Darrell Marsh received his layoff notice in May of 2008. Like millions of other Americans and Canadians, Marsh’s emotions ran the gamut from anger to depression to mourning. Marsh, however, would not let unemployment define who he is and his website, Balance Force (www.balanceforce.ca) was born.
Marsh’s site, Balance Force went live in November of 2008. It provides resources for the unemployed and is a community to share tips, network, and vent. His site which boasted over 10,000 visitors in its first month of existence serves to expose the face of unemployment and aims at assisting others in learning how to define themselves not by their job or lack of one, but by who they really are and who they choose to be.
Finding Your Balance. . .
Visitors to Balance Force can express their interest and opinions in a number of ways through art, video, photography, and even poetry. I was particularly intrigued by the “Giving Face†Tab. It is here that visitors are encouraged to use social media to educate the public about the face of unemployment in that this face cannot be defined. Unemployment has impacted those in all classes, educational backgrounds, ethnicities, and geographic locations. Balance Force seeks to educate its visitors that they are not alone and through hard work and spirituality they can find their life balance.
