As you cross the threshold of the Digitalizers office in Plan-les-Ouates (Geneva), a program funded by the Canton of Geneva to redesign the professional future of the unemployed, you'll find a large wooden, ochre, and gray cabinet with numerous drawers, each labeled with the name of a program participant. Here, each person has their own space to store their personal belongings and their own computer.
Thus begins a day filled with activities: working on personal and group projects, attending meetings, and receiving training to develop their professional skills. For 4 months, from 8 am to 5 pm, five days a week, participants engage in a series of activities supported by 4 specialized coaches in marketing, human resources, administration, and user experience. Any unjustified absence or delay may result in penalties on unemployment benefits.
Here, dreams intersect. Aspiring videographers, aspiring dancers, freedom-seeking travelers, artisans of their passion, and those seeking their path. It's a whirlwind of ambitions, where we work on skills but also cultivate desires.
In this unique environment, a strong community is formed, where everyone shares the common thread of unemployment, uniting their stories and aspirations. Here, we support each other and joke around, providing mutual encouragement. It's a time of vulnerability that transforms into strength, because here, it's not just about careers, but also about passions, fears, and dreams to be realized.
Like the cabinet that welcomes you at the entrance, the drawers are not alone, but united; it's a place where everyone seeks to find their way in the warmth of a family: the family of unemployment.
