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This initiative gives Black and Latina young women in the Phoenix area resources to close the wealth gap, by providing job skills training, wrap around supports, financial literacy workshops, work experiences, as well as access to professional women mentors.
Early work experiences enable youth to gain technical skills, soft skills, and professional networks that lead to prosperous career pathways. Unfortunately, lower-income Black and Latina young women often do not have access to these opportunities, therefore, making it impossible to be on equal footing when entering the workforce. Statistically, this starts them at a disadvantage and creates a significant wealth gap. In Arizona, in comparison to white, non-Hispanic men, Black women make $.64 and Latina women make $.53 for every dollar.
In an effort to advance the economic progress of Black and Latina young women in the Phoenix-metro area, Valley of the Sun United Way has convened a cross-sectional collaboration of organizations from the nonprofit, education, business, and government sectors, to address systemic issues of access and equity. This will be done by working with partners, and those with lived experience, to create and implement innovative solutions. Knowing that systems do not exist in a vacuum, partners will work together to ensure synergy across opportunity systems in order to create intersectional solutions that drive systemic change.
Valley of the Sun United Way, Chicanos Por La Causa, Center for the Future of Arizona, Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation, YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix, Year Up Arizona, and Pipeline AZ will work together to remove barriers on a systemic level and create greater opportunities by establishing pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships, internships, mentoring, and academic opportunities for program participants.
This program wouldn’t be possible without the help of our generous partners and donors.
Donate NowAs a Mentor, you will meet with your Mentee to provide guidance. Mentor time commitment is two hours a month.
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