The year has been busy for us since it started. Here we report progress on two brand new funded programmes, how our work is continuing with the Civil Service and with two other brilliant leadership programmes with partners.

Our new funded programmes.

Level Best
We have now run 2 full-day workshops for this dynamic group of 12 individuals who are all racially discriminated and/or disabled. Several of the places are reserved for people who are not currently in work. We have been delighted to be able to recruit for and run the whole programme ourselves with the support of UnLtd’s Inclusive Recovery Fund, the Department for Culture Media and Sport and Comic Relief.

The first workshop looked at experience, strengths and self-confidence. Participants then had their first 1:1 coaching session, letting them delve into the best ways for them to progress personally. Our first Masterclass was with Intersectional Glam's Jasspreet Thethi, one of Result CIC’s ‘alumni’, vividly described her personal and professional experience and how intersectional diversity has shaped and inspired this. It included valuable material about how to negotiate your price and value when setting up your own enterprise.

The second workshop addressed communication and assertiveness and how we can effectively adapt our style to get our message across. Singer, artist, historian and lecturer, David McAlmont gave the second masterclass ‘Stardust or Eden?’ on 24 February. The response to both masterclasses has been overwhelmingly positive; the speakers’ openness and generous sharing of the full range of their multi-layered, rich experience has clearly made a real impact on those participating.

Level Best participants will have 3 coaching sessions altogether and we are looking forward to the final masterclass in March with the wonderful Ruth Ibegbuna and the last workshop, looking ahead to the future and how supportive networks can help us achieve our goals.

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Could Level Best help your organisation?
Could Level Best help your organisation? At the moment many organisations are looking for creative and effective ways to develop their diverse talent. Level Best not only provides a short-cut for marginalised staff to thrive, it includes a unique socially responsible element – with places for people in minorities seeking work. Following the current pilot, we will be offering this programme to organisations.
Contact us to talk further!
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Resilience beyond Crisis: programme for leaders in the migration and refugee sector
We are grateful that the National Lottery Community Fund has supported this new programme for 12 leaders in the migration and refugee sector who have lived experience of migration and being refugees. We have so far provided two half-day workshops with this exceptional group and will provide 4 coaching sessions per participant. What is quickly emerging, is how rapidly the group is becoming its own support network – with common themes emerging and participants offering contacts and help for specific questions. This is part of such a programme being sustainable and having an impact well beyond the workshops and coaching sessions. Long may it continue!

Continuing and developing projects
After the success of the very first DELTA (Disability Empowers Leadership and Talent) Civil Service programme in 2019-20, working with Civil Service Future leaders, we have been delighted to meet several members of the 2021 cohort in online focus groups. These have been listening exercises, exploring exactly what the participants would like to get from this year’s programme whose workshops will start in the late autumn. We are very much looking forward to it!

In June, the Big Local and Koreo Community Leadership Academy programme will welcome a new cohort. We have enjoyed contributing to the coaching element of this innovative work, including a supportive community of practice for the coach group. So we are very pleased that we will be continuing to work on this with the new arrivals.

Hormoz has been providing coaching for the Rise Up programme run by Clore Social Leadership, London Youth and supported by the Mayor of London. This is a leadership programme for Youth Practitioners as part of reduction of violence in the capital city. He will also shortly be starting work as one of the coaches for a new programme Double Lockdown for ‘Rebooting leadership in the criminal justice’ . Both these programmes are delivered by people with lived experience and have been shaped by the LEx movement and Centre for Knowledge Equity.

Wow - that's quite a busy time! Let's hope that Spring brings some time to relax and sees new beginnings for us all.