Work Ordered Day
"Work Works!"
The Work Ordered Day provides an opportunity for members to be involved in the overall operation of their Clubhouse with real work that enables them to prepare for community employment.
Members come to the Clubhouse because they have discovered they can be truly helpful to the Clubhouse and to one another. During the Work Ordered Day, members spend their time working side-by-side with staff, contributing to the overall functioning of the program in such tasks as answering the telephone, typing, printing, and collating the newsletter, preparing, computer media, serving, and cleaning up daily lunches, housekeeping and environmental/yard work, and involvement in the decision making that affects the Clubhouse.
The purpose of the Work Ordered Day is to provide members with real work which enables them to prepare for community employment. Even though the work is voluntary, it is important work that keeps the Clubhouse going and provides a work setting where members can learn valuable skills, build confidence, and develop meaningful relationships with peers.
Activities of the Work Ordered Day are organized and coordinated by work units. When new members join the Clubhouse, they have the opportunity to join one of two work units, Hospitality Unit (Culinary & Garden) and T.H.R.I.V.E. Unit (Transitional Employment, Health & Wellness, Recreation, Inspire & Create, Volunter, and Enrollment and Business Administration).
The beauty of being engaged in a work unit is an effective way for members to establish supportive and inspiring relationships with others, to become involved in meaningful work activity, to receive assistance with meeting one’s needs, to work towards goals such as gaining meaningful employment, pursuing education, volunteering in the community or even start their own business.
"Whenever, I experienced anxiety or difficulties with technology while working my job I could rely on staff to support me and help me manage my anxiety."-EC Member
“The work-ordered day and Clubhouse relationships are not two parallel worlds in the Clubhouse. They are one and the same. If there is no genuine, meaningful work-ordered day, in which staff are pushed into the position of needing members, then there can be no real, healing, Standards-based Clubhouse relationships. To be healed, we need to be found by one another. To find one another, we have to need each other. To need each other, there has to be a structure in place that ensures that there are important things to be done, which we cannot do without help. That is the genius of the structure of the Clubhouse.
The work is there, the need is there, and the people are there. It is not magic. When all of these pieces are in place, though, the transformation that takes place in the heart of our lives, is more powerful than the magic of a million magicians.”
- Robby Vorspan, 2014, Clubhouse International
"I have been so happy to be a member of the Clubhouse, it has allowed me a place to learn new skills and contribute many skills I have learned in life thus far. I have Organizational and Public speaking skills that are being used and not being stored away where there isn’t anyone being serviced.
I consider the Clubhouse as an extended family. I can visit in person and virtual. I can receive lessons on Art. attend Book Club events. I can attend field Trips, picnics. and Cooking classes and many more facilitated trainings by members during the week. The Clubhouse has been truly a Healthy and Meaningful part of my day, which brings inner peace to me."-EC Member