Intergeneration Women4Women

Overview:

Generation Women4Women is an intergenerational project that will provide women in Govan and surrounding areas with opportunities to learn, share and grow in confidence and self-esteem with 1-2-1 support from a volunteer mentor.

Creativity: The program encourages participants to express themselves through cultural crafts, cooking, and digital skills. By sharing traditional practices and blending them with modern techniques, the Women 4 Women inspires innovation and celebrates diversity by providing a safe space for participants to explore new ideas, develop creative confidence, and use their imagination to produce meaningful work that reflects both cultural heritage and personal growth.

Experiences: Participants gain valuable life experiences through workshops that celebrate different traditions while building practical skills. These shared experiences foster empathy, belonging, and mutual respect, enriching the lives of both young and older women. Through active participation, the women not only learn new abilities but also build lasting memories that strengthen their connection to the community. Team work:

Teamwork is at the heart of the W4W project. The women collaborate in an inclusive, supportive environment where knowledge is exchanged between generations and trust is built. Working together on cooking sessions or craft exhibitions encourages cooperation, communication, and collective achievement. This shared effort helps create a sense of community cohesion, showing how collaboration can bridge generational and cultural differences while promoting unity.

Continuous Improvement: Our program also encourages participants to use their new skills as stepping stones toward further education or employment. The women also benefit through personal and professional growth, enhancing their leadership and teaching abilities. Regular feedback and reflection throughout the program ensure that the program evolves to meet community needs, fostering a culture of lifelong learning for the women.

Purpose/Objectives:

The Project aims to foster a personal development program where volunteers share and teach participants practical skills in cultural traditional crafts, cooking and digital skills, helping to build friendships, community integration and cohesion. Skills learned from the program can be used to help women access further training or employment, inspiring and empowering them to reach their full potential.

Participants:

Women from Govan and surrounding areas aged 50+ and 18-30. 50% of participants are from BMAE/refugee/ asylum seeker communities. We have had 32 women attend our program and 18 women volunteer on the program (yr1 – yr2).

Benefits for young people:

Young people aged 18-30 will benefit from the program by acquiring traditional skills and crafts such as knitting, crocheting, cooking, jewellery making, card making, sewing, etc that are no longer taught in schools and have not been passed down families as in previous generations, as well as passing on the benefit of their experiences and knowledge and building friendships.

Benefits for older people:

Older women aged 50+ will benefit from the program by learning digital skills such as IT skills, using social media, mobile telephones, online shopping, saving files, etc as well as sharing experiences of the pressures and anxieties young women face in modern society.

Benefits for the community:

The difference this program has made for our community in this funded year:

  • 100% of participants said they had increased confidence and feelings of empowerment
  • 100% of participants had increased awareness of other community support, activities and organisations
  • Reduction in feelings of isolation by an average of 81% in participants
  • 78% of participants are attending other GL activities as a result of taking part in this program
  • 5 women have gone on to volunteer at Magpies Eye, Sunny Govan Radio, The Wee Retreat CIC,Community Veterans Support and Tramway.
  • 15% have been inspired to look at accessing further training options through college/further education courses
  • 30% of participants returned to employment or were looking into setting up their own business.
  • 100% of participants and 70% of volunteers gained new skills
  • 62% of women stated they had improved mental wellbeing through being more relaxed, less stressed or anxious.

These are real differences that W4W has made for the community throughout the funded years, and the evidence is really in the quotes and feedback we receive from women, support workers, other community organisations etc.

“I am so glad I was able to come, learn something and try something new... otherwise I would’ve just been sitting in the house alone and bored” ¬Usha

“This project came at a time when I needed it most. A safe welcoming space for women¬ protected time, a routine to be creative. I have had such a sense of achievement from learning something new which has been a real boost to my overall wellbeing. Truly, I have learnt a skill for life. I also feel much more confident coming into a new space and connecting with others.”¬ Josie

“This program coincidentally became a light in some very difficult days. I felt I found a community, and I'd love to be more involved in this on similar programmes.”¬ Mamta

“Allowed me to get back into something I used to really enjoy but have no space for at home currently. Met new people who I would now recognise and say hello to in the community¬ makes me feel included. More confident at talking to people.”¬Gem

“Through this, I have found that I am interested in volunteering and maybe going back to work when my little one is a bit older” ¬ Tooba

“I’ve seen a real difference in her... it’s great to be able to refer people to this program and then see the payoff months later”¬ Support Worker (Linda)

Activities/Events:

In each program, Gilded Lily had up to 16 women at our premises on Govan Road. The first program targeted women 50+ and the second program targeted women aged 18-30 to increase confidence, wellbeing and mental health by reducing isolation and increasing employability/career/business options through a sharing of skills and knowledge that helped to inspire women to achieve their personal goals in life.

Our first program focused on traditional crafts where volunteers 50+ taught learners 18-¬30 a skill over the course of 8 weeks. Skills focused on this program included: sewing, crochet, knitting, felting, cross stitch.

Our second program focused on digital skills where women 18-¬30 mentored women 50+. Over 8 weeks, supporting them to become more digitally confident, teaching participants how to use their tech devices with issues participants requested support with which included: how to set¬up and use an email account, how to use Microsoft Office, editing social media content, using social media for business marketing.

In addition to the crafting/digital skills, self-development and wellbeing activities were delivered in the second part of each session, led by experienced and qualified facilitators from our community. Wellbeing activities included; Creative Calm, Qi Gong, Presentation Power, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Creative writing, Limiting Beliefs, Gentle Yoga and Breathwork.

The program was divided into 2 x 8weeks confidence and personal development programs per year over 3 years, meeting once a week over 8 weeks for each program. As well as the personal development programs, we provided 22 x weekly drop-¬in sessions, where the women who were involved in the program and other women in the community could continue learning and developing their newly learned skills with their mentors.

Evaluation:

We evaluated the project by gathering participant feedback, comparing outcomes to our original goals, and identifying areas for improvement. This helped us measure the impact and shape future planning.

After each session, we actively collect feedback to ensure participants benefit fully from the programme. We offer anonymous options to encourage honest responses and create a safe, supportive environment.

Feedback is gathered through group discussions, printed forms, post-it notes, and follow-up messages via email, WhatsApp, or text. We ask about the activity, timing, venue, resources, and facilitators, and include open-ended questions for additional comments.

We tracked confidence and wellbeing levels of participants and volunteers throughout the programme using regular monitoring and evaluation. At the start, average confidence was rated at 5 out of 10. By the end, this had increased to 8.6 out of 10 — a 52% improvement.

Feelings of empowerment also rose, from an average of 5.6 to 7.4 out of 10, showing a 28% increase. These results highlight the positive impact the programme had on both participants and volunteers:

  • “This program has given me more confidence and has given me access to new friendships”¬ Jenny 
  • “I was feeling quite lonely and unmotivated but upon joining the program let me be fulfilled and happy...It’s helped me build confidence in myself”¬ Anne MT 
  • “I had a lovely time, the gentle movements/massage was a lovely way to finish up and working on email skills was very useful!” ¬Farhana 
  • “Because of this (digital class) I went on and felt confident enough to try this myself at home, which is brilliant!” ¬Jenny 
  • “I would really like to thank you so much for this opportunity. Attending this programme helped me a lot!”¬ Sarra 

Our program feedback and evaluations show that, as a result of taking part in the program:

  • 78% of women are now attending other Gilded Lily activities 
  • 10% of women have either helped to deliver Gilded Lily events and activities or have facilitated their own creative sessions for other women within the community. 
  • 3 women went on to take part and achieve accreditation through Gilded Lily programs, after attending Women 4 Women 
  • 30% of the women expressed an interest in additional volunteering opportunities, and through referral and signposting links, 5 women have gone on to volunteer at local community groups 

In year 2, we were also able to offer fixed ¬term employment to one of the women who was introduced to Gilded Lily through the W4W program. Funding: Glasgow City Council. Sustainability: The project will continue subject to future funding being granted.

Funding:

Glasgow City Council.

Sustainability:

The project will continue subject to future funding being granted.

Scottish National Performance Framework Outcomes:

Our Program helps to directly contribute to the following outcomes -

Communities: We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe 

Culture: We are creative and our vibrant and diverse cultures are expressed and enjoyed widely 

Education: We are well educated, skilled and able to contribute to society 

Poverty: We tackle poverty by sharing opportunities, wealth and power more equally.