be interested in using a Flip camera to interview their family, friends, and neighbors to tell the story of their life in Janesville.

The JANESVILLE STORYTELLING PROJECT has been inspired by Digital Nation, a Frontline documentary, and Milwaukee-based 371 Production’s As Goes Janesville. Wisconsin Public Television’s EngageWisconsin team seeks to give a face to the current, post-GM situation in Janesville; to give the community a chance to respond to that negative press from the recent past, which frequently depicted Janesville as a permanently ruined city; and to explore the relationship of technology and people within a Mid-American city in flux.