This is a local effort, by a local college student. And it’s a fascinating way to connect people who need services with people who need work. It’s called Fair Work USA, and it’s the brain child of Emily Gaw of Hartland, VT. Emily considers this a non-profit, even though it’s not yet incorporated as one. Still, the intent is to help people during this time of crisis (and beyond), as a free service that will connect people much like putting a posting up on the local town common bulletin board once did.
Emily is a bit of a transplant, like many of us, but she loves the Upper Valley. She recognized the culture of people who care for their neighbors in this small-town environment would lend itself to launching Fair Work USA here, rather than in some other locale. That and the fact that she really wants people here to benefit from what FWUSA has to offer. I met Emily a few years back when she was doing research on earthworms as a high school student in a summer program in Lyme. I wrote a story about her biology research work then, and I was fascinated by how earthworms can, in many ways, mimic the human body. Her diligence, patience, and intelligence were apparent to me, so it comes as no surprise that she’s been able to take FWUSA from a mere idea to a working website on her own. Now, she needs to populate it with people who want work, then find people who need work done by local folks.
I asked Emily some questions about FWUSA and will share them, and her answers, with you here:
Where/when did you get the idea for Fair Work USA?
In Virginia, where I attended middle school, I observed men chasing after cars in a Staples parking lot in search of work. I was appalled and saddened at the lengths that people had to go to find a few hours of work to support their families. The image stayed with me. A few years later, I came up with the idea for Fair Work USA.
What’s your goal?
My goal is to facilitate employment opportunities based on skill, dependability and affordability, regardless of societal qualifications. I want to create trust between employers and employees, and give all a chance to find work despite their past or present situation. I believe the site has one overarching feature that accomplishes that— it allows workers to list their association with a known local organization. Ultimately, I truly believe that the ability, opportunity, and right to work should be universal. By launching Fair Work USA I aim to create that.
What unforeseen challenges have you encountered?
Coding the site was extremely difficult, but the most difficult overall has proven to be getting potential workers to sign up. I truly intend for the site to help, but I understand why people are skeptical of my purpose. I am hoping that the initial push to populate the site with workers will prove effective. Hopefully, this will snowball into many others signing up after the site helps the initial workers.
Another challenge is the potential for discrimination. I want the site to facilitate equal opportunity, but I feel that it’s important to have a headshot of workers in order to foster trust. It’s an issue I am still thinking about, and I will continue to improve upon and monitor as the site continues to grow.
Is this a school project?
No, it’s an independent project. I have spoken to my professors for advice, but the website was not prompted by any class or assignment.
What’s your major in college?
I’m planning on pursuing a business/entrepreneurship major.
Why is the Upper Valley so special to you?
My mom and I fell in love with the people, atmosphere, and beauty of the Upper Valley when we both visited for a summer program at the New Hampshire Academy of Science in Lyme during the summer after my sophomore year of high school. Shortly afterwards, she moved here permanently, and I have spent my winters and summers here ever since. Here, I first learnt to ski, wrote all of my college applications, and stayed safe from COVID-19. The Upper Valley is a community unlike any other place I’ve lived. The people are unabashedly friendly, welcoming, and kind. I felt at home immediately. The only other place that comes close is my grandfather’s home in Ireland.
Emily is a smart kid (I use that term loosely. She’s a young, really intelligent, entrepreneurially-minded, and compassionate college student) now in the second half of a challenging first year of college. She’s dealing with COVID-19 challenges just like the rest of us, trying to stay safe and healthy while studying. Yet, her energy and desire to help others is shining through with Fair Work USA’s attempt to hep people find work. It’s a multi-symbiotic effort to connect people without trying to profit—a way for the founder to feel good about helping others during a crisis, and a way of helping people get work done while others benefit from finding work at the same time. To Emily and anyone who might use Fair Work USA, you’re witnessing the cutting edge of where business meets philanthropy. I wish there were more people like Emily. Our world would be a better place.
You can click here to reach the Fair Work USA website, or visit https://www.fairworkusa.com/. It might just be that a few months or years from now you’ll remember when FWUSA was just a small, struggling start-up trying to do some good for others here in the Upper Valley. Let’s hope it grows!
Dave Celone writes from Sharon, VT where he’s enjoying snow squalls and hoping people reading this will visit the Fair Work USA website and have a look at how this free service can help them either find much-needed work or, conversely, post work for someone local to the Upper Valley to get the job done.