Get ahead. Start today.

‘‘Getting Ahead in the Workplace’ is a program offered by ECHO that includes 15 facilitated sessions over four months to help under-resourced people build resources and gain control over their future stories.  Sessions are attended by 12-15 participants and led by a facilitator and co-facilitator. Participants create their own success by investigating:
  • The realities of conditions at home, work, and community and how they impact stability.
  • The hidden rules and special language of getting ahead in the workplace.
  • How to build resources and relationships that open doors and help keep them open.
  • Practical skills for dealing with change and creating stability at work and at home.
  • The power of intentionally creating and following a new future story.
Throughout the program, participants apply these concepts as they build a stronger foundation at home and at work.  
How do I benefit?
ECHO is dedicated to helping individuals ‘get ahead’ by investigating adverse living conditions and learning strategies for improving one’s quality of life. During the four-month program, participants have access to a wide range of resources as needed to achieve independence: individual counseling & coaching, nutritious groceries, toiletries, household goods, professional clothing, and rent assistance when available.
What will I learn?
The program largely consists of these elements:
  • The realities of conditions at home, work, and community and how they impact stability.
  • The hidden rules and special language of getting ahead in the workplace.
  • How to build resources and relationships that open doors and help keep them open.
  • Practical skills for dealing with change and creating stability at work and at home.
  • The power of intentionally creating and following a new future story.
What is the program based on?
The ‘Getting Ahead’ program is based on the works of Philip DeVol and Ruby Payne. Since its inception, studies have been completed with diverse populations across a variety of sites and they demonstrate that ‘Getting Ahead’ appears to lead to positive changes in investigators’ poverty-related knowledge, perceived stress, mental health and wellbeing, social support, self-efficacy, hope, and goal-directed behavior and planning.
Am I a good fit for Echo’s program?
If you’re employed and are struggling with frequent family or situational crises and you have a willingness to improve your personal situation then ECHO’s ‘Getting Ahead’ program is right for you. Participants are accepted on a rolling basis. Click the Getting Ahead logo below to apply for an upcoming class or to learn more about the program.