The Community Resource Centre board has been awarded a $163,000 grant from Status of Women Canada for a two-and-a-half year project, Connecting Self-Employed Women for Success.
This grant follows the Progress Plan initiative that examined the concerns and priorities of women on the Sunshine Coast.
“During community consultations for the Progress Plan, many women told us that self- employment was the only employment opportunity for them, but they were often overwhelmed by the isolation they experienced,” said Pat Hunt, co-chair of the Resource Centre board. “Connecting Self-Employed Women for Success will result in a more fertile environment for self-employed women to successfully contribute to the Coast economy.”
To manage this project, the board has hired Cheryl McNicol, an experienced entrepreneur who has helped hundreds of people to start and grow businesses through her business training and coaching practice.
“Our goal is to create real long-term change for self-employed women and business owners,” McNicol said. “We want to make it easier for women to find and use existing programs and services to either start new businesses or expand their revenues. And we’re looking for champions who will help us create systemic change that improves women’s leadership roles in the Sunshine Coast economy.”
A wide range of community partners are represented on the advisory committee that will guide this project, including representatives from the Sunshine Coast Credit Union, School District No. 46, the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society, Community Futures and the Open Door Group (Work BC). The project will wrap up in October 2017.
More information is available at resourcecentre.ca or from Cheryl McNicol at connectingwomen@resourcecentre.ca
