Our program is unique and is designed specifically for the girls at the Omid-e-Mehr center by our founder, social psychologist and psychotherapist, Marjaneh Halati. She looked at how other countries like the UK and the USA dealt with issues of abuse, neglect and poverty in young women and adapted it to create a unique environment for disadvantaged girls in Tehran.

The Omid Foundations believe in creating a warm, secure, and non-judgmental environment in which the young women who come to the center immediately begin to experience what it feels like to have the value of their lives affirmed, and to be treated with respect, dignity, and kindness.

We welcome girls and women who present challenging behavior, knowing it is the product of emotional hurt. The Omid-e-Mehr center is designed to function in a parenting capacity, meeting the emotional and personal development needs of our young women, in addition to their educational needs.

There are three major elements to our work:

1. 1. Self-empowerment

   

   The Omid Foundations' therapeutic services currently include:

   • weekly group therapy, run by a psychotherapist and expert group facilitator
   • weekly personal development workshops on social skills (e.g. decision making, anger management, verbal and behavioral relation to others)
   • weekly individual counselling; and monthly educational workshops on relevant social issues (e.g. AIDS, drug addiction, the law regarding women).

   Through therapeutic intervention and workshops we help them develop individual resilience, self-efficacy, and a sense of future. It is towards the end of this phase that we are able to assess the potential of each of the girls and guide them towards a suitable track for the next phase where they have to select the field of their advanced training or longer term education program.

   Each of the Omid-e-Mehr center's in-house social workers is responsible for six women. The social worker then becomes, in effect, a parental figure, providing guidance and addressing each woman's individual needs.

   In addition, the center offers a variety of recreational activities to facilitate the social readjustment and reintegration of its girls. These activities play an important role in providing different venues in which the women can develop their powers of self-expression. Activities on offer currently include:

   

   • seasonal excursions outside Tehran (many of our women have never set foot outside the city)
   • guided visits to museums and the cinema
   • film discussion groups
   • classes in drama
   • creative writing
   • mysticism (Erfan)
   • drawing
   • photography.

2. 2. Education

   Education helps the girls to take advantage of opportunities that could benefit them and their families, preparing them for entry into the labour force, and helping them to understand their legal and reproductive rights. An important part of that education is an increased awareness and understanding of human rights, in both a national and international context.

   The cornerstones of the educational program are the basic training in:

   • information technology ('IT')
   • English language
   • word processing
   • accounting

   Attendance at these core classes is compulsory for the first year. This is followed by a formal assessment to decide upon the most appropriate further training for the individual.

   

   The focus of the IT training is on acquiring the International Computer Driving Licence (the ICDL, the international version of the ECDL European Computer Driving Licence), an internationally recognised, standardised qualification in computing skills; and on enhancing the employment prospects of the girls by developing their computer skills to advanced levels.

   English language training comprises instruction, training and practice in English, using the Cambridge 'New Interchange' course, with development to the level of the Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE), or IELTS equivalent. 'New Interchange' is one of the world's most successful English courses for adult and young adult learners at the beginner to intermediate levels. The students are regularly examined by external examiners and, upon successful completion of their exams, are awarded appropriate certificates.

3. 3. Vocational Training

   

   At the end of the first phase, each girl has the opportunity to select a more advanced vocational or professional training program. For advanced training for white collar professions such as IT, accounting, secretarial, or architectural drafting, the girls can enrol in courses offered at selected institutions.

   Preparations for trade careers such as a seamstress or beautician involve both on the job training and enrolment in courses at specialised trade schools. The young women are also encouraged to sit for university entrance examinations to continue their academic studies at a higher level. Depending on the path chosen, this phase can take from six months to several years.

   We also provide an important and necessary placement service, providing access to information, resources and advice that enables the girls to make informed choices about how best to make use of their skills and training. The objective is to enable them to find gainful employment, and to engage actively, positively and independently in modern Iranian society. This service is provided by professional advisers and social workers, who offer counsel and assistance in finding employment. Upon job placement, each of the young women is monitored for a minimum of six months, to ensure full integration into the new work environment and social structure. An important part of job placement and monitoring is employer feedback. This involves the employers in what we are doing, helping us to improve the quality and effectiveness of our training, and raising awareness of our activities.