Women's academy

Woman in pink headscarf with laptop

Many women who go through abusive situations find it difficult to move into a position of true economic and financial independence. There are lots of reasons for this but very often it’s due to a lack of skills, education or employment record and/or comes down to ongoing issues around low confidence and fears about engaging with society.

This is why we’ve created the Women’s Academy – an ambitious project which provides education, training and skills development activities specifically designed to help women who are escaping or recovering from abuse or other difficulties to move forward with their lives and improve their long-term employment prospects. The project aims to support you to move towards and into volunteering, training or learning, or paid employment.

What we can offer:

This programme is comprised of three elements:

The Capability Builder

This 12 week structured programme of key skills training covers areas like Essential IT, English and Maths, Financial Capability, Introduction to volunteering and Employment Preparedness. Participants will gain a mixture of accredited and non-accredited learning throughout.

The Confidence Builder

This 12 week scheme involves a series of confidence/resilience building workshops alongside other activities that promote physical and emotional health and wellbeing.

The Change Maker

Throughout your time with the Women’s Academy, we offer 1-1 support and mentoring to help you develop your goals and take practical steps towards achieving them, e.g. helping you to apply for jobs, volunteering opportunities or training courses.

How to enrol

Pen resting on a notebook Everyone wanting to join this programme begins with a pre-enrolment conversation to talk things through and to agree that you’re ready to take this step. Once that’s done, we spend time with you to create an agreed learning plan which will usually be spread over a period of 6 months. Your plan will most likely involve participating in all of the three elements listed above but may also involve joining in with other structured groups at the centre, such as a Freedom course or gentle exercise group, or joining a course run by another provider locally. Everything depends on your needs.

Spaces on this programme are limited but to find out more or enquire about enrolling with the Women’s Academy, contact the centre on 01582 416783 or email [email protected]

Support this work

To keep the work of the Women’s Academy going, we need help from local employers and other in the community:

If you are an employer, could you offer opportunities for our Women’s Academy clients at your organisation, e.g. work placements, volunteering, trial days or employment opportunities?
If you are a local training provider, could you volunteer some of your time to support this project?
If you are a LAWC supporter, could you help us keep this project funded? A £20 donation would make a great contribution towards the learning materials we use throughout this programme. Please make your donation here.

If you believe you could help in any of these ways, please contact us on 01582 416783 or [email protected]

Latest

Fundraise for LAWC

As a charity, we largely depend on grants and voluntary donations to meet the £1200 price tag we incur every single day. This is how we can continue caring for some of the most vulnerable women and girls in our community. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Bath to Tomarton Hike (Cotswold Way)

“ Empowering women to achieve their full potential has always been something I have been very passionate about....”
Raising Boys webinar (1)

Thursday 9th May at 9.30 am, online. Join this 45-minute webinar to feel more confident raising your sons and discussing issues around violence against women and girls with them.
Raising Girls webinar (1)

Friday 17th May at 1.00 pm, online. Join this 45-minute webinar to feel more confident raising your daughters and discussing the challenges they face, including issues around Violence Against Women and Girls.

Domestic abuse

Almost 30% of women in England and Wales say they have experienced domestic violence/abuse since the age of 16. If you are affected by this issue, Luton All Women's Centre is there to help.
Harmful practices

‘Harmful practices’ is a term used to describe things like forced marriage, honour-based violence (HBV) and female genital mutilation (FGM), all of which disproportionately affect women/ girls. Luton All Women's Centre's specialist harmful practices service provides educational measures to prevent such practices plus help for those affected in Luton and Bedfordshire.
Health and wellbeing

The importance of maintaining good physical health, mental health and general wellbeing cannot be over-emphasised. For the women we support at Luton All Women's Centre, such things aren't always easy. Our centre provides a wide range of services which aim to help vulnerable women in Luton with this area of their lives.
Counselling

Whether you’re dealing with stress, anxiety, abuse, bereavement or any other distressing issue in your life, it can be easy to feel alone or that everything has moved beyond your point of control. Counselling provides the opportunity to talk with someone about how you’re feeling in a wholly supportive, confidential and non-judgemental environment. At Luton All Women’s Centre, professional counselling is an ongoing and vital part of the holistic support we offer to our clients.
Other groups

Luton All Women's Centre offers a range of support groups for women whose health and wellbeing have been affected by various life-events - including childhood sexual abuse and bereavement.
Other sources of help

Links to various other sources of help for vulnerable women living in Luton and Bedfordshire.

What we do

Luton All Women’s Centre (LAWC) has been supporting women and girls living in Luton and Bedfordshire since the early 1990s. Offering a wide-range of advisory, information, practical and holistic support services, our aim is to challenge gender inequality and empower women and girls to enjoy lives that are safer, healthier and fairer.
Jobs

Want to make a real difference to the lives of local women? At LAWC, we have lots of opportunities for you to do just that within a range of exciting roles coming soon (including a Women’s Academy Coordinator, Counselling Services Manager and Client Advisors). Take a look below and keep checking back for updates.
Counselling

Whether you’re dealing with stress, anxiety, abuse, bereavement or any other distressing issue in your life, it can be easy to feel alone or that everything has moved beyond your point of control. Counselling provides the opportunity to talk with someone about how you’re feeling in a wholly supportive, confidential and non-judgemental environment. At Luton All Women’s Centre, professional counselling is an ongoing and vital part of the holistic support we offer to our clients.
Domestic abuse

Almost 30% of women in England and Wales say they have experienced domestic violence/abuse since the age of 16. If you are affected by this issue, Luton All Women's Centre is there to help.
Make a referral

If you’re a professional and think someone you’re supporting could benefit from any of the services we provide at Luton All Women’s Centre, the team would be happy to hear from you.
Health and wellbeing

The importance of maintaining good physical health, mental health and general wellbeing cannot be over-emphasised. For the women we support at Luton All Women's Centre, such things aren't always easy. Our centre provides a wide range of services which aim to help vulnerable women in Luton with this area of their lives.
Other groups

Luton All Women's Centre offers a range of support groups for women whose health and wellbeing have been affected by various life-events - including childhood sexual abuse and bereavement.
Essential information

Take a look at all the essential information you need to know about Luton All Women's Centre, such as our normal opening times, facilities and accessibility information.
Help with mental health and wellbeing

Local and national information an support around mental health and wellbeing
Volunteer with us

Volunteering with LAWC is a fantastic way for you use your skills, expertise and time for good, to support the vital work we carry out and to become a hugely valued member of our great team! Take a look at our current opportunities.