ZenW5 - a safe space for BAME and migrant women in NW5 4QE (360G-ThriveLDN-403)

14. What is your project? (400 words) ‘ZenW5 – a safe space for BAME and migrant women’ - is a unique project. It tackles the fact that BAME, refugee and asylum-seeking women often live in poverty and language isolation, with no access to the kinds of things that other women do when they feel ‘low’ – yoga, meditation, stretching exercises, massage or just coffee and cake with friends. These may sound like luxuries, but they aren’t. The space to think, breath, get sweaty without judgement, talk, feel another person’s fingers unknotting the tension in your shoulders. These are the ‘sandbags’ of the body’s initial mental health defences, preventing serious depression, especially for women. This programme will offer three activities a week; an hour’s yoga class, an hour’s Zumba class and a ninety minute ‘Massage and Meet-up’ session. To encourage refugee and asylum-seeking women to participate, we will provide an Arabic translator at yoga and Zumba. The class teacher will work with the translator beforehand to ensure smooth delivery of the class in both English and Arabic. ‘The Massage and Meet-up’ sessions will offer fifteen minute seated or Indian head massages. QCCA has already talked to Richdales Institute and the London School of Massage about trainee masseuses getting work experience with us. We believe these sessions won’t need a translator. We have budgeted for drinks and snacks after all three activities, so that women can chat and make friends. QCCA will recruit at least one volunteer for each activity to serve coffee and offer support, especially helping with English conversation. Those on lowest incomes will be offered £3 travel expenses. QCCA already has experience running popular women-only exercise classes as part of our Camden Health Kick (CHK) programme. Our women-only Zumba classes attracted between 8 – 12 women a time, most from local BAME communities. The CHK manager would co-ordinate ZenW5 using her contacts with existing users and teachers. Local knowledge tells us that there are also significant numbers of refugee and asylum-seeking women in Camden who could attend. We could launch this programme quickly. QCCA will measure impact by collecting quantitative data on who comes and how often. Participants will also take qualitative surveys. At the start of term they will be asked holistic wellness questions (‘Do you feel anxious/stressed/physically fit/happy/confident? etc). Answers will include ‘Yes very/yes averagely/no not very/no not at all/not sure’. This survey will be repeated at the end of term and progress measured.