Forward Janesville - TheReport - Second Quarter 2023

F orward Janesville has bridged the gap between cultures and communities with the launch of Adelante Janesville , Forward Janesville's first Latinx Business Outreach Program. “It is a dream I’ve had for a long time,” said Latinx Council Chair Silvia Donday- Selenske. “We are putting two important things together and that’s fantastic.” That connection is rooted in Forward Janesville’s culture, down to the name. Adelante means “forward” in Spanish. Adelante offers connection to resources for Latinx business owners and workers. In turn, organizers anticipate the greater business community will benefit from having more voices at the table and access to people in a swath of the community they haven’t already been introduced to. “When business is good, the community does better,” Donday- Selenske said. “We can attract more people to come to Janesville because we havemore jobs and opportunities. The fact businesses know Janesville is a more open community will bring more jobs into town.” FORWARD JANESVILLE WILL MEASURE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM BY: ● Number of Latinx businesses that rank current operating culture as beneficial to the growth and health of their business. ● Number of Latinx-owned businesses who are members of and participate with Forward Janesville. ● Number of helpline engagements. ● Number of people employed by Latinx-owned businesses. Claire Olsen, program coordinator, says building relationships and trust between the Latinx and non-Latinx communities is her greatest goal. “It was lovely to see so many of the people I interviewed show up to the BA5 premiere that was the launch of this initiative and see people start to come together,” Olsen said. Olsen is a Janesville native and consultant brought on by Forward Janesville to help research, launch and maintain the program. She lived for four years in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, traveling extensively in Central and South America, and has a passion for supporting traditionally underserved communities. She learned through interviews with the Latinx business community that language is the greatest barrier to resources. “It is underrated how exhausting it is to live in a country where you don’t speak the language comfortably,” Olsen said. “Basic things can become very anxiety inducing. The Latinx community is already dealing with a raised level of anxiety just getting by.” To bridge the gap, Olsen– who is bilingual– will man a phone line and email account to help connect Latinx people with resources. ¡Adelante Janesville! By Ashley Pettay In some communities there’s a chamber of commerce and a Latinx chamber of commerce. Two separate entities working under separate missions. NOT IN JANESVILLE. BULDING RELATIONSHIPS “When business is good, the community does better,” Donday-Selenske said. “We can attract more people to come to Janesville becausewe havemore jobs and opportunities. The fact businesses know Janesville is amore open communitywill bringmore jobs into town.” 10 | FORWARD JANESVILLE Members of Forward Janesville’s Consejo Empresarial Latinx (Latinx Business Council)