Women Moving Forward takes place over 10 months, and is divided into two distinct phases.  Each phase is designed to educate and support women in taking the steps needed to set and achieve personal and professional goals.  Staff in each phase work with the women in a group setting, helping them to create a comprehensive career plan and to develop the skills needed to put it into effect. 

Phase I: Self Assessment and Goal Setting (5 months)

Phase I focuses on cultivating a sense of self, personal interests and professional aspirations through a series of classes including life skills, career planning, citizen participation, counseling and literacy. Upon completion of Phase I, participants have the following:

• 2-3 careers of interest
• Information about college, university and training opportunities related to their career interests
• Increased literacy skills
• Increased civic responsibility, including the ability to advocate for themselves and their children
• An understanding of the government systems in which they are involved (education, welfare, childcare etc.) and how to navigate them
  
• Enhanced life skills
  

Phase II: Professional Development and Training (5 months)

Phase II focuses on helping women identify themselves as aspiring young professionals. As such, women are expected to use the skills and information they gained in Phase I to navigate their way through the next step in their journey. Phase II is broken down into two different components:  Planning and Pursuing. 

Planning

During the first six weeks of Phase II, women are given the WMF Menu of Options that will help them move closer to achieving their career goals. From this menu, women are required to choose a minimum of 2 options that are related to their career path. Options range from academic upgrading to a volunteer placement in their field of interest.  Women who plan to attend post-secondary education are also given the option to attend the Women’s Studies Bridging Program at York University. By the end of the six weeks, women are required to submit a Professional Develop Plan (PDP) to the Program Worker. This plan helps them to create their calendars for the Pursuing portion of Phase II.

Pursuing

The remainder of Phase II focuses on preparing women to transition out of the program and on to the next step of their career plan. Women design their personal calendars based on their research in Planning, and work independently to complete their goals.  Women continue to receive support from the Phase II Program Worker.  For women who plan to attend post-secondary education, WMF offers a series of “University 101” workshops, which include workshops on the student loan system, childcare services while on OSAP, scholarships and bursaries, campus tours and more. For women who choose to pursue another career path, WMF helps them access any information they need to be successful in achieving their goals.

Upon completion of Phase Two, participants will have started working on many of the following:

• Completing upgrading (including the completion of high school credits for their diploma)
• Applying to college/university or registering for a training program
  
• Gaining experience in their career field(s) of interest and contacts in the sector
• Gaining experience in a college or university setting through various academic bridging programs (including York University’s Women’s Studies Bridging program)

• Formulating a life plan for the next 2-3 years that includes plans for family, school and work
• Formulating a plan on how to finance their education (bursaries, student loans, etc.)
• Gaining first-hand experience through exploring various school campuses and meeting school administration

WMF pays for/subsidizes the cost of academic upgrading and fully covers the cost of the Women’s Studies Bridging program at York University.  WMF also pays for all post-secondary applications, however does not cover the cost of tuition. 

Upon completing Phase II, WMF celebrates each group's successes with a graduation ceremony.  Women are able to share their accomplishments with family, friends and members of the community.

Follow up and Support

Over the next two to four years, WMF continues to offer support to women as they pursue their career goals. WMF assists women with the paperwork to transition from Ontario Works to OSAP, helps women prepare for their first day of school and remains as a resource for women in the event that they encounter difficulties while managing their new responsibilities. In addition, WMF provides individual support as needed, and schedules planned group activities for graduates to come together and share their success stories.

Over the course of the next four years, women will have achieved some or all of the following:

• A college/university diploma/degree or near completion of academic studies
• The ability to better support their children’s education
• Increased knowledge of institutions, systems and how they work and how to navigate them without staff support
• A full-time job in their career field of interest
  
• Great self-confidence!