Phoenix Ventures Project

Phoenix Ventures Project is a non-profit organization offering a two-track model of business entrepreneurship and in-demand tech training for Washington, D.C. residents released back into their communities from incarceration. The mission of Phoenix Ventures Project is to create a viable path to economic self-sufficiency for those returning to the community by equipping them with entrepreneurial and emerging technology skills. The audience we initially targeted for our programming were the 765 plus D.C. residents housed in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) who completed their GED diploma. That was a critical piece of our strategy—bringing our program right to a key segment of our targeted population, in prison. Our plan still includes bringing our program to DC residents incarcerated once the BOP is comfortable working with us. Our goal of training is to support job growth, technology investment, and increased productivity. Phoenix Ventures Project instruction will institute a combination of: (1) live classes at a predetermined site instructed by our partners at Coding Dojo; and (2) blending teaching methods (of virtual and traditional forms of teaching online and digitized) to make it easier for our students to learn. A main expectation for the Phoenix Ventures Project is for our students to be able to earn credentialed certifications that promote skills and career development and confirms to employers that our job applicants have the necessary fundamental skills to succeed on the job.