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, activities for mums with children, trips, STEM, environmental and educational activities).
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. Due to the high need for this work, since January 2022 we have also started delivering these activities in Newcastle.
This project is currently funded by The Postcode Neighbourhood Trust in Sunderland and The Riddle Fund at Community Foundation Tyne and Wear & Northumberland in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Would you like to get regular updates about our Women’s group? Join our ICOS Women Facebook Page: HERE.
Update: February 2024:
Thanks to funding from the Willan Fund 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 have 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.
Engaging Environments project
ICOS Women took part in the engaging environments project delivered by Newcastle University. The group attended various activities and workshops including rock pooling exercises, visits to The Dove Marine Laboratory and took part in a citizen science exercise by taking part in two beach clean ups, in Hendon and Seaburn in Sunderland where we compared the data of the rubbish which was collected during the clean ups. Through this partnership we have been able to learn a lot about our local marine life and the environment, gain new skills and knowledge.
Engaging Environments – presentation
ICOS is working together with Sunderland University on a research into the experiences of women from Eastern and Central Europe. This research should help us to find out what their needs and problems are, so that we can provide better support to them. This research should also help to ensure that local agencies and organisations take their needs into account.
Read the Interim Report: Survey Findings HERE.
You can also access the presentation from this link.
-Through the Community Buddies research project, we are working with the British Science Association. The aim of the research project is to raise awareness and importance of healthcare research among Eastern European (EE) women (especially including women in pregnancy or child bearing age/ young children) and to create equal opportunities in research participation.
-Through the Together Though Crisis research project, undertaken with Newcastle University. It aims at assessing the impact of the cost of living crisis on Eastern European women, children and young people.
Within the Year 2023 -2024 the projet has achiewed:
