Gifted Women (UK)

it's not often you get days like this, but... Man! when you get day like this it really counts. It is an absolute honour to part of the Gifted Women (UK) team:

Two very different Christmas cards from two very different charities that I'm proud to work for and with. Blesma, The Limbless Veterans; a well-established, much-loved veteran of the military charity world supporting "serving and ex-Service men and women who have suffered life-changing limbloss or the use of a limb, an eye or sight its Members to live independent and fulfilling lives". Gifted Women (UK); a relatively new organisation founded by the amazing Jenny Adjene "unlocking doors to employment for women overcoming multiple disadvantage". Whilst the Christmas cards might be quite different, the goal of both charities is fundamentally the same - to support those in need and help them get back on track with their lives after traumatic events. Both do inspirational work and both have hard-working teams of people making it all happen. At the end of my first full calendar year working in Trusts and Foundations it's a joy going back over everything we've achieved and I'm looking forward to seeing what 2025 has got in store for both!

Thanks to this amazing team and especially to Mutley Baptist Church for cooking up a delicious Christmas dinner for women at Gifted Women (UK). Liliane Uwimana Joanitha Ntangeki, PhD, Victoria, Lily and my mum stepped in at the last minute to help and saved us from having to cancel. So glad it could go ahead as we had a wonderful time. Slightly competitive (!) round of ‘the hat game’, invented by one of our original gifted women, Helen. The game was once banned from gifted women due to being too endangering, but we brought it back today (Christmas hat edition 🎅) with no injuries and lots of laughs 😅 phew! Forgot to take any more photos but memories are better anyway… 🎄 Merry Christmas 🎄

At the end of the year, what are women at Gifted Women (UK) proud of themselves for? Swipe to read ➡️ #belonginplymouth .#Plymouth #womensupportingwomen #employability

They do end of year reviews differently in the Charity Sector or at least they do at Gifted Women (UK) I’ve had 26 years worth of performance reviews, this Christmas card (complete with poem) is by far my favourite because it’s the first time I’ve felt truly seen and understood. Getting to be who I really am and do what I truly believe in is the whole reason I took a leap of faith last year, giving up the corporate salary, benefits, pension and the company car. It’s a privilege that cannot be bought! You only live once right? Wrong. You only die once. You live every day. Don’t count the days, make the days count. Live with purpose and intention. #careerchange #alignyourvalues #liveyourpurpose

POWER ⚡️ THIS is just some of what restoring power looked like at Gifted Women (UK) in 2024 Women stepped into paid employment for the first time, and the first time in a long time. Women (46 of them to be precise!) acquired brand new laptops so that they can navigate their employability journey independently at home as well as in our setting. Some women got their provisional driving licence and have booked driving lessons. One woman, in paid work for over a year, got her dream car. Some moved into stable, safe accommodation. Women showed up, on the good days and the bad days. Some women used public transport for the first time and continue to do so. Many women made friends and found a sense of sisterhood which will sustain long beyond their time at Gifted Women. Some women turned down job offers that weren’t quite right, with full understanding of their needs and aspirations. Some women shared their stories, giving power and hope to others. Women sang and danced together. Women laughed until their sides hurt. Over 40 women opted in to receive period pants, helping to break out of period poverty. (thank you Plymouth Soroptomists) So many women stepped out into other projects, courses, colleges, community groups, support circles and their world got a bit bigger. 22 Women got to choose new clothes they felt good in. 6 women gained photo ID which they’ll need for employment. Owing to the messy, tangled and complex journey this is, some women fell back into using substances or ended up homeless again. To these women, we stand with you and we are here when the time comes to go again. 💖 We celebrate all steps women have taken - big, small and everything in between. It’s our huge privilege to be alongside in this journey. I personally celebrate and am grateful for our amazing colleagues Lucy Linn, Kellie Withers Emily Quick and Sam who are the agents of this change. Thank you for all you do 🙏🏼

This is why we do what we do. 💖 Helping women rebuild their lives, regain confidence, and step into brighter futures. We are proud to report that the amazing woman who wrote this has now been in paid work for over 6 months. #Empowerment #GiftedWomen #freshstart #Plymouth

What an Amazing Achievement! 💜 We’re over the moon to share that the The Women Awards charity of the year campaign raised an incredible £8,485 for Gifted Women! 🎉 This money is going straight to helping women rebuild their lives through the power of employment. The generosity of the attendees at the Awards gala dinner last week was truly unbelievable! A special thank you to Raina and Annie for bravely stepping up to share their own stories of overcoming adversity. You showed everyone the true impact of what we do, and we felt immensely proud to be part your journey. And to the fabulous awards team; Tess, Alexis, Chris, and everyone involved - thank you for your amazing support throughout this year. Your support has made such a difference for the women we exist for, and we’re so grateful! Here’s to more women rising, rebuilding, and thriving. 🌟 #Grateful #GiftedWomen #WomenSupportingWomen #WestCountryWomenAwards

What an Amazing Achievement! 💜 We’re over the moon to share that the The Women Awards charity of the year campaign raised an incredible £8,485 for Gifted Women! 🎉 This money is going straight to helping women rebuild their lives through the power of employment. The generosity of the attendees at the Awards gala dinner last week was truly unbelievable! A special thank you to Raina and Annie for bravely stepping up to share their own stories of overcoming adversity. You showed everyone the true impact of what we do, and we felt immensely proud to be part your journey. And to the fabulous awards team; Tess, Alexis, Chris, and everyone involved - thank you for your amazing support throughout this year. Your support has made such a difference for the women we exist for, and we’re so grateful! Here’s to more women rising, rebuilding, and thriving. 🌟 #Grateful #GiftedWomen #WomenSupportingWomen #WestCountryWomenAwards

We finished the week at Gifted Women (UK) with a visit to City College Plymouth with Stephanie Angeles and Lee McQueen with a group of women. This was such a valuable experience for our women to get a feel of what the environment would be like as an adult learner and hear about the courses and wide range of support the college provides for their learners. We got to hear about the new adult learner website, working for the college, being a learner, projects going on and Maths and English.