ICOS Women

In 2019 ICOS has started delivering a first ever Eastern European women’s group in the North East, the group was established to improve women’s wellbeing, skills and confidence but also to provide a safe and inclusive environment for women to meet and build new relationships through taking part in various activities and workshops (sports activities, wellbeing workshops such as mindfulness, arts and crafts, training, coffee meetings, trips, STEM, environmental and educational activities). Although the group is aimed at Eastern European women, it is inclusive and open for all women and children to attend and participate.

Our ICOS Women mum’s club provides an opportunity for mothers and their children to meet and take part in various activities which encourage integration and community cohesion, our ICOS mum’s club meetings are delivered on regular basis and include guest speakers, creative activities, local outings and healthy eating workshops.

Our aim is to support women to become community leaders and create a peer-to-peer support network through volunteering and taking part in various empowering activities. As a part of the project, we also offer one-to-one needs tailored support to women who experience issues such as financial problems, lack of opportunities, discrimination, domestic abuse, and we support women with safety planning and accessing services such as welfare benefits, housing and legal advice services.

Our ICOS Women project is co-designed by Eastern European women living in Sunderland, it has a Project Steering Group, made up of dedicated volunteers who meet on regular basis to plan activities, workshops, project accessibility and needs of our community.

Would you like to get regular updates about our Women’s group? Join our ICOS Women Facebook Page: HERE.

Support you can get through the project:

• Wellbeing support through attending activities
• One-to-one advice and guidance
• Community Leadership and volunteering
• Participation in co-designed research projects
• STEM employability and skills support

If you would like to get involved contact Julia on julia.wysocka@icos.org.uk or 07942583833

Update: February 2024:

Thanks to funding from the 1989 Willan Charitable Trust at the Tyne and Wear & Northumberland Community Foundation, in the 1st year of the project, we have been able to achieve the following:
-20 women and their 15 children have benefited from needs tailored one-to-one support, advice and guidance
-43 women attended women’s group activities, 37 women and 55 children attended mum’s club activities (some women have attended both)
-13 women have volunteered
-55% of women taking part reporting feeling lass isolated by the end of the project.