LDS Charities Friendship Centre Hosts Capability Workshop
Patrons of the Friendship Centre enjoy many different classes provided by a variety of partners using its facilities, located in the Church’s Wembley meetinghouse. One such organisation is East London Advanced Technology Training—ELATT, which particularly addresses the needs of women refugees and asylum seekers by hosting workshops that encourage them to join forums, celebrate and share cultural identities, and more.
One ELATT initiative is the innovative ‘Community Makers’ project, which aims to establish a pool of skilled migrant-women volunteers.
Another is the ‘Sweet Project’, designed to help women make changes in their lives and achieve their goals. An example of one of many positive outcomes is provided by Zahra, who started at ELATT in Hackney in September 2017; she had heard about the project through a friend. After her first English-as-a-second-language session, Zahra did not want to continue, as she felt that everyone one else already had at least a basic command of English. She was struggling to understand even simple questions. Her friend convinced her to stay, assuring her that the class was fun and that Zahra would pick up the language quickly. Not long after, Zahra’s confidence improved. The class tutor suggested that her lack of English proficiency should not prevent Zahra from gaining employment or even starting her own business. Over time her confidence and ability grew until she was speaking a lot more fluently. With her tutor’s support, Zahra managed to prepare a CV, find out about various job opportunities, learn interview techniques, and register with an employment agency. She now works preparing meals for Emirates airline at Heathrow Airport.
‘Capability’ is a project helping refugees develop skills that enable them to become active members of their local communities. ELATT were keen to encourage more participation by women. They approached Elder and Sister Hafen, the senior missionary couple who have responsibility for the Friendship Centre, to book time early in February to host a capability workshop. ELATT were delighted that the sessions sharing food and recipe skills, including shopping in the UK, and mother-child support classes, were well-attended. They especially wanted these women to showcase their skills as well as practice their English with native speakers from different backgrounds.
The Watford Stake Relief Society president, Linda Sheppard, spoke with many of these women, admiring their food, their command of the language and their beautiful clothing. ELATT hopes to repeat this capability workshop in the near future.