Winter 2013 newsletter final
-
Upload
nottingham-womens-centre -
Category
Documents
-
view
219 -
download
3
description
Transcript of Winter 2013 newsletter final
Nottingham Women’s Centre has received over £260,000 from the Big Lottery Fund for its innovative project to help around 650 women
improve their mental health and well-being through a counseling and
empowerment scheme. The project called RENEW which stands for
“Re-energised, Empowered and Networked Women” is the first of its kind in Nottingham which combines the therapeutic benefits of
empowerment with one to one counseling in a women-only
space. RENEW provides the opportunity to access one to one
support and attend empowerment sessions.
A trained psychotherapist will introduce women to non-medical
therapeutic techniques in a group setting and encourage the women to
build empowering relationships to increase confidence, self-esteem
and psychological wellbeing. Creative therapy sessions will be offered
including singing, drawing, creative writing and healthy cooking.
To find out more about our exciting plans for RENEW, come along to
our course information day and speak to Emma or Linda.
I :
Mel’s Corner 2
Nottingham Wom-
en’s Conference
NCVS Skillsbank
3
Wolan – Breaking the silence!
4
Fundraising update 5
New Garden Project
6
Daycare Staff Spotlight
7
Christmas wishes Soup kitchen
8
Exciting launch of RENEW!
Find out about our courses and activities at our next
Course Information Day: Tuesday 10th December
10am — 2pm
It’s at this time of year that we look back on a year’s worth of achievements and begin to consider the
challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of us.
2013 was a big year for Nottingham Women’s Centre in many ways. We were successful in applying to two
large funders – the Heritage Lottery and the Big
Lottery – allowing us to launch two completely new
projects at the Centre.
The first, WoLAN (Women’s Liberation in Nottingham and After) is a one year project and now
over half-way through. Through WoLAN we’ve connected with a whole new generation of volunteers
(101 volunteers at the time of writing this, most of
whom are under 30) and reconnected with
inspirational women from our past. I cannot wait to
see the final exhibition from the project in March next
year.
The second project, RENEW (Re-energised,
Empowered and Networked Women) is only just
beginning. This new mental health project will increase
the support we can offer women with common mental
health issues such as depression and anxiety. This type
of project has never been needed more than it is now
– with the 'squeeze' that austerity puts on people's
Page 2
Our AGM is on
5th December,
5.30pm—7pm.
Please join us!
finances (particularly women’s) contributing to a sharp rise in the number of people affected by
mental health issues
In addition to 2013 being a year of growth for us,
we also continued to deliver our core services
and as we look ahead to 2014, we hope to again
maintain a steady ship. One of the key challenges
ahead for us is the transition of Probation ser-
vices from the public sector to the private sector
next year. We have worked with Probation for
nearly 4 years, delivering the CHANGES project
to women offenders. The impact of the proposed
reorganisation is very much unknown at the mo-
ment but we are confident in what we can bring
to the table and will be fighting hard to maintain
this successful service.
All in all, if this was an end of year school report
I think we’d probably be well on track for an ‘A’ grade this year. With that in mind, I want to end
this update by saying a huge thank you to all of
the staff, volunteers and trustees of the Centre,
each of whom has played their part in making this
such a successful year.
Mel’s Corner
Page 3
NC S S !
Pragna Patel, Director of
Southall Black Sisters
There were workshops,
information from local and
national campaigns and a
campaigning space for
women to network about
their own campaigns and
ideas.
It was a really successful event, and one NWC are
very proud to have sponsored and been involved
with. A big thanks goes to Nottingham Feminist
Action Network (NFAN) and everyone involved
for a great conference and a fabulous month of
feminist activity. Here is what some attendees had
to say:
‘ Ex c ep t i o n a l l y p owe r f u l a nd mov i n g ’ ‘I am going to call myself a feminist for the first time!’ ‘Inspired to start a new project off the back of this
event!’
Nottingham Women’s Conference was held on 21st
September. It took place at the Indian Community
Centre in Nottingham, and was packed out by 163
women, all eager to discuss, share and listen to a
wide range of feminist issues. There were also over
40 fringe events in the weeks surrounding the
conference, raising the profile of prominent issues
for women.
The event was
chaired by Finn
MacKay, the founder
of the London
Feminist Network
but featured a huge
range of speakers like
Julia Long, a feminist
academic and campaigner,
Chris Herries, first female
Chair of Co-operatives UK and
Nottingham Women’s Conference and Fringe
Festival
On 7th November, Nottingham Community and
Voluntary Service launched their exciting new
project: Nottingham Skillsbank. The project’s motto captures its objective in one phrase:
‘Bitesized Volunteering for busy people’. It aims to place skilled individuals with the desire to vol-
unteer in to voluntary organisations that need
them. This provides local voluntary groups with a
new wealth of knowledge and experience to
draw upon, which otherwise might not be availa-
ble to them.
It has come about after a successful pilot scheme,
run with the University of Nottingham in 2012. It
aims to improve the quality of volunteering and en-
courage skilled professionals to engage with their
loca l communi ty — great for us !
It’s a brilliant project in that it is entirely flexible, useful and builds good relations with local people.
Nottingham CVS has over 40 years experience in
the voluntary sector so they are excellently in-
formed about local voluntary services and skilled
people in Nottingham. Who knows what this could
mean for volunteering at NWC? Watch this space!
Page 4
This week women took to the streets of Notting-
ham and reclaimed the night. Meanwhile Notting-
ham Women’s Centre history project has been re-claiming history, reclaiming women’s voices and hearing loud and clear stories of women making
history in Nottingham.
Zaimal one of the main organisers of the Reclaim
the Night march speaks out about the ‘silences that we face’ as one of the forms of violence that we experience both locally and globally. Silencing is a
major tool to keep imbalanced power structures
firmly in their place and women’s lives restricted. In Women Now a 1970s publication by the Nottingham
Women’s Liberation Group, an article called ‘Know Thy Place’ talks of silencing as one of the barriers women can face the normalising of the version of a
world where the people are kept down to allow
other’s privilege to be kept intact.
Silencing is necessary for abuse of power to contin-
ue from the lies and deceit and of victim blaming to
trying to crush the power of an unbreakable spirit
such as 24 year old Nadezhda Tolokonnikova the
punk-singer and activist who spoke out in song
against Russian human rights violations. Amnesty
international reports as I write that Nadia is still
missing. Days ago she disappeared on her way to a
Siberian prison camp being punished for refusing to
be silenced on appalling prison conditions.
This week Val Lunn, Director of Women’s Aid spoke out about the history in women’s struggle for liberation an idea which goes beyond equality
change to the ideal of women being free to be true
to their selves and their dreams. In her Reclaim the
Night speech Val points out that ‘change has never been offered or given to us...change has happened
because we have demanded it and fought for it’.
Breaking the Silence —
WoLAN Shouts it Out!
Half-way through the WoLAN project we have
now gathered over twenty stories of people who in
their own way made stones for bridges of liberty
under which flow rivers of hope from which we can
drink and be refreshed. Artists, writers, activists,
cooks, gardeners, musicians, radical bookshop
workers, scholars, psychologists, counsellors and
one Lord Mayor joined voices so far.
We now have 101 volunteers signed to the project
there is room for you too! Come and help prepare
for our exhibition which at Angel Row gallery
throughout March where we can sing the praises of
these everyday heroines and join them in making
history through film, art work, interviews and song.
Or come and join us and find your voice writing or
singing at these WoLAN Events:
Writing for Healing: 25 November, 6.00pm-
7.30pm at Nottingham Women’s Centre. Just come along on the night.
Sing it! December date TBA. Look out for posters
in the centre.
We want to hear your voice: contact
ring 0115 941 1475.
Page 5
December is almost upon us and it is always a
great time to take stock - it has been a very
busy few months for the fundraising and
marketing team at Nottingham Women’s Centre – apart from RENEW and the 2014
Year of Adventure Initiative, we have had
some new and exciting projects that we have
been spreading the word about and others that
we need to find funding for within the new
climate of “partnership and collaboration”.
One of such projects is our library project -
(LIB-erate) which is now looking positive with
respect to funding- we have had to put this on
hold in the past due to a shortfall in funding.
Thankfully, one of our corporate partners has
recently offered a generous £9000 match
funding with the condition that we find the rest
of the funding - the entire project costs
£27,000.
If you know of anyone that can help, please do
ge t i n touch w i th Olumide a t
or call 0115 941 1475. We would also be happy
to hear from you if you would like to support
the work we do with a fundraising initiative of
your own in aid of Nottingham Women’s Centre.
Our 2014 Year of Adventure project is
progressing brilliantly. We have added Zorbing and
Skydiving to our suite of challenge events – thanks
to everyone who have signed up to be part of the
project so far. If you would like more info or need
a fundraising pack, kindly email Steph at
[email protected]. Our
focus really is to challenge and empower women
and most importantly to have FUN whilst raising
money for a great cause – so we have kept costs
and time commitment to a minimum to ensure
that no woman is excluded and yes, Nottingham
Women’s Centre staff and some of our partners will be taking on the challenge too! We know that
there is strength in numbers, so we are counting
on as many women as possible to sign up to help
us achieve this amazing feat. If you are one of
those who thinks firewalking is too mild, then
Zorbing and Skydiving might just be for you.
Adrenaline, fun, inspiration, friendship and a
sense of achievement – all that we need to
usher in 2014!
FUNspiring ways to support the women's centre
Finally, we are always on the look-out for skilled
fundraising/marketing volunteers – so either get in
touch directly or via the new NCVS Skillsbank at
http://www.nottinghamcvs.co.uk/volunteering/
skillsbank
Peace,
NWC’s Fundraising and Marketing Team
Helping women achieve
It is time for the Nottingham Wom-en’s Centre garden to end its sleepy way of life and finally once again let the
women at the Centre benefit from it. For the next year the Nottingham Women’s Centre Garden Initiative has made it its mission to let the garden become a place to meet other women from the centre, or even get some alone time, a place to get some fresh air and sun, enjoy a tea with fresh herbs from the garden or a nice treat made with vegetables or fruits from the Centre’s garden. So, where is this mysterious place? You can see the garden’s treetops from the café and maybe next time you are looking outside the window, you might take a trip down there?! Although the project is still in its infancy, it has al-ready come a long way. The project is supported by “Treedom Forestry”, an organization for forest education & wellbeing experiences for children and adults and led by one of our volunteers. And since the beginning of November it is also funded by the
Page 6
In August we held an away day for our staff and volunteers to review our work and plan for the year ahead. We also did an exercise to look at our core values as an organisation and all came up with some similar things – our emphasis on empower-ment, our ‘family’ environment and the flexibility we show in the way we work to try to accommodate different needs. Do you agree?
Let us know.
Nottingham Women’s Centre: Garden Initiative
Major Oak Fund, through
Nottingham Community
Foundation.
With all this support it is
finally time to get started!
We certainly do not get
put off by the winter fiercely approaching. Before
the first frost strikes Nottingham the bulbs for the
spring bloomers have to be hidden. What is more
inviting than to start the gardening season and be
greeted by a sea of tulips? We also have to decide
what exactly we want to plant as well as where and
when, so that by the first sunbeam we can start the
garden’s transformation.
Why not JOIN US?! We are still looking for volun-teers who enjoy working in the garden, or who have their own allotment and would like to share their knowledge with us, or who just want to try it out and experience the benefits of working outside Contact [email protected] for more information.
The daycare has been busier than ever with lots of
children and lots of activities to keep them happy!
We’ve been enjoying the last bit of sunshine in the garden and are very excited about the Sensory
Garden Project which should make the garden even
more fun for the kids. We’ve also had some new equipment and soft play donated by the City
Council which the children really love.
We would also like to welcome Charlotte to our
team. She is currently a NVQ2 and working
towards her Level 3. Welcome to the team,
Charlotte!
We are now looking forward to Christmas which
we’ll be celebrating with a party – dates to follow.
Please note
that the
daycare will
be closed for
Christmas
from 20th
December to
6th January.
Update from the Daycare!
Staff Spotlight: Steph
I’ve been an intern here at NWC since late Sep-tember working with Olumide. As I only come in
for one day a week, it’s an interesting but brief snap shot in to the work the centre does for women in
Nottingham. As someone who had no idea this
bustling place even existed, it’s enlightening and ac-tually really refreshing to experience. The centre is
such a warm and welcoming place to work and vis-
it. As an English student at the University of Not-
tingham, I’m very involved with voluntary support services for Students in the city, so it’s really nice to be involved in a different organisation that pro-
vides valuable and much-needed support to another
area.
A big part of my role so far has been helping to or-
ganise the ‘2014 Year of Adventure’. It’s really exciting! I love the fact that it’s not just about fundraising but about empowering women to do
really challenging things at the same time. A little bit
of shameless plugging: You should all sign up! I love
working in the office
because it satisfies my
need to be super busy
and crazily organised!
I’m a huge fan of ‘to do’ lists!
I’m originally from Oxford but I’m in my last year of university
now. Hopefully, London awaits on the horizon after
graduation! I have two very cute, very chubby West
highland terriers who are the loves of my life.
They’re a mischievous twosome! I love nothing more than snuggling up with a cup of tea and an
episode of Jonathan Creek! I’m a compulsive clean-er so everything in my house has to be immaculate
and ordered at all times, even my wardrobe. Col-
our coordination is the key!
Page 7
N - ’ C ?
Pop in to the centre & fill an application form, email
[email protected] or visit
our website at www.nottinghamwomenscentre.com
Contact:
30 Chaucer Street
Nottingham
NG1 5LP
Tel: 0115 941 1475
Have a contribution for the next newsletter?
Do you have a story, news to share, a recipe or health tip?
Submit your ideas and / or contributions to:
Here at Nottingham Women’s Centre, we’d like to wish you all a very merry Christmas, and a happy new year! Christmas is an exciting
time for everyone, and at this special time of year we would like to
thank all our hard-working volunteers who contribute so much of
their time and enthusiasm to making the centre the place that it is!
It’s been a big year for us, and who knows what the next year will bring for NWC?
Christmas Eve Soup Kitchen
Christmas at NWC!
Just because the year is drawing to an end, doesn’t mean the centre is slowing down! This Christmas Eve, we’re running a soup kitchen! All are welcome to attend, and
volunteers to help run the kitchen would be very wel-
come. This is a was a very popular and heart-warming
event last year so we are very pleased to be able to bring
in back. Come along to enjoy tasty food, warm beverages,
cake and (most importantly of all) presents for children!!
The soup kitchen will be open on Christmas Eve between
10am-3pm for anyone who wants to pop in and enjoy the
festive atmosphere!
We will be closed during the following
periods over Christmas:
Wednesday 25th December -
Wednesday 1st January
We will be back open on Thursday 2nd
January.
Newsletter edited by Steph Lockwood