The two main objectives of the Bridges Employability Program are:

• to provide women survivors of any form of abuse with education, training and other supportive programs which will help them break the abusive cycle; and
• to share information with groups, organizations and the public on the needs of women who have a history of abuse.

Bridges is committed to designing services and programs reflecting:

• a non-judgmental learning environment
• an honouring of the individual learning process
• the application of adult learning and feminist, person-centred principles to counselling and facilitation
• an awareness of boundaries and personal biases.

Bridges for Women was established in Victoria in 1988 as an employment training program for women with a history of abuse. It operated with the help of an Advisory Committee until 1993 when it was officially established as a not-for-profit society under the British Columbia Society Act.

Bridges has earned acclaim both for our approach and for the long-term success of our participants. Because of Bridges’ initiative, there are now 12 Bridging Programs throughout BC. Bridges received one of the first Building a Safer Future Awards in 1999, for contribution and excellence in the prevention of violence against women. Over 800 women from Victoria, Saanich and the Western Communities have completed this program.

Bridges is currently funded by the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance, Provincial Government Employees Community Services Fund, Human Resources Development Canada, individual and corporate donors.

Bridges staff consists of the Executive Director, Administrative Assistant, a number of Facilitators connected to each Employment Program, IT Support and many dedicated volunteers. As much as possible, Bridges strives for a rich diversity in background, knowledge, training, skills and experience on the staff & volunteer team.

Staff share an understanding that the ability of participants to make changes requires both a safe environment and access to opportunities & resources for skill development. This means they bring both personal qualities instrumental in creating safety & trust as well as providing learning opportunities and challenges through facilitation which reflects adult learning, experiential education, feminist & person-centered principles.

The Bridges Board is comprised of a number of women in the community with diverse educational and professional backgrounds. These women contribute their knowledge, expertise and interests to support the ongoing work of Bridges. Common to all Board members is an involvement in women’s issues, a belief in women centered programming, and a shared understanding and support of the philosophy, operating principles and consensus based decision-making structure of Bridges.