When Elaine Lupul started her work in the Employment and Life Skills Program of Making Changes, she didn’t know the 20-year impact she would have or the 1,800 participants she would help, but she knew she was in the right place, at the right time.
“When I started delivering the program, I felt like I was home,” said Elaine. “It set me on a career path that for me was the perfect intersection of business and people, where I could demystify the employment landscape for new immigrants.”
With her recent decision to retire, come August 31, 2021, we sat down with Elaine to hear about the Employment and Life Skills program and the legacy she is leaving.
Change mindsets, change lives
While Making Changes turns 25 this year, the Employment and Life Skills program pre-dated the umbrella organization that Making Changes has become and marks 40 years in existence.
“When I joined, the program design felt revolutionary for the time,” shared Elaine. The work was “routed and planful, taking women through a journey of empowerment.”
What was designed to be a six-day program was delivered over a six-week period, to give women a chance to learn, digest and apply the skills being taught. The program covered important attributes such as assertiveness and self-discovery, and practical skills like how to conduct job research, at a time that predated internet access as a staple in every home.
While curriculum and delivery formats have changed, the foundation of the program has not. Over the years it has supported women from varied circumstances, from refugees to clients who packed up their professional lives in another country, in search of new opportunities in Canada.
“These doctors, engineers, professional women would arrive in Canada and speak about their careers like they were in the past; ‘I was an engineer,’” shared Elaine. “I was quick to remind them, you didn’t leave your skills on the tarmac.”
Helping reframe mindsets and looking for the marketable skills these women already demonstrated in the move to Calgary – logistics, project management, global mobility – Elaine set these women on a path to a successful transition.
The proof is in the impact:
66% of participants are working within one year of attending the program ( Jan 2021)
Increase in confidence and self esteem
Feeling of being connected and building a network
Knowledge of where to find information and employment resources
Skills and strategies to enter the labour market
Participants have an action plan to reach their goals and go on to attend other programs, to pursue further training or education, become self-employed, and begin to volunteer. Former participants have started related support organizations: Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association, Alberta Network of Immigrant Women, Women Support Group Calgary, and Calgary Immigrant Women's Meetup.
Elaine’s journey
“I felt like I went through a similar experience as many of our clients; after losing a job early in my career, I packed up and moved to Calgary,” shared Elaine.
Elaine started her career in the corporate business world in manufacturing and marketing. It wasn’t long before she realized she didn’t want to work with things.
“I knew I wanted to work with people,” said Elaine. “I had a background working in equity and diversity when I was invited to apply for the facilitator position with the program through my network; I was on a board with a woman who sat on the Making Changes Board of Directors.”
Making Changes supported Elaine’s growth as a career development professional and it was then she really discovered how leading edge, and what a gem, the program was for the women who attended.
Elaine has taught 79 groups and more than 1,814 people. With the addition of partnering with Maple Leaf Academy’s Language Instruction for Newcomers program in the fall of 2019, the program started including men.
What’s next?
So, what’s next for Elaine? She’s busy planning activities with her already-retired husband: hiking, skiing, food and family fun - plus travel , to name a few.
What’s she going to miss the most? Without hesitation, the women – the participants who shared their stories and journeys - and contributing to the impact Making Changes has in someone’s life. The feeling is mutual.
Praise for Elaine:
Cathy Coutts, Executive Director Making Changes:
“The Employment and Life Skills program, has often been referred to as Elaine’s program, because it truly reflects her passion, commitment and dedication to inspiring and mentoring newcomers, and helping them discover their skills, value and opportunities as they make Canada their home. Not only has Elaine delivered the program in a very caring, engaging and nurturing way, she continues to remain in contact with many of her clients from over the years, providing support and friendship. Each day Elaine exemplifies the values and mission of Making Changes. She will be truly missed.”
Client Quotes
“We will be stronger than before because you have opened our mind.”
“Thank you for driving away the ignorance and lighting the lamp of knowledge.”
“After every Monday (session), I felt that I could do more in my life.”
“The most valuable of the course is when as a result of all your time and motivation, the participant’s Self Confidence starts growing or just waking up from a long dream, it’s wonderful and I strongly believe that it’s the flame that all of us need to go ahead with our personal and professional lives, after we have faced great changes and challenges coming to a new life.”