Riding the Wave — Celebrating the 12th Wave of Change

We are so proud to share that we have recently completed the 12th Wave of Change programme — and what a journey it has been.

Funded by WEA and delivered in collaboration with our brilliant partners at The Goodness Collective, this Wave brought together an inspiring and diverse group of women who committed to investing in themselves, their growth, and their futures.

Over the course of the programme, women took part in group coaching sessions focused on personal development and growth mindset. Through worksheets, open conversations, mind mapping and creative activities, participants explored their ideas, aspirations and current circumstances. Vision boards and reflective exercises helped many reconnect with their strengths and build clarity about where they want to go next.

We were delighted to welcome specialist partners to enrich the programme. Make Build Grow led creative confidence-building sessions, giving women space to express themselves and explore ideas in new ways. Starting Point delivered digital skills workshops, helping women build confidence in practical tools for everyday life and employment. We also welcomed Caroline Brown from Grassroots Recruitment, who ran specialist job-search support sessions focused on CV development, interview skills, and understanding the local labour market — turning increased self-belief into tangible employment steps.

But Wave of Change is about more than skills — it’s about connection.

Each week, women carved out time to focus on what they need. In doing so, they built deeper connections to themselves and to each other. The peer support in this group was powerful, with friendships forming that will continue long beyond the programme.

We were also able to provide tailored support where needed. Women were connected to external agencies for mental health support, long-term illness guidance, benefit advice, and culturally appropriate services. One participant is now regularly attending a Freedom Programme and counselling after recognising she needed additional support — a huge and courageous step forward.

This cohort was particularly diverse, and we responded by bringing in additional culturally appropriate provision, including access to an online Muslim Women’s Coaching and Mentoring programme to ensure women felt seen, understood and supported.

Alongside the core sessions, we hosted a number of complementary events to widen our reach and strengthen community impact — including a wellbeing day, a careers event, Christmas celebration, and drop-in careers café sessions. These events welcomed both programme participants and other local women, helping us extend the Wave even further.

We also ensured that the economic ripple effect of this programme stayed local. Almost £8,000 of programme funding was spent with local SMEs and VCFSE organisations, and we commissioned 22 local businesses or individuals to provide services, sessions or goods. Many of these were grassroots, women-led enterprises and social enterprises. By investing funding back into our local ecosystem, we not only strengthened participants — we strengthened the wider community too.

The impact has been clear: increased confidence, reduced anxiety, stronger networks, new skills, and women stepping into new opportunities — some even beginning to lead their own community-based workshops.

And the ripple effect continues.

The Goodness Collective are currently working with previous Wavers to run a Community Café at Offerton Community Centre every Thursday, 11am–1pm. If you’d like to visit, support, or get involved, please email Simone to find out more. They are currently seeking sponsorship or funding to continue this amazing project — so if you or your organisation would like to support, please get in touch with thegoodnesscollective@outlook.com

We are now awaiting further funding and very much hope there will be a 13th Wave of Change soon. Because when women are given the right conditions — kindness, acceptance, practical tools and community — they thrive. Here’s to the next wave...