Common Purse is a WHER-incubated livelihood initiative designed to support LBQ women and GNC persons to participate in a structured, collective income-generating enterprise.
The pilot will engage five LBQ women and GNC persons as Worker-Partners. Worker-Partners are participants who will actively contribute to the day-to-day running and growth of the enterprise while receiving structured support from WHER. You do not need to already own a business, have an existing business idea, or have previous experience running an enterprise to apply.
Worker-Partners will be trained, mentored and accompanied throughout the pilot, with financial support provided to enable their participation in the enterprise. They will learn practical enterprise and livelihood skills, take on agreed responsibilities within the business, work collectively with other Worker-Partners, and earn income from their participation in the enterprise. The programme will also provide an opportunity for participants to help shape a model that could, over time, create pathways towards greater shared ownership and economic independence.
The specific enterprise will not be predetermined. WHER will select the enterprise after a feasibility assessment that considers market demand, start-up and operating costs, participant capacities and interests, sustainability, profitability, and the safety of the participants. This approach allows the enterprise to be built around a realistic opportunity rather than asking participants to arrive with a business idea that may not be viable.
Common Purse is therefore looking for people who are willing to learn, work collectively, take responsibility, follow agreed systems, contribute to the running of an enterprise, and build something that can last.
If selected, you will not be expected to figure everything out on your own. WHER will provide the training, accompaniment and financial support needed to help Worker-Partners participate meaningfully in the enterprise and work towards generating sustainable income together.