Fresh Start Women's Foundation

Entrepreneur Services aims to provide education-based preparation to current and future business owners through workshops, events, and programs designed to assist in the starting and growing of small businesses. DreamBuilder, in collaboration with Thunderbird School of Global Management and Freeport-McMoran, is a free, online business skills and certification course that assists women in the development of foundational business plans. The Small Business Start-Up Certificate of Completion, in collaboration with Paradise Valley Community College, is a 13-credit, six course, accelerated, hybrid program that prepares women to write and present a strong business plan.

Navigating the court system in Arizona can often be a confusing and difficult process to figure out on your own. Fresh Start offers support to help you effectively advocate for yourself and prepare for family court. We offer group legal information sessions, special topic classes and document preparation services by a Certified Legal Document Preparer (CLDP).

Fresh Start offers workshops six days a week, which support life-long learning and networking opportunities for women. Clients typically begin with the “Getting Started” classes: Orientation, Next Steps and Intro to Programs. Subsequent workshop categories and topics include Support and Empowerment Groups, Personal Development, Career and Education, Computer and Financial Literacy, Family Law, and Family and Parenting.

The social work team is responsible for providing clients with personalized, one‐on‐one support as they work to make changes in their lives. The social workers assist clients with prioritizing their current needs and connecting them to both Fresh Start & community resources to help meet those needs. Beyond immediate needs, clients also receive guidance in identifying growth opportunities, setting goals and creating action plans to keep them moving in the right direction for their stated goals. In addition to one‐on‐one support, the social work team manages and facilitates many support groups and workshops at Fresh Start.

Fresh Start Career and Education services are designed to help women gain valuable experience so they have the advantages they need for a successful career. We offer a variety of services to ensure we provide a well-rounded support for job seekers:
· The Arizona Career Readiness Credential (ACRC) is a credential that shows employers that you possess the soft skills and knowledge for the job. This credential is being introduced to employers and job seekers across the state of Arizona and will add value to your job search.
· The Career Boot Camp serves to support the client’s career readiness in a particular field. The goal from the Career Boot Camp is to assess where the client is to precisely help grow their professional development and career readiness
· Classes, workshops, career coaching, job training programs, scholarships, and more

The Mentoring Program at Fresh Start provides women with the opportunity to receive long-standing and committed support from professional women and fellow peers in both one-on-one and group support environments. Throughout the Mentoring Program, women are empowered to identify, work through, and achieve their personal and professional goals. Quarterly networking events further encourage program participants to expand their community of support by fostering supportive connections with other Mentors and Mentees, building valuable networking skills, and increasing their confidence. Additionally, all Fresh Start clients are invited to attend the monthly Mentoring Support Workshop Series to learn about the professional development topics included in the Mentoring Program in a group mentoring support setting. Professional members of the community facilitate each session and focus on Professionalism, Communication, and Leadership topics.

The Computer Literacy Program serves to teach women the computer skills necessary to secure employment and advance in the workplace as well as to effectively utilize computers to support their business and personal goals. Beyond teaching the functional “how-to’s” of using a computer, alleviating participant fears and increasing each person’s confidence in their ability to learn new skills are crucial program objectives.

In 2021, Fresh Start introduced a new evidence-informed and science-based program model to add structure and continuity to a woman’s journey to self-sufficiency. The Fresh Start Impact Program is based on the nationally-recognized Mobility Mentoring model, developed by the Boston-based organization, Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath).

The model employs a “Bridge to Self-Sufficiency,” with four aspects of participants’ lives forming the supporting pillars of the bridge:
• Family Stability (Family, Housing)
• Well-being (Physical, Mental, Social)
• Financial Management
• Education
• Career

Through the FSIP, Fresh Start’s skilled Social Work team walk new participants one-on-one through an assessment process, helping them determine which pillars are most important to improving their self-sufficiency. Next, our Social Workers coach the participants through structured goal-setting activities. Then, they connect participants with Fresh Start and partner services related to the self-identified goals.