We are delighted that Coeurage has been awarded an European Social Fund Community Grant in conjunction with the Learning and Skills Council and Derbyshire Learning & Development Consortium for its ‘Women into Work' pilot project to use confidence building workshops and one to one coaching to encourage unemployed women in Derbyshire back into work, education, training or voluntary work.

The first series of seven, weekly workshops will be held at Derby Women's centre starting on Thursday 22^nd April. Please call Kate on 07814 010676 or Mel at DWC on 01332 341633 if you are an unemployed woman in Derbyshire and would like to take part in this fun and informal training for FREE!!

Coeurage would also like to hear from partner organisations working with groups of unemployed/socially disadvantaged women to be able to offer a joint course to these clients without charge.

Call Kate on 07814 010676 or Leeza on 077723 021104.

Leeza's workshops have now been included as a mandatory part of the Enterprise Inc programme to encourage entrepreneurs at an early stage to reconnect with their creative selves.

In two half days, on 10^th & 17^th March, Leeza encouraged the groups to explore the dreams and aspirations they each have for their ideal businesses as well as life goals in a fun and playful way, imagining their futures and utilising creative thinking strategies.

Participants explored their values and left with a clear and detailed plan of step-by-step actions to skyrocket their success!

Here's just a few of the comments reported by the participants after attending ….

— "Feel clearer about my business direction and how to make it all happen”

— "It has helped me to move forwards in my life generally and definitely the business”

— "It was different to other courses I have been on and suited me well. I loved all the aspects of the course”

— "Leeza was alot of fun and got us thinking about things in a different way”

— "I got a lot from today. Its good to take a step back and think about what I actually want and why!”

As a previous recipient of a SPEED bursary, (the grandmother of Ingenuity/Entreprise Inc) Kate was delighted to deliver a one day ‘Confidence for Enterprise' workshop on 26^th February to a small group of entrepreneurs at different stages on their business start up journey, with enterprise ideas as diverse as jewellery design, to process optimisation, digitial forensic consulting, life coaching and mediumship.

"It was wonderful to have the delegates see how the most critical factor in the success of their business is them! and to give them some tools to nurture and develop their self belief as individuals and entrepreneurs” enthuses Kate.

Participants appreciated the style and delivery of the workshop, which made a welcome change from some more traditional business support training, while still supporting them to reach their business goals. When asked ‘how do you think this will help you in your enterprise?” comments included:

"to remember the pleasure that is the reason I'm doing the things I'm doing, rather than focussing on the short term pain”

"I have reduced the barriers I had to progressing to the next stage”.

Please take a look at our testimonials page for a fuller evaluation.

Kate and Leeza had the great privilege to support student entrepreneurs who are taking part in the University of Derby's, Centre for Entreprenuerial Management's, ‘Ingenuity' programme.