History of North Atlanta Crossroads and the “Crash Course”
The “Crossroads 7-Step Course for Career Transition” was originally developed by the Crossroads Career Network (www.crossroadscareer.org). The course is made available to member organizations, most of whom are churches.
The Crossroads 7-Step Course was usually taught weekly or biweekly over a 2 to 4 month period which gives ample time for outside work. There are several abbreviated formats of the course which include only a portion of the materials contained in the Crosswords Workbook around which the course was developed. Roswell UMC condenses the material and teaches it in both a 4-hour and an 8-hour format. These abbreviated formats give a career explorer (someone who has either lost their job or is looking at a new career or position for another reason) a “jump start” on their search, but they do not include the opportunity for the outside work and feedback that a longer format course can offer.
In 2009, a group of volunteer career ministry leaders from churches Atlanta met and decided to combine their efforts to offer the course frequently in a comprehensive format. Originally called the “North x Northwest Atlanta Crossroads Team” and later the “North Atlanta Crossroads Team,” the result was today’s “Crossroads Crash Course.” The original goals of the Crash Course are still intact:
All of the Crash Course volunteer team has served as career ministry leaders in their individual churches, all of the team members had experience with career counseling/coaching and each had taught one or more steps in the Crossroads Course previously. The course format was revised slightly and the Introduction session was combined with Step One of the Crossroads course in order to complete the class in 7 sessions.
The responsibility of teaching the class was divided up among the group based upon each individual’s expertise, experience and interest. With a “revolving” group of facilitators sharing the teaching workload, the host church accepts the responsibility for providing a level of continuity for each class by taking attendance, opening with prayer, introducing each night’s facilitator, and closing with prayer.
The team decided that revised course format was best offered to a group of 10-20 individuals, and registration for each class is limited to 20-22 attendees (depending upon the facility limitations). The first class was organized in April 2010 with 14 participants and was hosted by Peachtree Presbyterian Church. The second class with 20 participants was hosted at Dunwoody United Methodist Church in May 2010.
Today, the original Crossroads Crash Course volunteer team has evolved into a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization with a board of directors and a volunteer team of about 12 active team members and facilitators, with additional volunteers who serve as interviewers for the mock interviews. We elect a Board of Directors to lead our team. Each member serves a 3-year term. Board members for 2021 are: Rich von Biberstein, Gary Davis and Dan Whitenack.
As of August 2021, more than 80 classes have been completed and over 1,200 have participated in the Crash Course.
Although the unemployment rate in 2019 was low, there was still demand for the program because the Crash Course helps those who are under-employed, misemployed or unsatisfied with their current career choice in addition to helping those who are unemployed. Recent surveys indicate that more than half of all employees are not fully satisfied with their work.
In April 2020, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, which resulted in more than 40 million new unemployment filings over a 2 month period, the Crash Course team responded by offering the Crash Course online in a slightly modified format. We shortened the classes to 2 hours each, added an orientation session and have temporarily eliminated the mock interviews and resume reviews.
While our team misses the in-person interaction, this format has helped us to reach a much wider audience outside the Metro-Atlanta area. Several of our recent classes have had more enrolled from outside of Georgia than within! While the national unemployment rate is back down in mid-2021, there is still a need for helping those who are unemployed, under-employed, mis-employed or just seeking more satisfying work! We will continue to offer the Crash Course online and may resume in-person classes when our team and our hosts feel comfortable doing so.
Gary Davis
updated 8/1/2021
The Crossroads 7-Step Course was usually taught weekly or biweekly over a 2 to 4 month period which gives ample time for outside work. There are several abbreviated formats of the course which include only a portion of the materials contained in the Crosswords Workbook around which the course was developed. Roswell UMC condenses the material and teaches it in both a 4-hour and an 8-hour format. These abbreviated formats give a career explorer (someone who has either lost their job or is looking at a new career or position for another reason) a “jump start” on their search, but they do not include the opportunity for the outside work and feedback that a longer format course can offer.
In 2009, a group of volunteer career ministry leaders from churches Atlanta met and decided to combine their efforts to offer the course frequently in a comprehensive format. Originally called the “North x Northwest Atlanta Crossroads Team” and later the “North Atlanta Crossroads Team,” the result was today’s “Crossroads Crash Course.” The original goals of the Crash Course are still intact:
- Rotate the Crossroads 7 –Step Course to churches who agreed to host the class.
- Complete the entire course in about 2 weeks (7 sessions of 3 hours each).
- Develop a standardized plan and presentation covering each of the 7-Steps.
- Include a personalized resume review, online career assessment, mock interview.
- Share the burden of teaching the class among several well-qualified facilitators.
- Include enough time between classes to allow for homework.
All of the Crash Course volunteer team has served as career ministry leaders in their individual churches, all of the team members had experience with career counseling/coaching and each had taught one or more steps in the Crossroads Course previously. The course format was revised slightly and the Introduction session was combined with Step One of the Crossroads course in order to complete the class in 7 sessions.
The responsibility of teaching the class was divided up among the group based upon each individual’s expertise, experience and interest. With a “revolving” group of facilitators sharing the teaching workload, the host church accepts the responsibility for providing a level of continuity for each class by taking attendance, opening with prayer, introducing each night’s facilitator, and closing with prayer.
The team decided that revised course format was best offered to a group of 10-20 individuals, and registration for each class is limited to 20-22 attendees (depending upon the facility limitations). The first class was organized in April 2010 with 14 participants and was hosted by Peachtree Presbyterian Church. The second class with 20 participants was hosted at Dunwoody United Methodist Church in May 2010.
Today, the original Crossroads Crash Course volunteer team has evolved into a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization with a board of directors and a volunteer team of about 12 active team members and facilitators, with additional volunteers who serve as interviewers for the mock interviews. We elect a Board of Directors to lead our team. Each member serves a 3-year term. Board members for 2021 are: Rich von Biberstein, Gary Davis and Dan Whitenack.
As of August 2021, more than 80 classes have been completed and over 1,200 have participated in the Crash Course.
Although the unemployment rate in 2019 was low, there was still demand for the program because the Crash Course helps those who are under-employed, misemployed or unsatisfied with their current career choice in addition to helping those who are unemployed. Recent surveys indicate that more than half of all employees are not fully satisfied with their work.
In April 2020, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, which resulted in more than 40 million new unemployment filings over a 2 month period, the Crash Course team responded by offering the Crash Course online in a slightly modified format. We shortened the classes to 2 hours each, added an orientation session and have temporarily eliminated the mock interviews and resume reviews.
While our team misses the in-person interaction, this format has helped us to reach a much wider audience outside the Metro-Atlanta area. Several of our recent classes have had more enrolled from outside of Georgia than within! While the national unemployment rate is back down in mid-2021, there is still a need for helping those who are unemployed, under-employed, mis-employed or just seeking more satisfying work! We will continue to offer the Crash Course online and may resume in-person classes when our team and our hosts feel comfortable doing so.
Gary Davis
updated 8/1/2021
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