Getaway Girls Project with Refugee women

Aims & objectives

- To empower young women aged 16 – 25 to build up confidence, develop new skills and take positive risks in an environment which offers cooperation and support.
- To give them an opportunity to do something different, stretch and challenge themselves and make them more confident to go out into the world.
- To expand the benefits of Circus, physical and mental agility and performing arts to those members of the Community which could not otherwise afford or access to it.
- Improve Inclusion in the Community.
- To tackle gender issues.
- To create a safe space for peer support.

“ Getaway Girls empowers young women to build confidence and resilience, develop new skills
and take positive risks in an environment which offers co-operation and support. We achieve this through individual support, group work, outreach, detached, residential opportunities creative arts, sports development, adventure education, training, peer support and opportunities for voice and influence.”

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

Participants: 20 young women with fewer opportunities who experience barriers or discrimination. Most of the participants were Syrian refugees and all from ethnic minorities,

Team from local community group: Getaway Girls: 1 Syrian, 1 Pakistani, 1 African. (This team work regularly with the participants, this helped a lot)
Team from Leeds Community Circus (coordinating organisation): 3 English and 1 Spaniard (myself).
All the team and participants were female in order guarantee possible participation of the target group.

Training methods used & main activities

We worked conscientiously to create a safe, relaxed and informal training environment.
We asked participants about their hopes expectations for the project before hand so we could plan accordingly.
We used the following methods and dynamics:
- Ice breakers
- Theater and circus games
- Group discussions and dynamics
- Informal chat during tea and coffee breaks
- 6 specific Circus training workshops: juggling, balance, Aerial (trapeze and silks) and acrobalance.
- Evaluation

Outcomes of the activity

- All participants felt comfortable with themselves and the group.
- All participants were actively involved in all activities and gave feedback openly.
- All participants tried something new, something they had never tried before like trapeze or walking on a tight wire
- Some participants overcome fears and we reflected on that.
- All participants ended up taking the scarves off , posing and taking beautiful pictures of themselves with the moves they'd learnt.
- By the last day there was an incredible cohesion in the group.
- All participants mentioned during the evaluation time they loved the project, they had fun, they had made new friends and they felt more confident.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

- Creating and co-writing the project
- Finding the funding
- Contact Getaway Girls to select participants and agree on dates.
- Planing, implementing activities
- Delivering training sessions
- Evaluating sessions
- Evaluating process and results
- Writing the report .

I worked on this training for 6 days as a full time trainer.