#DidYouKnow: Young women in conflict with the law are also victims of abuse? Fact: According to Council of Elizabeth Fry Society of Ontario, 71% of young women reported physical abuse prior to conflict with the law.
#DidYouKnow: Young women account for 2,147 crimes per 100,000 versus the rate of 10,084 among young men in the same age group? These sexist biases also contribute to the higher rate of incarceration of young women as compared to men remanded or charged in similar circumstances.
#DidYouKnow: The inequality of poverty and homelessness is associated with many types of survival activities of youth that are increasingly likely to cause them to be criminalized? Homeless youth, who must rely on selling their own bodies to survive, as well as those who first panhandle, or gather in groups, are at significantly increased risk of being criminalized.
#DidYouKnow: Youth whose parents are marginalized, have disabling mental health issues, and/or are criminalized, have a 62% likelihood of being criminalized or imprisoned themselves?
#DidYouKnow: Most criminalized women have low levels of education, limited employment and economic records, and usually live alone in extremely poor housing conditions?
hEr VOLUTION Think-Tank Accelerator is designed to support and nurture young women in conflict with the law by providing an informative, hands-on and supportive environment during the critical stages of starting new endeavors. Participants will have direct access to hands-on business planning activities such as the forming of a business plan, marketing plan, financial planning and forecasting, coding for the web and public speaking skills.
The goal of this program is to increase the chance that young women in, or at risk of being in conflict with the law, will succeed in their chosen career. This program is also a proven solution helping to increase diversion opportunities, reduce remand populations and stops the cycle of people exiting and re-entering correctional institutions. Think Tank Accelerator is designed to provide social development activities that seek to prevent the circumstances that create risk in the first place. Some of the circumstances are poverty and poor living conditions in addition to lack of role models.
Girls’ achievements and interests are shaped by the environment around them, hence they need the community to play a big role in this project.
As an anti-poverty strategy with a long-term vision, hEr VOLUTION Think Tank Accelerator project will commit to breaking the barriers for young women and providing them with employable skill development as well as opportunities of entering careers which are inspiring, empowering and better alternatives than being incarcerated as adults.
Through hEr VOLUTION Think Tank Accelerator, we are going to invest in young women at risk of being in, or in conflict with the law through employable skill building opportunities. By doing this we will increase economic development through assisting young women with innovative skills necessary to become and stay employed in a relevant industry.
We are excited and hopeful for this program and the opportunities will bring to young women and their communities. If you work with young women described above or you are a young woman interested in this program, please fill out an application form here.
Our promise to you: This program WILL change your life. All YOU have to do is show up!
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