Welcome, coaches!
2026
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ABOUT
Women Initiating New Directions is a nonprofit organization that supports system-impacted women re-entering their communities and the workforce. WIND courses place women on a journey to success and self-discovery.
WIND offers several types of courses:
In-Person Learning: At transition homes and other sites for women throughout Chicago and its suburbs
Remote Learning: At Cook County Jail for The Cook County Department of Corrections (CCDOC)
Bridge Program: Facilitation and leadership training for system-impacted women
Community-based workshops and events at various partner organizations in and around Chicago
FEEDBACK COACHING
WIND partners with different facilitators and coaches to mentor system-impacted women along their journey. This site focuses on remote coaching of women at CCDOC who participate in WIND courses.
What is the role of a feedback coach in a remote learning setting?
To act as coaches and guides to the women we serve and to provide a support system for them to build confidence to reenter society and the workforce. Each week, feedback coaches review their participant's assignment, and provide them with 'feedback' in the form of a letter.
Feedback coaches include the following:
Volunteers : Industry experts, community members, college students
'Lived Experience Leaders' (LELs) : System-impacted women who are co-facilitators in WIND programming
Coaching Objectives
Focus your energy on how mentees are receiving the lessons; respond to their work in a supportive way
Provide clarity and direction about the assignment, even if it was misinterpreted. Remember: levels of comprehension of assignments will vary. You will want to address what mentees sent, even if it isn't what the assignment was asking for.
Acknowledge where the mentees are and encourage them in a way that doesn't feel intrusive or prying.They will have differing levels of comfort of writing about themselves. Never ask why they are at CCDOC! That is their story to share (or not).
Expect levels of engagement to vary, and offer encouragement. Each person is in a different place in their personal journey. Some will write a lot, others will provide the minimum amount of information that completes the assignment. Share a little about yourself, ask them about their interests, or anything else that they would like to learn more about.
Giving feedback is slightly different from one course to another.
Designing your Future: This program uses design tools and methods to describe the participant's current state and envision potential futures.
Feedback is focused on helping participant thinks introspectively and creatively to identify and achieve short and long term goals.
Assignments: Building your Compass, Recognizing Limiting Beliefs, Engagement Journal, Odyssey Plan, Action Plan.
Writing for Empowerment: This course introduces participants to new writing techniques while helping them reflect on their feelings, heal from the past, find their voice, and tell their stories.
Feedback focuses on helping participants communicate their journey, improve their storytelling skills with the help of writing and imagery, and practice self-reflection.
Typical Assignments: Celebrating Myself; Inspiration from Poetry; Growing with Imagery; Mind-Mapping the Future; Becoming a Mentor; Reflection through Letter-Writing
Writing for Empowerment Coach Training Session
Writing for Empowerment Coach Training Session
Facilitation coaches learning about the WIND Writing for Empowerment session
Our Amazing Group of Lived Experience Leaders
Our Amazing Group of Lived Experience Leaders
WIND's Lived Experience Leaders all together at the Women's Justice Institute!
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