Breaking the chains

Kicking off International Women’s Day, Enterprise Team Leader Nora Kerezovic went with colleagues Chloe Lee and Ali Mills to represent United Response at Wandsworth Council’s learning event, ‘Stalking – Protecting Victims and Tackling Perpetrators’.

Drawing on her experiences leading interactive wellbeing sessions for people we support, Nora crafted and delivered a moving and personal workshop which left the audiences feeling empowered and uplifted.

Nora started the workshop by leaping onto the stage and holding up a metal chain – much to the surprise of the unsuspecting audience!

She explained that we all carry the weight of our own heavy, metaphorical chains, formed out of negative self-talk and challenging, or even sometimes traumatic, experiences.

The audience were asked to come together to produce two large paper chains. The first chain was negative, made up of cut up newspaper stories of stalking crimes from all over the world.

Audience members building their chains

The second chain was a chain of hope. This chain was made up of positive, energising words, which demonstrated how we can all work together as organisations to support survivors.

Symbolically, guests came together to break the shared negative chain. When it broke, everyone beamed and cheered. The shared motion of breaking something negative allowed for the formation of new bonds of community and care. 

One of the workshop participants Ana said:

It felt therapeutic, being able to put a name to the emotions we feel and make a commitment to change things. Breaking the ugly chain let out a frustration. The positive chain allowed us to think about the future and what we can do. 

The audience standing with their own positive chain

Celebrating each other

International Women’s Day is a chance for women to lift each other up, to share stories that inspire us, and to hold space open for one another.

With this in mind, the Enterprise opened its doors for an evening event. Local people from Richmond came together, to share their boldest ideas and bravest moments over some delicious food.

Inspired by the song ‘Naughty’ from Matilda, inspirational women and leaders in their different fields spoke about self-belief and how we all have the power to change our story.

Nora introducing the evening event

First to speak was Nora, who became the first employee at her level in BBC Worldwide to receive hybrid working, allowing her to balance her career with looking after her young daughter.

Then we heard from karate teacher Sensei Simona Dogaru, who explained that her move from Romania to England was driven by her husband’s desire to see her receive the opportunities she deserved.

Next up was Sarah Robbie, Founder of Active Women and Girls Foundation. She explained how sport played an important role in her early life, giving her confidence despite frequently moving schools:

Sport was my solace. I got to the stage where I was playing football in a team of 20 boys – and picked – and that was in the 1970s.

Keen to pass on the brilliant inspiration her own PE teacher gave her, Sarah set up the Active Women and Girls Foundation to promote, fund and deliver sports programmes for women and girls.

During Sarah’s talk, Kayleigh shared her own story of sport and self belief.

Shall I go in, or shall I be afraid?

These were the words Kayleigh asked herself before her first karate lesson with United Response in Richmond.

Kayleigh wasn’t sure if her cerebral palsy would stop her from being able to do karate. With encouragement from Sensei Simona, she was able to tell herself:

No. If I want to do it, I can do it. This is my life.

Kayleigh at the Enterprise International Women’s Day event

The final two talks, from actor Suzanne Cave and manager of Park Lane Stables RDA Natalie O’Rourke MBE, motivated everyone to nurture and believe in ourselves. Suzanne explained the damaging effects of negative self-talk, encouraging us to be kinder to ourselves.

As Suzanne told us, we all need to remember that ‘we’re always trying’.

Suzanne leading an inspirational session on self-talk

Meanwhile, Natalie told us how her own self-belief and fight saved her business. She told us how in one year she went from thinking she was going to lose her stables to receiving an MBE!

When her landlord announced he was selling the building, Natalie faced the challenge of trying to quickly raise £1 million to buy it. It was a big challenge, but Natalie succeeded in the end:

People didn’t believe I could do it. I never doubted I could do it; I couldn’t let the doubt in.

You’ve got to ‘big up’ the good bits of you. You’ve got to believe in what you’re doing and then other people will come along with you.

From left – Nora, Sarah, Natalie and Suzanne

Everyone was buzzing after the talks. Hallie and Jess from Ruils charity, told us:

To hear from these inspiring women who have been on the journey themselves shows what it could look like for us.

Here were women with real lives all in a room and celebrating each other.

Molly, Sofia and Alice, aged 11, all agreed it was inspirational. 

Sofia said,

They didn’t just do what they were told. They just went for it.

The night wasn’t just about the big, brave, bold stories we heard in the Q&A. It was also about the connections over cake, the laughter, and the shared fizz of excitement and ideas.  

It was about the coming together of others to mark something that matters, and making space to celebrate each other.

From left – Kayleigh, Nora and Matt Campbell, Enterprise Service Manager
  • Ali Mills is Communications and Engagement Officer for United Response.