Coaching, mentorship and extensive education await women who sign up for the Bridges for Women Society鈥檚 Self-Employment Program.
The program is an entrepreneurial-skills training program offered to women who are survivors of abuse in the Greater Victoria area and is funded this year by the Victoria Foundation.
The aim of Bridges for Women Society is to help women identify and overcome the impact of violence, abuse and trauma.
Many transition into the workplace successfully, but some want to create their own businesses, which this program addresses.
鈥淲e are talking about women who have come to us with business ideas,鈥� said Victoria Pruden, executive director of the society.
鈥淭hey come to us with the aptitude and drive, and we then help grow those personal skills and provide them with the entrepreneurial skills to develop and operate an economically viable small business.鈥�
The society partners with Community Micro Lending and the Canadian Women鈥檚 Foundation to host the program.
The goal is to nurture local community economic development by elevating women from poverty 鈥� or near poverty 鈥� to successful, sustainable self-employment.
鈥淓very woman that graduates from the program does so with a business plan, a marketing plan and all the necessary skills to break barriers and end the cycle of violence,鈥� said Pruden, who has been involved with the community agency since 2000.
鈥淲e have guests who love to mentor, and all our programs are free because we didn鈥檛 want cost to be a barrier.鈥�
Bridges for Women Society celebrates 30 years providing services and counselling for area women in 2018. Last year, the society made a difference for more than 700 women in the Greater Victoria region.
It offers counselling and programs for all women, especially immigrant, senior, LGBTQ, M茅tis and Indigenous women living on and off reserve.
The society鈥檚 next event is a luncheon to network, listen to speakers and celebrate International Women鈥檚 Day, March 8 at the Union Club of sa国际传媒
For more information on the self-employment and other programs, go to bridgesforwomen.ca
