Project: Turning Hidden Talents into Work Opportunities (Hidden Gems)
Funded by: Community Grants 5
When: 2020 – 2021
Our Turning Hidden Talents into Work Opportunities (Hidden Gems) programme helps older people aged 50 years plus to create mini-groups of like-minded people who meet regularly with our support to undertake specific topics of interest which help identify their hidden talents.
Our programme will set up and develop themed micro-networks for unemployed people in the community in and around Cleethorpes. We will engage with inactive residents to find out what learning and skills they need to help them move forward their lives and build individual capacity.
Our mini-groups of like-minded people will meet weekly with practical support to undertake their chosen activity. We will use personal interest networking sessions to enable social interaction and sharing experiences between participants. We will find out about skills people didn’t know they were good at; support confidence building and identify personal motivation.
Participation is welcome from unemployed and/or economically inactive women, people aged over 50 years and people with health conditions.
We will agree individual support packages as part of the induction: including mentoring, mindfulness and exploring options with individuals’ hidden talents sessions to help participants identify and secure paid work or full-time education places.
We will work out practical solutions together with participants to overcome individual barriers to securing paid work or entering education; re-focusing individual approaches to different options using their hidden talents and interests revealed in the thematic micro-networks.
As we all need to adapt to the constantly changing environment in lockdown we are very aware of the effect the current situation is having on people who are isolated within their communities. Our “Hidden Gems” approach provides tailor-made support to older people who may living alone to rediscover their skills and this type of regular personal contact will make so much difference.
Specific benefits of participating in this programme include:
- Finding a theme group of greatest interest and agreeing action plan as to what to achieve.
- Introductions to other participants and discussions about how can help and support.
- Group sessions online where participants shape content and agree learning outcomes.
- Weekly routine established for themed activity whilst learning and sharing skills together
- Monthly progress reviews with mentors – make changes with participants to keep on track
For full details contact: Paula Grant via email at: paula@capacitybuildings.org.uk