The overarching goal of the SHESTART project was to explore the potential of social and inclusive businesses as a means of including young women either in vulnerable situations or at risk. Specifically, the project aimed to: Facilitate the acquisition of skills among youth workers through peer-to-peer learning. The end result was that the non-profit organization possessed tools and techniques to transition into a social business. Additionally, FEMINDS acquired the ability to integrate social work with women at risk into their existing business model. Support the development of a mindset training program for vulnerable women. This program was focused on fostering encouragement, empowerment, and equipping women either in vulnerable situations or at risk with the necessary tools to overcome their pasts and to become conscious of their values and talents. Furthermore, the objective was to establish achievable goals for the future, enabling them to rise and succeed in new professional domains, thus enhancing their chances of securing employment. This was achieved by leveraging the complementary competencies of the project partners.
We applied for this project because we aimed to provide women at risk with mindset techniques for a personal and professional fresh start. We opted to collaborate with women under 30, residing in precarious circumstances, to aid them in reclaiming self-belief and acknowledging their strengths, ultimately facilitating their societal reintegration. Our objective was to showcase their resilience and extend support in unearthing their passions, values, and objectives, while guiding them on sustaining commitment to these aspirations. We sought to grant them respite from their frequently arduous daily lives and establish a secure environment where they can comfortably engage in open discussions about their goals and aspirations with both trainers and women facing similar life situations.