Gifted Women

Today we're at Hamoaze House Community Fun Day until 3pm. There's a bouncy castle, live music, raffle and prizes and a BBQ to enjoy in the sunshine.

Head over and say hello - we'd love to tell you more about Gifted Women!

At Gifted Women we exist to unlock doors to employment for women overcoming multiple disadvantage. This can include homelessness, contact with the criminal justice system, mental ill health, trauma, and substance misuse.

If this resonates with you, and you believe that employment could help you build a better future, we are here to help, even if you don't know where to start or feel unemployable (spoiler alert - you aren't!).

This graphic details some of the things you can expect if you choose to work with Gifted Women.

Would you like to find out more? Drop us an email at [email protected] - or send a message to our page and we will reply ASAP.

We have organised a special event for our community at Gifted Women.

Have you accessed our services or supported us as a lived experience speaker in our groups?

If so, you are warmly invited to join us for a plain speaking guided tour of The Time Is Always Now exhibition at The Box Plymouth, followed by a creative workshop and refreshments.

The Time is Always Now was previously at the National Portrait Gallery in London. This exhibition showcases the work of contemporary artists from the African diaspora and illuminates the richness and complexity of the black identity. The artists showcased are some of the best artists working in the world today.

We have organised a 2.5 hour experience for our group, including a FREE plain-speaking tour of the exhibition followed by a fun creative workshop with refreshments. The date is 11th September - but for more information please contact one of the team at Gifted Women to book your slot as spaces are limited.

This event supports our whole-life approach to employability by expanding our knowledge and depth of experience and perspective.

Thank you to Box for hosting this wonderful exhibition and providing this speacial treat for Gifted Women

"Shame dies when stories are told in safe spaces."

Thank you to Katie, Angie and Amie who joined women on our programme this month to share their powerful stories of how employment provided a strong foundation for healing and recovery.

All three women are an inspiration and continue to offer much support to our work. We are grateful for you all.

Yesterday evening a very special fundraiser event happened in support of us and The West Country Women Awards

A huge thank you to Drake's Island for organising and hosting this one-of-a-kind experience, and to Plymouth Gin, Devonia Water and cook for supporting the event.

The weather wasn’t the best but thankfully didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits!

Julie Howes, one of our Trustees, spoke very powerfully and movingly about the need for the work we do at Gifted Women.

Drake’s Island has a fascinating story and we highly recommend visiting and taking a tour this summer. ⛴️

We are very honoured to be one of the four finalists in the BBC Radio Devon Make.a Difference Awards, where we are being recognised in the 'Community' category for our work supporting women overcoming multiple disadvantage into employment.

A big thank you to the woman from our community who nominated us for this award - you know who you are!

We are looking forward to finding out more in September. 🌟

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0jbymng

Here’s to becoming the people we always wanted to be 🌟

A recent quote from a woman working with Gifted Women.

We always value the opportunity to collaborate with local businesses, and today we want to say thanks to Samantha Jackman, Co-Founder of Innovations Ltd for spending your time offering advice and guidance to one of the women we're working with who's exploring self-employment.

Samantha and the team at Boost, which is based in Calstock, have taken the breast prosthesis industry by storm, revolutionising what it means to feel beautiful and comfortable after a mastectomy.

What an inspiring woman! We appreciate the time, knowledge and guidance you have shared, and your commitment to supporting women..

With riots happening in Plymouth this evening, following across the country, we are deeply concerned by the racist, Islamophobic, and anti-migrant rhetoric and violence we’re seeing. To all affected communities, we want to say that we see you and we value you.

It is unacceptable that people who are Muslim (or perceived to be), Black, Asian or otherwise racially minoritised are living in fear of direct violence, threat or aggression. We stand in solidarity with you and commit to the continuous implementation of anti-racist practice in our spaces at Gifted Women.

We want to offer our support, and champion our fellow small charities who are supporting those locally who may be feeling particularly vulnerable or unsafe at this time:

Hope International
and Devon Racial Equality Council
and Cornwall Refugee Support
Plymouth

There is a helpful directory of support for ethnic minority communities in Devon here:

https://www.devon.gov.uk/migration-and-resettlement/diverse-ethnic-communities-service-directory-for-devon-plymouth-and-torbay-2023/

Racism, Islamophobia and fascism (the fires of which, are stoked by the media and politicians) are not acceptable and it’s everyone’s responsibility to call it out.

Every month is different in a small charity! Here's some of what we got up to in July!

⭐ We've started our 18-25's employability course, and run the first 3 sessions with the group.
⭐ We've hosted 4 social drop-in groups for our community, including a chocolate themed session, a walk in the park, and a games afternoon.
⭐ We spent a day behind the scenes at Plymouth Citybus where women learnt about various aspects of the business and what it might be like to work there.
⭐ We've helped women with lots of CV's and job interview prep.
⭐ We've celebrated more women moving into paid work this month.
⭐ We've visited Ahimsa, a local charity supporting loving and non-violent relationships, to tell them about our work.
⭐ We visited Plymouth Probation Service where women shared about the impact of Gifted Women on their life, and built links with the service to hopefully see more women referred.
⭐ We've been to and Women to tell women and staff about how we can help with employability.
⭐ We collaborated with Course South West to deliver an accredited Mental Health course to women in our community.
⭐ We've cheered from the sidelines at a charity football match raising funds for Gifted Women (Thank you Williams Ltd)
⭐ Our staff have attended training events on Shame Competence, Resilience and self care and also Ethnic Minority Young People and County Lines Exploitation.
⭐We attended a public speaking and empowerment workshop with The West Country Women Awards
⭐ We've moved into our new office within Baptist Church.

Here's to August being another busy one, hopefully with more sunshine! ☀️

Our 18-25 programme is starting today! We're so excited to be spending the next few months with this group of young women building a strong foundation for the world of work.

Here are some of the topics we will be exploring together. We can't wait to get stuck in!

We're excited to share that Drake's Island are hosting an EXCLUSIVE full moon fundraiser on the Jewel in the Sound in Plymouth.

This one-off sparkling evening will be in aid of The West Country Women Awards and Gifted Women.

Tickets include:

- your return ferry passage with Plymouth Boat Trips.
- a fascinating tour of the island with Drake's Island's professional tour guides.
- a complimentary glass of delicious Plymouth Gin and tonic after the Drake's Island tour. Soft drinks will be available.
- canapes at sunset and live music from Plymouth rising star Joanna Cooke with her unique voice and soul-filled jazz songs.
All before you head back to the mainland by the light of that night's Sturgeon Full Moon.

We hope you can join us for a night to remember that will help create very special outcomes - and raise money for a good cause at the same time! This is a limited ticket event, please book early so that you don't miss out.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/full-moon-fundraiser-tickets-918782060877

Thank you to Ian Williams Plymouth team for their ongoing support with fundraising and skills development for women in our community. The interview bootcamp course and mock interviews you facilitated were hugely helpful!

Dan Hale and our Plymouth capital team have been supporting Gifted Women as their local charity of the year.

Recently they supported the ladies pictured below in an interview preparation workshop!

Plymouth are committed to supporting this fantastic organisation, who help women back into employment by supporting their mental wellbeing, offering practical and functional skills and creating tangible links with employers to get women back into work.

They're not stopping there though, the Plymouth team are getting their football kits ready for tomorrows fundraising event, good luck Dan, Carrie -Ann and the team! You can donate here: https://bit.ly/3y4E8ha

🏳️‍🌈 A selfie from our stall at Plymouth Pride 🏳️‍🌈

Did you know that hate crimes against trans people increased by 186% in the last five years, and hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation rose by 112%? (Source: )

At Gifted Women, you will be valued and respected for who you are and you can bring your whole self, without apology.

We exist to unlock doors to employment for women overcoming multiple disadvantage, and we welcome all women under the rainbow. Trans women are valued in our space.

Enrolment for our September employability course is now OPEN!

With our age 18-25 programme underway this summer, we're now booking spaces for our next 12 week course which starts in September. This fully-funded course is just the beginning of the Gifted Women employability programme, and offers a chance for women to focus on themselves and their future with a variety of fun sessions exploring self-worth, confidence, empowerment, communication, self care, aspirations, skills, CV's, employer connections, interview skills and lots more.

If you are (or you work with) a woman who has experienced multiple disadvantage (including homelessness, contact with the criminal justice system and/or substance misuse) who would like to move towards and into employment, then this course is for you!

100% of the last group of women who have just finished this course, said they would recommend it to others.

Special thanks to our wonderful team and volunteers who create this beautiful space for women.

Contact us by email, text or phone to enquire.
[email protected] / 07931 462893

Have you listened to this powerful conversation yet, featuring one of the women from Gifted Women, Raina Dunne? Raina shares her important story and speaks to issues including women in prison, addiction and domestic and sexual violence. Although there are some distressing themes while Raina shares what was her reality, it's ultimately a story of healing and recovery and it's inspirational to see where Raina is now and the new chapters she is stepping into.

Listen on any major podcast platform by searching for 'Womenkind podcast' and 'Raina Dunne'

🎙️WKC Podcast Quote for this week is from our wonderful guest Raina Dunne.
“You know women are so strong, look how much power men have had coming up through the centuries, we’ve had to dig own way. We are the ones that fought for everything, its a beautiful thing the strength of women and when we come together we can achieve anything”

🎧It’s a powerful conversation, have you listened yet?

🎧It’s available on all you favourite podcast platforms

It was great to have West Devon and East Cornwall Breast Screening to our drop in group a few weeks ago, we learnt lots about how to check your breasts and why it’s so important!

A big thankyou to Gifted Women for welcoming us to their coffee morning recently ☕️

Lots of chats, breast discussions and information given 🤓

We look forward to visiting again 💗

Raina is an incredible woman with an exceptional gift for connecting with people and sharing her passion for system change.

She’s starting out on her journey of sharing her story and we know she will have huge impact in whatever she does. More power to you, Raina!

Thanks to Womenkind Collective for giving her this platform and creating space for Raina to educate us on the issues she speaks to including women in prison, mental health, addiction, exploitation and much more.

Some distressing themes in this podcast while Raina shares her truth and what has been her reality. Please listen and take care. It’s inspiring and uplifting to hear Raina talk about where she is now and what she’s stepping into.

On another note, we are honoured that Raina wants to fly the flag for Gifted Women at this time and thank you to the podcast creators, Jinty and Lou for including references to us in the show notes.

Listen here or on any of the major podcasting platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts etc.

https://shows.acast.com/womenkind-collective/episodes/women-and-prison-with-raina-dunne

Thank you to Plymouth Citybus for welcoming women from Gifted Women to their depot! 🚍✨ During our visit, we explored a variety of exciting career opportunities within the company, from driving and engineering to admin, customer service, cleaning, and maintenance.

We also learned about the company's rich history and their dedication to staff wellbeing and a positive workplace culture. Needless to say, we're 'on board' with their drive to recruit more women in the typically male dominated transport industry.

Could your company offer a tour or taster session for the talented women who work with us? For more information, please reach out to Emily at [email protected].

In these lovely words Richard Olivier has captured a lot of what we strive to be for those who come through Gifted Women.

We also see this all the time within our groups, where women support and be that safe person for one another.

Could you spare 1 minute to vote for us please? We have been shortlisted as one of the final five charities in the running for the Recruiter Awards Charity of the Year 2024. If we win, the funding we could receive from this will help us to support more women overcoming multiple disadvantage into employment, so that they can start to build the life they want and deserve.

You can vote for us to win here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JTY795J
You will need to verify your email address, for your vote to be counted.

Voting closes on 12th July.
Thank you so much for supporting us.

Today it's 3 weeks exactly until the start of our 18-25's employability course for young women overcoming multiple disadvantage. We're so excited, and not least because we will be partnering with the brilliant team at Your Future (On Course South West)

After our first ten sessions together from July - September, Your Future will be providing a month of learning and activities throughout October which will be co-designed by our group of young women.

By engaging in day trips, activities and hands-on learning experiences we will:

Grow in friendship with others
Develop interpersonal and social skills
Boost employability
Build confidence
Support self-resilience
Increase teamwork and independent living skills
Gain an understanding of local opportunities that are right for each individual.

We have been busy meeting the young women who will be joining and we are very inspired by their determination to take up this opportunitiy of a fresh start, and start exploring employment as a chance to build a better future.

Thanks to our brilliant referral partners who have referred women for this course including Trevi Women , Zone Plymouth , 's, Plymouth Probation Service and Pause Plymouth.

Read more about our young women's pilot programme here: https://www.giftedwomen.co.uk/blog/4nbjczmdfw4pez2h89d96mp6refby2

And please do reach out to us if you would like any further info.

When women come together and support each other, a little bit of magic happens..

Here are some lovely words from a woman who is working with us to lay the foundations for a better future, through employability. 🩷💛

Thanks to Plymouth Play Scrapstore for another fun and creative visit to our weekly drop in group, this time making mini scrapbooks.

This group is an important space for women in our community to stay connected and encourage each other along the employability journey. Activities vary including recently; arts and crafts, quizzes and games, health and wellbeing sessions and learning about how to manage debts/finances, and much more...

If you are part of a community project and would be interested in sharing your skill / knowledge with us, please reach out - we would love to hear from you.

Happy Pride Month! 🌈

At Harbour, we proudly stand as allies to the LGBTQIA+ community. We believe in creating a safe, inclusive space where everyone can be their authentic selves. Recovery is a journey best travelled with support, and we're here to uplift and empower you every step of the way, regardless of your identity.

Celebrate love, diversity, and the courage to be you. Let's continue to break down barriers and build a more accepting and supportive world together.

'What kind of work can we help with?' - this is a question we get asked lots so we thought we'd share a post about it...

The answer is, we are led by women who work with us. Some know exactly what they want to do, and others have no idea (which is not a problem at all, as we can explore it together!)

Since we started in 2021, we have supported women on many different employment pathways including:

- working in schools
- working in retail
- working with people experiencing homelessness
- working in drug and alcohol services
- working in women's centres
- working in care / NHS
- working in hospitality
- working in tourism
- working from home
- working in construction

We believe that employment is one of the ways women can discover their power, and start to build the life they want and deserve.

If you think we might be able to support you, please contact us at [email protected] or send a message to our page. We would love to hear from you.

www.giftedwomen.co.uk

Tune in tonight!

Jenny, Lucy and Donna from Gifted Women will be live on air for the Community Takeover with Anoushka Williams, from 6.15 - 6.45pm on BBC Radio Devon and BBC Radio Cornwall.
..Set your reminders and get ready for an inspiring and uplifting half-hour!

We're excited to be running an employability course just for young women aged 18-25 this summer.

This course is for those who have experienced barriers to employment such as homelessness, contact with the criminal justice system or difficulties with drugs and alcohol. At Gifted Women, there is no judgement and no stigma, and we exist to support your fresh start and help you unlock doors to employment.

Everything is fully funded as we are a charity. We accept referrals from support workers or people can self-refer.

To find out more, please visit our website: https://www.giftedwomen.co.uk/blog/4nbjczmdfw4pez2h89d96mp6refby2

Drop us a message if we can help or answer any questions..

Gifted Women will be sharing the love and celebrating our LGBTQ+ community at Plymouth Pride on June 22nd. You're so welcome to stop by our stall, meet some of our staff and volunteers and find out about what we do - we'd love to see you!