This week, I had the opportunity to visit a new social enterprise: Archana Women’s Centre. AWC specialises in training women in non-traditional industries, such as welding, carpentry and masonry. It was surprising to see so many women working in these industries, as I am yet to meet a female welder or carpenter in the UK. Furthermore, it was enlightening to see how AWC supported the women working in those industries by ensuring that they had the support necessary to balance family responsibilities, a challenge that is often forgotten in the UK, leaving women to work two  jobs, where one is caring for their children and home.

One way that Archana Women’s Centre provides this support is through Community Action Groups (CAGs). The groups bring local women together, providing a network of advice and collaboration. Though I have recognised the importance of group action on a large scale in the past (for example, observing SEWA last week), it hadn’t occurred to me how important small groups can be for remaining motivated. Especially for women, who often have to sacrifice social time in favour of taking care of the home, it is essential that the workplace can provide community and friendship, to ensure they do not feel isolated. Having the support network of other women in similar industries empowers them: they know that they are not alone.

This week, in our mini-consulting projects, I was tasked with improving Archana Women’s Centre’s social media pages. This was a challenge for two reasons: first, because the existing social media was already fantastic, and gave an incredible insight into the work at AWC. Secondly, because social media was not a topic I had much experience in. I feel most comfortable applying myself to solving problems, and so found the creative aspect of designing posts difficult. However, having observed the community action groups of AWC, I was able to understand the importance of taking advice from my peers and asking them for help.

Finally, the week ended with a ‘Taking the Mic’ evening: an opportunity to present a talk on what we had learnt so far during CraftHER. Public speaking has always been out of my comfort zone, but despite that I am so grateful for the experience and to practise in front of such a supportive group. My talk was titled ‘Presence over Pressure’, and I discussed the challenge of remaining present during my Leadership in Action experience while awaiting exam results. This provided the perfect opportunity to reflect on the past four weeks and to set goals for my own personal development. I found that by reflecting on and talking with others about the distraction of exam results, I found myself being more present, and able to enjoy the experiences around me. I am pleased to say that, when I did receive the results (on the way back from a lively Bollywood dancing class), I hadn’t thought about exams all day.

As I move on to the final week of the programme and our last project at Swara, I am excited to remain present, work on my personal project (upcycling workshops for women) and spend more time with the other scholars.