There are many ways that Anawim can support you to move forward with your life as you approach the final stages of your journey with us.
This includes offering valuable opportunities to complete courses, gain new skills or take part in peer support, volunteering or work experience to help you to realise your potential.
Our aim is to work with you towards your goals. Whether that is to become more financially independent, in control of making informed, positive decisions, or simply to progress towards your hopes and ambitions.
Support throughout your journey
We will support you every step of the way. We are here to give you opportunities and equip you with skills to move forward with your life. That could be realising your own strengths or gaining skills that will make you attractive to a potential employer.
Access to free courses and skills support
Our centre is a welcoming and safe-space where you can access free drop-in courses and activities. These range from creative, mindful activities and crafts to mental heath support and other drop-ins to enable you to gain skills and confidence beyond your initial need of our service.
For an up to date list of events and activities click here.
We can also support you to develop your skills and experience to become an Anawim Champion – read further to find out more.
Our Champions Project
Our Champions Project provides women with the opportunity to volunteer, support and contribute towards the services at the centre. This can be an important value-based activity to sustain their wellbeing, provide valuable work based experiences and ensure their expertise from experience is drawn upon and heard within Anawim.
Within the centre champions are a presence and be a familiar point of contact who welcome new women. They continue to offer support by providing tours of the centre, promoting courses alongside our ethos and values. They also assist in the organisation of forums, giving a voice to women and supporting the design of services to meet the current needs. They might support staff with admin tasks, volunteering and supporting with fundraising, events and community engagement promoting Anawim services.
Here’s what one of our Champions had to say:
I enjoy sorting out the clothes and helping the team with any tasks for the day. The team always make me feel included in decisions being made in the shop, and when I give my input I feel listened to, and my ideas are implemented which makes me feel part of the team. The services that Anawim have offered me have made me stronger and I will carry on attending the centre and the shop.
Peer Mentors
This is the next step and progression from being a Champion. We are working in partnership with Phoenix Psychology developing, delivering and evaluating the programme; ensuring it is trauma informed and psychologically safe. Women progress and develop on their knowledge and experiences within the centre and they are supplied training to move into education, volunteering or employment. So there is sufficient support to all mentors, they work more closely with members of our staff team, providing personal support to other women accessing the centre. This relational model of intervention is designed to facilitate engagement and retention.
All peer mentors are supported through line management, group reflection practice and individual Clinical Supervision. Through this we strive to both support their personal wellbeing whilst ensuring quality and professional development. We hope this will encourage professional judgement skills, ensuring their voice of experience is heard and offers an opportunity to share their wisdom with others.
Many women working with us choose to share their stories and experiences at events, with the media or with other local organisations. We know hearing about lived experience is crucial for changes to be made in the women’s sector. Sometimes it’s to help others understand how difficult it is to overcome so many interlinked challenges, sometimes it is to support Anawim’s mission to reach more women, and occasionally it’s to influence key people in local authority and government, to help bring about real change for women in Birmingham.
Welcome new people that come in and offer them a drink and see they’re alright and make sure they go to the staff to do what I can’t do. That’s what the peer mentor role is. So I’ll introduce them to the staff. That’s what I do, and if I can’t like, go on the street and come with the lady here, I introduce them to the staff. That’s what my role is. And I love it. And I love the staff in here.
We fully support every single one of our women who choose to share their personal journeys in a way that feels comfortable and safe.