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C414 – Apprenticeship program female trauma survivors

Registered Name: Myriad Canada Foundation

Business No: 769784893RR0001

C414 – Apprenticeship program female trauma survivors

Philadelphia is one of the poorest major cities in America, with poverty rates exceeding 20% in 2023.

High poverty rates create countless additional obstacles for women starting over. There is a gap in services in Philadelphia for women who have left coercive or abusive situations, and a profound need for these women to be able to support themselves in a trauma-friendly environment.

After leaving an abuser, and as they try to become independent, survivors often return to their abusers because they don't have the means to support themselves. Other factors that prevent a survivor from taking steps to become independent include her workplace being a trigger, her abusers harassing her at work, her work being inconsistent due to co-parenting with her abuser, or her finding it difficult to manage her traumatic reactions and emotional regulation due to the assaults suffered in the workplace.

Goals

Our vision is of a world where no woman has to return to her abuser. Through a specific apprenticeship program based on skills development, trauma-informed support, financial empowerment and community integration, the goal of this project is to help women achieve lasting change and true independence.

Activities

Female trauma survivors engage in a 9-month apprenticeship program where they have the opportunity to work alongside professionals in the event planning industry. In this process, they are able to learn the transferable job skills that come alongside event work, including customer service, project management, vendor relations, planning and organizing, the ability to adjust and work under pressure, and the soft skills of general professionalism that take them into the workplace and beyond.

While following the transitional employment program, participants also continue growing their financial aptitude alongside a financial advisor and continue their healing alongside a licensed therapist in a financial literacy program (12 weeks) and a group therapy program.

Key Performance Indicators to be Reached (KPIs)

  • Employment: 80% of participants demonstrate readiness through key job preparation milestones; and 90% of participants secure employment within six months.
  • Financial Empowerment: 90% of participants improve financial literacy; and 70% of participants report increased income or financial stability within six months post-program.
  • Trauma Informed Support: 100% of participants have access to trauma-informed counseling, peer groups, and community resources within the first month; and 80% of participants report improvements in emotional and mental well-being.