For the last month, the Stakeholder Engagement team at the College of Business and Law have had a guest with us on placement. This is part of an initiative set up by an amazing Community Interest Company called The Women’s Work Lab.
Jenease Augustine has joined us and very quickly become a part of the team. It’s been amazing to show her different areas of our work as well as introducing her to colleagues across the University. We’ve enjoyed seeing her interest grow and have appreciated the energy and enthusiasm she’s brought to the team.
This article was written by Jen on her final day of placement with us. Here she shares her story about the power of Women’s Work Lab, and the value provided by many organisations, like UWE, in offering work placements.
“My placement at UWE Bristol and my time with the CBL Stakeholder Engagement Team has been the best experience ever. My colleagues Elaine, Rachel, and Rose have been welcoming and amazing from the start. I have learnt so much and gained a lot from being on my placement and I can’t thank them enough. The skills and knowledge I have gained will stay with me throughout my continued professional development. Coming to UWE has encouraged me to further my education and get myself a degree and I’m absolutely buzzing. Working so closely with the CBL team and seeing how UWE put so much focus, care, and attention into their students and their university experience, just solidified my choice to continue my education here with them.
Coming in as a single mother having been out of education for many years the thought of returning to education was never on the cards. That all changed the moment I stumbled across Women’s Work Lab and the experience has changed my life in more ways than I could ever imagine. My confidence has grown. I’ve built up my self-esteem and completely changed how I view myself. I have big dreams and visions that I never had before. Women’s Work Lab helped me to see that potential, highlighted my strengths, and gave me the confidence to go after opportunities I never would have explored.
I’ve come to know and form lifelong bonds with the women in my group. We have lifted each other up and encouraged one another in so many ways. The group has had a great impact on us all. We all come from different backgrounds and have very different stories. Through this experience we’ve been able to learn and grow together. We’ve become more than a group of women; we’ve created a sisterhood.
Through sharing our individual experiences, we’ve been able to see that although we have different stories and backgrounds, we have a lot in common and can relate to each other and from there we’ve built positive relationships. We created a WhatsApp group to keep in touch with each other. We’ve formed bonds within the group and some of us even met up outside of WWL, introduced our children, and went on days out.
Day by day we’ve taken small steps towards helping ourselves. This hasn’t been easy and at times has felt like a rollercoaster of emotions for every single one of us. I think I can speak for all of us in saying Women’s Work Lab saved our lives. Through the workshops and group sessions we have learned our values and strengths. We have self-reflected and gained insight into where we all see ourselves. One thing we have all learned and must never forget is we are all remarkable women and nothing and no one can take that away from us.”