Fleurish is a non-profit social enterprise floral studio that facilitates the Fresh Start Internship Program. Fresh Start supports and empowers women facing barriers by providing the opportunity to participate in a 12 week to year long paid internship program that focuses on confidence-building, community, and building employable skills. We partner with local Career Support Organizations to connect with women of varying ages, alongside local high school and colleges, to offer credited learning programs. Our program strives to provide a supportive and therapeutic work place in which women can learn, grow and flourish.
Utilizing our floral shop, we offer hands-on learning experiences that teach a variety of skills structured into modules. The modules cover hard and soft skills transferable to a variety of careers, including customer service, communication, administration, simple finances, leadership and design. An intern’s experience is tailored to support them best, and is personalized to help prepare them for what comes after Fleurish. This includes activities pertaining to a variety of learning styles and needs, personalized accommodations and one-on-one support. As a transitional work experience, Fresh Start’s aim is to be a bridge to each intern’s future, and so time to build a resume, practice interview skills and research employment or education opportunities is built into our program. We recognize the importance of allowing each individual time for self-reflection as well as goal-setting, and take time each week to do this together as a team. Confidence building and community support are also integral aspects of our program and integrated into our daily activities.
An integral part of our program is assisting our interns in bypassing barriers that may have, in the past, withheld them from pursuing meaningful employment. This is accomplished by providing and connecting each intern with supportive services to help them work through these barriers. We are continuing to grow our partnership with local organizations to increase the resources we provide our interns. These resources include Food Bank packages provided to each intern and made accessible at our shop, mental health support, transportation access, confidence building, employment connections, pregnancy centres and additional certifications. One of our main objectives is to create a safe and welcoming environment at Fleurish. We want each person working here to feel encouraged, empowered and respected.
