Case Studies

Sharon

Sharon, a single mother to twins, joined our Learning for Wellbeing project after having been made redundant. Her self-esteem was at a very low ebb and she had little confidence in her abilities. Sharon had worked as a cook for many years but had no formal qualifications and, through the Trust, gained Level 2 qualifications in Healthy Eating for Families, Literacy and Numeracy.

 
Sharon trained as a volunteer Learning Champion, working alongside our Development Worker, to promote the benefits of learning to her peers and helping encourage others to become active members of the community.

 
Sharon’s enthusiasm and commitment to her local community led to her becoming a volunteer for Cross Keys Homes, chairing focus groups and acting as a mentor for another, newly unemployed resident and gaining NVQ2 in Community Action in Housing.

 
Since then Sharon has continued to support her community by becoming a Parish Councillor and establishing a thriving on-line Community Network with over 2500 members.

Personal Quote:
“I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, especially if it can be held up as a positive role model for my daughters”
 

Karen

Karen is profoundly deaf and has learning difficulties. She was quite shy in company and made very little eye contact or effort to communicate with others prior to joining one of our Learning for Wellbeing ‘drop-ins’. She attended with Kirstie, her carer, and soon began to relax in the group setting. She enjoyed knitting and sewing activities as well as the ‘cook and share’ sessions and helped to knit blankets for the local Premature Baby Unit.

 
Karen soon became an integral part of the group and, with Kirstie’s support, devised and delivered a sign language workshop to enable the group members to communicate better with her.

 
This was really well received and led to Jane, a group member, saying “We never think of Karen as deaf, she’s just one of our group”.
Kirstie reported that Karen’s social skills had greatly improved from joining the group and how much more confident she had become.
 

Sam

Sam, from Sutton in Cambridgeshire, enrolled on our Once in a Lifetime Project and took part in the Ambition Development Programme. A project encouraging personal development, he successfully completed all modules including ‘being a winner’, ‘walking away from trouble’, ‘being mentally strong’ ‘life choices’ and ‘planning for real life’.

 
The confidence gained through the project led to Sam signing up for a Boxing and Leadership Coaching programme. He discovered that he would like a future in developing and coaching other young people to make the most of their life opportunities and, to this end, is now embarking on a Level 3 Youth Worker qualification.

 
Sam has also passed a Level 2 Community Sports Leader examination and coaches sport to local youth groups as well as helping to run daily Youth Club sessions. Sam’s efforts and achievements so impressed that he was offered, and has accepted, an offer of employment with the Youth Service.
 

Shumaela

Shumaela was unemployed and looking for work when she first joined our NLDC funded project, delivered with support from City College Peterborough. She was using her considerable skills to run a group in Bretton on a voluntary basis, planning regular events including leisure activities such as walks and barbecues as well as learning opportunities.

 
Keen to increase her skills and improve her chances of finding work and with a commitment to the community and helping others, she became an active volunteer Learning Champion, supporting our Development Worker.

 
Through the Trust she took Basic Skills Assessments and passed Level 2 Literacy National Test. She also gained a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate, attended courses in Ikibana and Basic IT.

 
She used her newly gained IT skills to research and support her project on Whirling Dervishes and intends to undertake a further project comparing the roles of major people in religion and how they overlap into other faiths.

 
As a keen, pro-active Learning Champion, Shumaela is a great role model for others in the locality.

Personal Quote:
“CP Learning Trust has allowed me the opportunity to gain qualifications and study subjects which I would not be able to do on my own. The Trust’s involvement with my group and me has made us all feel very educated and proud”.