Flourish supports women to create the change they see needed in communities. To date we have supported over 1000 women changemakers and financially invested in over 100. The most recent programme Time To Grow supports women from all over Greater Manchester to help them with enterprising solutions to social issues and to create sustainable change.
How did you first come into contact with Flourish?
Step Up Manchester first signposted me to Flourish, I reached out to Nickala via the website and explained what I wanted to do and it all went from there!
How has Flourish helped you?
They really opened my eyes to the way the sector works and taught me different kind of skills like networking, how funding works and they provide workshops that support particular things I want to learn like the podcasting training last week. All the workshops and programmes are free so you can do the ones that are relevant to you when you need them – it has really helped me learn the things I need to help me grow my organisation.
Where has your journey taken you? Tell us about the highs and lows of your experience
When I first got in touch with Flourish I had the beginning of an idea, I hadn’t started at all. Since then, I have set up and been running for 6 months. I’m supporting women every single week, and now men too. I did a talk at an event and a guy reached out to me who is going through domestic abuse, and although my experience is with women, I could offer him an initial assessment, one-to one phonecalls and signposting where he can get help. I’m really proud of this, I know there is a lot of abuse happening and there is not much support out there, so it’s really good to open my organisation and also open my heart and mind a little bit. After that I ended up doing the Freedom Programme (domestic abuse programme) – but for men as perpetrators, to help rehabilitate them.
I am growing my organisation through a combination of funding and income from my cake business. I got my first lot of funding from Step Up which allowed me to get a laptop and basic necessities to start up my organisation. Sanctuary of Peace and Healing within Gorton Monastery fully funded me to do the Freedom Programme. The rest of my income has come from my cake sales! My biggest customer is probably Illumin8, an organisation that runs sober conscious raves and community parties in Manchester. Other customers now include Flourish, school and Flourish introduced me to Manchester City Council who are placing their first order this month… my cake business helps pay for my materials, wages, other organisation costs. It has been good to not depend completely on funding, and I find that people want to help the organisation by buying from me.
How do you keep motivated?
The reason I started in the first place is because of my own experiences. I’ve been through the court process 5 times… so my motivation is to help other people in a similar situation, to give them the support they need. People keep reaching out for help, so that keeps me motivated knowing they need help and I can help them. Hearing people’s feedback, their personal stories and how things have changed for people.
One lady reached out to me and even though I never met her, I helped her come up with a plan and she left him one month later she left her abuser after 20 years. A lot of these ladies have kids – I want the women and the children to be safe and have a happy, secure environment. I know from my own experience not to push, that it is their journey and they will do it when they are ready. I use my counselling skills to help them with where they want to go and how they want to get there… I know they might not have the emotional capacity to reach out a second time. Having been through services myself I’ve had good experiences and not-so good, so I know how to help from the inside.
What is your proudest achievement?
Actually doing this instead of just thinking about it! Putting my ideas it into action, from doing the Freedom Programme as a service user and then coming back to do it as a facilitator has been a real highlight.
Any tips to share with other people looking to start their own projects?
I would say write it all down, get organised. Start with the foundations, initially you want to do everything at once, so start with the basics and do it step by step. It will come together! Be patient, it can’t be rushed. If you are doing a job alongside, dedicate some time each week to focus on your idea. And reach out for support, use social media and don’t be afraid to ask questions about how to do things because knowledge is power!
What elements of Time to Grow were particularly useful?
All of it! There was nothing I didn’t need to know. Hearing the experiences of other people and what they are doing was so inspiring. I remember the programme day at The Frog and Bucket – being with that many incredible women in one room all with their own stories and own visions, that must have been one of the best days of my life! We were really raising each other up and just to be a part of it… it was beautiful to see it happen!
Anything you’re now doing differently?
I’ve become more savvy with networking, and more organised in different ways, especially in how I run my organisation – doing the business side of things it in a way that is clean and understandable.
Anything else changed for you since Time to Grow?
I definitely feel more capable, and some of the feedback I’ve had has been amazing… I also do more public speaking now – the fact that anyone wants me to do public speaking is a real confidence boost. I hate public speaking so being able to practice my skills in a safe environment means I am now confident enough to speak in front of wider audiences. I’ve done various live chats in last couple of months including one Flourish asked me to do for the council – and the head of the council gave me amazing feedback! I just wouldn’t have done that before.
What’s next for you?
I’m planning to run sessions in schools with teenagers, around positive relationships and boundaries, to prevent teens becoming perpetrators in their future lives… and for the schools who say that they have no funding for this kind of thing I can raise the money through my cake business so I can still deliver!
You can find out more about Sanam’s The Art Of Joy Project on Facebook and Instagram.