Director Says New
Resource Program
Helps People Believe
? I
More In Themselves
BY SUSAN USHER
Avonc Teadwell believes in people; the charge from
watching them grow in confidence and skills keeps him
motivated. He also believes in HRD as a tool for help
ing people learn to believe in themselves.
HRD is the acronym for Human Resources
Development, a free, short-term service of the N.C.
Department of Community Colleges that gives those el
igible a boost into the world of work by setting them up
for success, not failure. Participants must be 18 years of
age or older, unemployed, underemployed or disadvan
taged to qualify.
"Most people have skills but they don't know it, or
they don't know how to make those skills work for
them, how to relate those skills to work," says
Teadwell. "I know what
nnrv J _ *?
iiinl/ wiiii uu. i vc seen
what it's done for partici
pants in New Hanover and
Pender counties."
"We are hoping to pro
duce sharp, well-spoken
participants for the job
market."
Recently named direc
tor of the new HRD pro
gram at Brunswick Com
munity College, his own
job background includes
working his way from dish
"We are hoping to
produce sharp,
well-spoken articipants
for the job market. "
? Avone Teadwell HRD Director
washer to assistant manager of a Wilmington restaurant.
Teadwell is building the new program from scratch, and
is anxious to see what works here.
"We're giving him the flexibility to develop some
thing that fits Brunswick County," said Jerry Thrift,
vice president of community and continuing education.
BCC's program receives automatic funding at start
up level, $100,600, for each of its first two years. After
that funding relates directly to its success in training
participants for the work place and helping them find
jobs.
The first class starts Jan. 23, and will include job
search and job skills, motivation and orientation. The
short, four-week cycle will help him "get a feel for
Brunswick County," he said. "From there we will offer
more components, such as secretarial brush-up and key
boarding." Some participants may also b; channeled in
to college coursework.
"We're going to make available everything needed
to make that person hold their head high when they
comc in for an interview," said TeadweTf
HRD participants may not realize the skills they al
ready possess, or be aware of others they need, he said,
such as how to fill out an application properly or handle
a job interview. Often they're not aware of basic em
ployer expectations such as arriving at work on time
and calling when late or sick.
The program will help boost their job skills, work to
place them in a job suitable to their skills, and then pro
vide on-the-job follow-up. For at least one year after
"graduation" participants can continue to receive sup
port services such as job referrals and coaching even if
not placed immediately in a job.
As he "feels out" the community and its needs,
Teadwell is working out of borrowed quarters and
scrambling for classrooms on a campus already
squeezed for space even before the state legislature de
cided last summer to ex
tend HRD to the four com
munity colleges that didn't
have it.
"I'm ready, I'm ready, I
just want to do it," says
Teadwell, who lives what
he teaches as he pushes
HRD students up and out:
"You need to go out of here
knowing and thinking,
'Given the opportunity I
will rise to the occasion.'"
The Wilmington native
has worked all of his life,
"at just about every place there is to work in New
Hanover County." He spent the past four years at Cape
Fear Community College as an HRD instructor, adult
basic literacy education and single parents/displaced
homemakers coordinator and Job Training Partnership
Act (JTPA) counselor for New Hanover and Pender
counties. "I was pretty busy," he says modestly.
He's also worked as a juvenile court counselor, as a
teacher assistant for at-risk students and as an assistant
restaurant manager. It was at Tuesday's in Wilmington
he started as a dishwasher in 1976 and worked his way
up to assistant manager, supervising 75 employees be
fore a job change in 1981.
A self-declared lifelong learner, Teadwell spends
much of his free hours in class. He studied business ad
ministration at Cape Fear Community College, earned a
B.A. Degree (graduating cum laude) in behavioral sci
ence from Shaw University and completed 18 hours to
ward teacher certification in special education. He has
taken master's degree courses in guidance and counsel
ing at N.C. Central University and is enrolled in
Webster University's Myrtle Beach program.
SPECIALIST OFFERS HELPFUL TIPS
How To Shake Yuletide Stress, Depression
While you're checking that list
twit 'his Christmas, take some ex
tra measures to avoid holiday stress
and depression, says a human devel
opment specialist at N.C. State
University.
"Some days seem like Murphy's
Law is the ruling principle," said
Wayne Matthews with the N.C.
Cooperative Extension Service at
NCSU. "Around holiday times some
times it seems like chaos and may
hem are the order of the day. From
Thanksgiving to New Year's there is
often a whirlwind of activity."
Matthews pointed to Christmas
card writing, crowded shopping
malls, massive food preparation and
children cooped up in the house as
some stress factors.
"*'?u may end up exhausted, fa
tigued, angry or depressed," he said.
"Supposedly 'tis the season to be
jolly, but some folks experience
life's circumstances which diminish
or destroy the sense of joy."
Stress increases because of unre
alistic expectations, tremendous fi
nancial drains, disappointment over
impossible family reunions, exhaus
tion and cabin fever, Matthew said.
He offers these tips for avoiding
or reducing holiday stress:
? Set priorities. Don't plan to do
more in a day than your time and en
ergy allow.
? Learn to share responsibilities
and don't feel guilty about it.
? Don't try to be a perfectionist.
Be realistic about the demands you
place on yourself. And don't try to
be the perfect host.
? Allow yourself some private
time. Be good to yourself. Try relax
ation techniques.
? Don't expect to be happy every
minute. But try to enjoy the holidays
in the new and creative ways.
? Learn to simplify the holidays.
For example, decide to write fewer
Cnristmas cards this year or even
none at all.
Then, after you reduce some of
the stress, you may be faced with
post-holiday letdown.
"Some studies show there's a lit
tle decrease in the number of sui
cides just before Christmas but an
increase in January," Matthews said.
"Plan something for the day after
Christmas or for New Year's Eve to
avoid post-holiday blues," he sug
gested.
WILLIAM E. VAIL, D.O.,
Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon,
IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE
THE OPENING OF HIS PRACTICE
OF ORTHOPEDICS
ON
January 3, 1995
South Brunswick Islands Medical Park
25 Union School Road
Shallotte, North Carolina
Appointments Now Being Accepted
Please Call
579-2868
/
AVONE TEADWELL's preparing to launch a new Human Resources Development program at
Brunswick Community College. The free program prepares participants for the work place and helps
find and train them for suitable jobs.
He's committed to offering "whatever it takes to get
that participant from where they are to where they need
to be" ? including academics, transportation, child care
and transportation. HRD has no funding for the latter
two needs, but Teadwell believes in agency networking.
His long-range goal is to develop a center for "one
stop shopping," for HRD to become the starting point
for referrals to other human service agencies. Teadwell
sees it as a win-win arrangement. Such a center would
draw to HRD a large potential pool of participants.
while also helping meet applicants' other needs and re
ducing duplication of effort by fellow agencies.
"I am not territorial and I hope I never get that
way," says Teadwell. "The participants are my number
one priority. Maybe HRD will be able io pull those re
sources together."
Individuals interested in applying for the Human
Resources Development program can reach Teadwell at
BCC's main campus near Supply at 754-6900 starting
Jan. 2.
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Relax, Rest, Enjoy!
It's Christmas! Let's share in the
beauty and joys of the season
together, as we express our very
best wishes to you and yours.
THE BRlll\l$WICK$BEACON
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