In March 2020 we run a pilot project – Women’s Empowerment Workshop – a very successful session for women from the Polish community. We aimed to build their self-esteem, confidence and skills for them to feel more empowered when applying for jobs, talking to the teachers of their children, health practitioners or when dealing with any life difficulties when living in the UK.
The Women’s Empowerment Session was attended by 10 women, who all later completed our session questionnaire. All of them confirmed that the session was excellent (with a score of 10 out of 10) and claimed they felt more confident afterwards. Participants were also asked whether such sessions allow Polish women to feel better in the UK and all of them said yes. They pointed to the importance of being able to make friends and share experiences with other women, learn new things and get the opportunity to support one another.
Thanks to the project, women from low income backgrounds did not feel isolated and excluded. The workshop also contributed towards maintaining their overall wellbeing. A few even felt encouraged to enter or re-enter the job market in order to become financially more independent and support their families.
