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  Beyond The Page

Women’s Voices Together, Building Strong Communities

What We Do

United Mothers

Many United Mothers have no route into community life. Statutory ESOL provision excludes them or does not meet their needs. It requires specific immigration statuses, takes place in mixed-sex classes and offers no childcare. Our data shows 73% of United Mothers do not access education. The connections we build are the only access that the women and children have to communal/public life. Women feel unsafe with the growing polarization and public narrative surrounding migration.
"Although all people are around you, you feel alone — but when you come to this group, you feel better, like a family. Although everyone is from each country, we have more things together, and we can speak together, with the same problem."

Sessions are held in community venues that are familiar, safe and close to where women live, within school hours, in term time, with childcare access. Female volunteers — including women from migrant communities — support delivery. We reduce every barrier we can.

Our co-designed programme includes: informal ESOL and conversational English; wellbeing activities including yoga, arts, and gardening; information, guidance and signposting; and community engagement through events and local partnerships.

We have established the Voices for Migrant Families Action Group, which brings together women and local service providers to address barriers to access. Women have presented to the Executive Board of East Kent Hospitals Trust, contributed to the ICB’s work on communication tools, and are currently shaping the NHS Health Inequalities Strategy. We are also developing a training film for frontline services, co-created with the women, to encourage services to develop awareness of the women’s needs.
 Our three outcomes have been co-produced with United Mothers and explain what difference coming together makes for them:

  1. Women will feel less alone and more connected to others.
  2. Women will have more skills to find helpful support services and new opportunities.
  3. Women will feel confident getting help and taking part in the community.

Our work at is core is trauma informed and relational. We build meaningful relationships with women which cut across barriers and we work in partnership with others to support them to do the same.

Partnerships

Spaces to Connect
Margate Early Learning Community
Thanet VCSE network
Thanet Changemakers
Thanet Women and Girls
KCC ESOL networking group

 

We work closely with our local stakeholders including Windmill Community Gardens, Thanet Family Hubs, Kent Adult Education, Oasis Domestic Abuse, Social Enterprise Kent and local creative and wellbeing partners.
"Being part of United Mothers has helped us find our voices. We feel more confident speaking up for ourselves and our children. We've learned about our rights — like asking for a translator at the hospital. We made a video that's now used to train NHS staff in Thanet, and some of us are part of a stakeholder group. We never imagined we could do something like this."
For further enquiries, please contact us at:  [email protected] or call 07596 924198