Singing From the Heart

Song writing doesn't come naturally to most of us, but to some of the women from our womens drop-in project, it seems to be a gift!

It has also led them to an exciting few weeks; being on the radio, meeting one of the biggest boy bands from the UK (!), and growing in creativity.

Music helps us to express our emotions. Gifted songwriters often battle through difficult topics and heartbreaking lyrics and effectively get a message across. Liam, one of our community workers here and a talented songwriter and musician himself worked with the Recovery project, a part of our Heart2Change program to encourage creativity in songwriting. He's written a few words about the journey these women have been on...

"In August I started to get involved in the women’s group ran by Iona, and I was asked to do a song writing day with the girls. At first it seemed like it was going to be a struggle for the girls to have confidence in being involved, but within a few minutes we started to put a song together! The song writing only went on for half an hour but at the end the half an hour we had a full song written by the girls. The song was about how they were feeling before they found someone and somewhere they could go to and expressed their true feelings in this song. After this we started to get very excited that the girls had come up with something so amazing and decided we would try our best to get this recorded as the girls said nothing they do goes anywhere.
  After speaking to another charity who have a recording studio and vocal coaches, we decided that we could work with them to make this possible Over the weeks that followed, we had a vocal coach come over to help the girls with the song and this came from the recording studio. The girls started to get excited as we put a date in for recording. 
  This then led to the girls meeting JLS! (YES, they got to meet JLS!)

JLS meeting the girls

Performing the Song to JLS

Marvin gets acquainted with the AWO family!

They performed their song to JLS, giving them background on why they made this song. They then got to meet them in VIP at TFM Radio where JLS were about to go on the Radio. Marvin from JLS asked Jessie our CEO if she could give him the finished copy when the girls finish recording, praising the song and getting pictures with the girls and signing merchandise.

A Way Out meet JLS

This was a big boost to the girls confidence and made them really happy, this means so much to these girls as it is a step forward in their lives and something that they have never had the opportunity to do. After JLS left, the radio station asked us to do an interview and perform the song live on the radio as part of the story of how the girls and us got to meet JLS and what the story behind the girls lives and the song was about."

Performing the song to TFM radio

Big thanks to JLS and TFM radio who were both so encouraging and supportive when we met them, very welcoming and helpful. Thank you!

We'll leave you with a few lines from their amazing song; 'Everyday Things':

"I was feeling trapped, I didn't care about nowt

Then all of a sudden I found A Way Out

Out in the cold a whisper became a shout

I never looked back or gave a second doubt

I changed my life

It helped me see the person I could really be

This is me

Who could you be?"

Love from A Way Out x

Many thanks to Anthony Preece for the images in this blog post.

Give As You Live for A Way Out

We have recently signed up to 'Give As You Live' in partnership with EveryClick website, a new initiative enabling our supporters to fundraise for us, as a part of their everyday lives whilst shopping online.

You can either search for shops on their search engine, or download GiveAsYouLive to your computer, and whenever you do your online shopping, a few pennies may be donated to us (free for you!) at the same time.

There are over 2,000 shops participating in the scheme; hmv, Amazon, Boden, John Lewis, lastminute.com and more.

Give As You Live have also offered us a £5 charity donation for every new person who signs up and spends £10 online. If you have a few moments, why not sign up to GiveAsYouLive, and fundraise for us. Every penny counts, and as many people say 'if you look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves'.

To use the service, simply sign up here: http://www.everyclick.com/awayoutcharity . We really appreciate it, and raising funds is vital for our life-changing work here at A Way Out.

Thank You!

Love from A Way Out x

Heart2Change Graduation

Our Heart2Change project was launched last Autumn with five young women as a part of the recovery work we do. The aim of the project is to support 16-24 year old-women who have been a part of A WAY OUT for some time, and are committed to working on life skills and development. You can find out more about what the weekly program looked like from our blog post in January; Changing Hearts Changing Lives.

We reached the end of the program this Summer, and all five young women who began the course in November had extremely positive outcomes. Three young women saw the course right through and graduated from the program this Summer. During the course, one young woman decided to return to her college course, so didn't fully complete the program, but found renewed motivation from the program to continue learning and developing there. Another young woman was offered an apprenticeship which she decided to pursue, and we supported her in that decision.

The Heart2Change graduates, the Mayor of Stockton and A WAY OUT Staff

Two weeks ago we had a celebratory evening event - the Heart2Change Graduation - to celebrate all that these five young women achieved. We dressed up in suits and cocktail dresses and spent the evening in the beautiful Crathorne Hall in Yarm where we shared a delicious meal and excitement about all these girls have achieved and could achieve in the future.

The Mayor of Stockton came to our event too! She is a great support of our charity, naming us one of her charities of the year.

We ate dinner and had speeches, and then the young women received their awards!

They all received a bouquet of flowers, a certificate and an engraved vase.

As you can see, we had a lovely time!

It's been so important to recognise the significance of the Heart2Change program in the lives of the five young women we mentioned. Their commitment to development has been truly inspiring and we are so pleased for them and all they have achieved!

We want to leave you with Danni's Story...

Danni was referred to us by her college as she was homeless and having a really hard time. She was struggling to attend college and was experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Danni wanted to apply for Heart 2 Change to address these issues as well as to gain emotional support. Danni is now doing really well; family relationships have built back up and she finished her college course. She intends to go back to college next year to study social sciences in order to prepare her for university where she would like to study nursing.

This is Love, Hope and Freedom in action!

We are looking forward to the project starting again in the Autumn. Here's to more breakthroughs!

Love from A WAY OUT x

The Stockton River Rat Race 2012

We have been mightily impressed by the determination of a number of our supporters who have committed themselves to crazy challenge events, raising funds for us. You're all MAD for A WAY OUT, and we love you!

The most recent challenge event was one that took place right on our doorstep - the Stockton River Rat Race. The 10K race involves splashing, jumping, kayaking and running, including a jump from the ship just outside of our office into the cool, deep waters of the river Tees.

The full team standing with the Mayor of Stockton

The preliminary warm-up exercises were very important...

Hands up in the air!

Liam doesn't seem to understand it's "Hands in the Air!"

Squats!

Push-ups

We managed to capture a few snapshots of our team near the end of the race, when they weren't swimming through the River Tees...

Near the finish line

Final Rat Race Obstacles

We met our racers at the finish line, and they did fantastically, and even had enough energy to give us a big grin at the end of it all.

We have also had volunteers who have been fundraising for us through Total Warrior again this year, with bungee jumps and more, and we are grateful to you all. Thank you for all you do - your activities help support our life changing work! (We hope you've had fun in the process... ;))

love from

A Way Out x

An Evening of Rags and Muffins

We held another of our popular Rags and Muffins events a few weeks back. This time, we hosted the event in an evening, different to our usual afternoon slot and naturally the evening oozed style, local talent and class! We had catwalks with fabulous models, dance groups, make-up artists, hair designers and more as well as gorgeous cupcakes and vintage clothes to rummage through.

One of our Rags and Muffins models.

Some of the team behind the event: Karen Heritage, Karen Heritage Dancers and Sarah-Jane our community fundraiser.

The Karen Heritage Dance Group in Action.

More from the Dance Group

All clothes that the models wore were for sale by Vintageous Rags, who sponsored the event.

Some of our lovely models from the catwalk.

One of our Rags and Muffins models.

Sarah-Jane, event co-ordinator and volunteer Tom, who compared the evening for us!

As you know, these events are more than just a good time, they're vital to our funds for our work to continue, and also helps us to raise awareness of who we are and what we do. On that note, we would like to take a moment to thank Asda in Thornaby, Stockton, for making us one of their charities of the month, and if you live in the area - we would love your support if you shop at Asda!

Thanks to all those who participated in our Rags and Muffins event, and to all those who came. We couldn't do it without you!

Love from A Way Out x

We Will Get There!

Our CEO, Jessie, regularly sends round updates to the staff team here at A WAY OUT, to inspire and motivate us, and to let us know what she's up to.  This week, she sent around the following email about we as an organisation respond to the challenges of being a charity in this current economic climate.  We thought we would share it with you.  It's a great read!

"I love my catch up’s with the team; hearing from the heart of the projects, listening to the journey that people are on, not just clients but the staff team too.  I love the culture in A WAY OUT, the community and family spirit, the “can do” attitude; the sense of team and the feeling that you are never it on your own, that we are all working together for one cause.
One expression I have heard many times over the years is “We’ll get there!”

We have always had big dreams and ambitions as a local charity.  We have high hopes for our clients, our projects and our organisation.  But the reality is this is an incredibly challenging environment to work in.  We are working with some of the most excluded people in society, with women and young people trapped in some of the most difficult situations. We are also operating in a time when pressures for professionalism and excellence increase whilst available funding is being reduced and therefore the sectors capacity to respond to these demands becomes tighter.

So how do A WAY OUT respond to these challenges? As we always have done; with Faith! With a knowledge that no-matter how great the challenge that is set before us, we WILL get there!

I was at a round table meeting last week at Whitehall, with the minster for civil society Nick Hurd (The guy behind the big society)
 
It was interesting to hear the story of many other small charities and the challenges that they faced around funding and external pressures.  What was particularly heartening though was that it was evident that this resilience you experience here at A WAY OUT, was so clear to see in many other organisations under the radar; smaller charity & community groups from all across the country, represented at this meeting.  These projects aren’t delivering services for financial gain, they are delivering services because there is a need and they want to be a part of offering a solution to that need.  They will exist no matter what. They will be entrepreneurial, resourceful, responsive and flexible.  They will be driven by their hearts and not the bottom line.  They are in fact (as a previous Big society report stated), the bedrock of our society; A civil society.  The issue though, is how we get the decision makers, our authorities and public servants to recognise exactly what the value of these organisations is to our society and communities. To recognise exactly what our value to our communities is.

All the work I am doing nationally is centred around being a voice for this sector; working to get projects just like ours to appear on the radar of decision makers.  To influence policy that could have a direct affect on either our service users, or on our ability to deliver services.  To look at how we work together with other similar organisations to strengthen each other, and maximise our impact.
It is not an easy task, we have some up-hill struggles and a tide of culture to turn, but I have learned one very important lesson over the last 10 years of leading a way out…

WE WILL GET THERE!"

Love from A Way Out x

Prostitution... Choice or Abuse?

As you're probably aware, A WAY OUT has been working with vulnerable women since we began as a charity 10 years ago.  Some of these women are involved in street prostitution and one of the issues we have faced in raising awareness and support for our work with these women, is that many people think that women who work on the streets have chosen to be there. The need for their support is therefore questioned. Through our work over the last 10 years in Stockton, we have observed a very different story...

Nearly all the women we work with don't want to be working on the streets, in fact, they are often victims of circumstance.  They have often had traumatic pasts which can include historical abuse and other personal trauma.  The work they do often supports not only themselves, but other people; boyfriends, landlords and so on.

There is a clear correlation that for many of these women, experiences as a child and young adult affect the choices they make in later life.  Some of our projects here specifically target that age group - teaching them healthy living, alcohol and drug awareness and befriending them, so these situations are minimalised.   Some of our projects work with women already in street prostitution, helping to improve their safety, and to refer them onto more specialised services to show them a way out.

Some people believe our support of these women is not needed, but in reality, these women are like you and me.  If you met them on the street, they could be your sister, cousin, mother, daughter.  All they want is to have a "normal" life; having a coffee with friends, going out for lunch, taking a trip to the cinema, but because of past life circumstances that can lead to addiction, these women have become engrained in a non-choice activity that is completely stigmatised by society.

To help you make a decision on whether these women need or deserve support, here's a statement from one girl, who we'll call Lucy.  When interviewed about her life and the link between her addiction and prostitution she said:
  "That is my life, in those bags over there.  I have got nothing.  Nothing.  We were just messed up kids looking for a buzz.  Nobody ever imagined it would end up like this.  I've ended up in prostitution through it and I feel like I am being abused, every time I go out there.  The men, they know you need your drugs and they will make you do anything. It's not right and it has to stop."

We believe this is abuse, not choice. And it has to stop.  What do you think?

If you're interested in finding out more about our work to help prevent sexual exploitation, then head over to our website and our 'become a friend to Katie' campaign.

We think it's good to discuss and debate important issues.

Love from A Way Out x