Lutfa Begum is a Community Partnership Lead at Bromley by Bow Health Partnership
The Communities Driving Change programme works with residents to understand what matters and bring about meaningful change. Staff found some residents hesitant to enact their great ideas so they commissioned Coaching Communities to help them build confidence and take action.
What we did
Over three years we set up two peer coaching circles with 12 residents, ran peer coaching and facilitation training with 16 staff and residents and are now training 6 alumni to become trainers.
What happened?
Increased confidence to act: people set up parents groups, changed jobs and made big life decisions.
Power shifted: as people took charge of their own development and ran their coaching circles.
Love was in the air: as people opened up and supported each other to flourish.
Inspiration for careers in coaching: We supported this to happen by employing alumni as peer coaches for new cohorts.
What Lutfa had to say about the coaching and training
"I love seeing people grow where they feel like they are somebody and they feel good about themselves.
I think coaching helps the person to think ‘wow, I’m so wicked, I’m so cool, I did this, I’ve done that’, it helps them to forget about you and realise what they’ve accomplished.
During the coaching training with Coaching Communities, I saw people come together to learn about how to work with other people in a meaningful way, allowing people to thrive and grow.
There was practical and theoretical work but at the same time, it was very flexible and really encouraged people to relax and engage with one another whilst feeling at ease."
And lastly, if there was more coaching in the world?
"If everyone received coaching, I think more people would feel more capable, more in control, more able to find solutions for themselves and a can-do attitude, someone doesn’t need to tell me how to do it, I can figure it out myself.
What you get for the organisation from coaching is not just a better working style but generally better people."