Executive Director’s Perspective

By Bev Weise, Executive Director

An Inside View of RJS Coaching

As of the beginning of October, our dedicated career, leadership and life coaches completed a total of 310 coaching sessions with our refugee clients. At the conclusion of each session, we ask our coaches to complete a brief Session Completion Form to summarize successes, key challenges and obstacles, and any new insights they or their clients have gained during the sessions, all while maintaining the confidentiality of their client.

We want to understand key patterns in client progress, obstacles, mindset transformation and coaching impact, while identifying areas where additional support or resources can strengthen our coaching program.

This is what we’re learning:

1. Strong Evidence of Client Progress and Goal Achievement

• The majority of coaches report significant milestones, including employment secured, education pursued, and improved confidence in career readiness.
• Clients are translating coaching insights into concrete actions such as revising CVs, preparing for interviews, and expanding professional networks.

2. Growth in Self-Awareness and Empowerment

• Many clients demonstrated mindset shifts — from self-doubt and survival thinking toward agency, optimism, and strengthening self-efficacy.
• Coaches observed breakthroughs in belief systems, often describing clients as “seeing themselves differently” or “rediscovering confidence.”

3. Sustained Engagement and Motivation

• The majority of coaches report a high level of client engagement across sessions, reflecting trusting relationships and strong client-coach collaborations.
• Clients are responsive, proactive, and completing assignments between sessions, illustrating resilience and commitment.

4. Persistent Structural and Emotional Barriers

• Challenges remain related to immigration status, internet connectivity issues, and displacement-related trauma.
• Some clients express fatigue, discouragement, or external stressors that limit consistency.

5. Focus on Well-being and Holistic Support

• Coaches increasingly integrate mental health awareness, rest, and emotional regulation into sessions.
• Referrals to our coaches who specialize in well-being coaching has helped to sustain the motivation of some clients and keep them moving forward.
• Referrals to our job search mentors has provided additional support to help with the nitty-gritty of job search.

This qualitative feedback seems to indicate that coaching is a stabilizing, future-oriented structure for refugees navigating uncertainty. It’s clear that clients value the continuity of human connection — especially when faced with isolation or systemic barriers.

Refugee JumpStart Coaching serves as a global engine of empowerment and transformation. Clients are not only finding jobs that are more aligned with their talents, experience and education, but they are also rediscovering agency, purpose, and belonging.

We’re privileged to be a part of such a positive transformational process in a refugee’s journey toward economic and social integration.