Courage and Connectedness
Welcome to another Grit newsletter.
We're focusing in on celebrating the courage, connectedness and achievements of our participants. In a social narrative that seems ever more challenging in terms of its focus on what's not working, it's easy to lose sight of our innate power and what is possible when we unlock that power.
We often feel privileged at Grit that we get the opportunity to create a space where that unusual dynamic of, vulnerability & safety, courage & fear, challenge & support, are called forth We get to see human beings step up, connect and liberate themselves to thrive.
So it's important to us to share this back with you. Coaching - which sits at the heart of Grit's approach - has a fundamental belief underlying it: that all human beings are capable, want the best for themselves and don't need fixing. This can be hard to hold on to in amongst the turmoil of global situations and even day to day life. So we invite you to enjoy these snippets of courage, community and power. And if it feels possible maybe you can tap into those qualities in your own life and seek out whatever may be there to celebrate.
Ellie
Posting about Grit
“An amazing 2-day leadership training programme that has helped evolve the way I think and speak about myself.”
Asmi took part in a Grit programme at the University of Greenwich. On Linkedin She describes “an overall amazing, emotional but positive experience. I made a lot of new connections and have learnt a lot of valuable skills which I cannot wait to apply in my day-to-day life.” Read more about what she had to say.
And Gifty, a student at the University of Manchester, talks about how “I participated in the 2-day Grit Black Leadership Programme. This was an amazing experience that helped me to challenge my thoughts and digest perspectives that were different to mine. I have been able to use what we discussed in my daily life. The workshop built my leadership skills and brought out the skills that I already have to develop them even more. Thank you to Dionne, Tony and Kim who were able to provide an invaluable experience. Read more from Gifty here.
Grit in press…
Hot off the press is a blog we’ve co-authored with Tania Struetzel, Head of Student Success at Solent University. It’s about delivering an integrated, student-centred approach to support…
… while the Higher Education policy Institute have just published a blog we’ve co-authored with Rachael O’Connor, Academic Lead for Personal Tutoring at the University of Leeds. Recognising the individual: re-thinking engagement & the staff student relationship in personal tutoring is about using coaching to deliver positive, authentic interactions that empower students to find the agency to make the most of their student experience…
And Sparqs (Student Partnerships in Quality Scotland) interviews Grit about our work in universities. We talk about the power of community and belonging, what we learnt at the 2023 RAISE conference, Students of Colour and Black Leaders, and much more.
Unlocking the power
“It’s made me brave enough to unlock the power I have inside myself”
As Senior Manager for Community Safety, Emma leads the Community Safety Partnership in Cumberland. She took part in a Grit programme with staff from the local authority and a host of partner organisations from across the area.
This is what she had to say.