CWGIE Evolution

Empowering Women. Inspiring Girls. Building Stronger Communities.

CWGIE Evolution is a three-year community empowerment project led by Diversity House, supporting women and girls across Swale and, in the later stages of the project, Medway. The project is funder by the National Lottery Reaching Communities fund.

The project brings together practical support, learning, wellbeing, mentoring, leadership and community connection to help women and girls overcome barriers, develop their strengths and take greater control over their lives.

CWGIE Evolution is about creating opportunities to grow — and creating the conditions for women and girls to lead.

About CWGIE Evolution

A space to connect, learn, grow and lead

CWGIE Evolution builds on the work of the Centre for Women and Girls Innovation and Empowerment (CWGIE), which has been operating since October 2022.

The project has been developed in response to the experiences and needs of women and girls in our communities, including those facing poverty, migration-related disadvantage, language barriers, domestic abuse, poor health, social isolation and other forms of inequality.

CWGIE takes an intersectional, trauma-informed and community-led approach.

This means recognising that people’s experiences are complex, listening to lived experience, and working alongside women and girls to design services that are relevant, accessible and meaningful.

CWGIE was co-designed with local women and continues to use advisory panels and participant feedback to shape its work.

What We Do

Practical support. New skills. New opportunities.

CWGIE Evolution brings together a range of activities designed to support women and girls at different stages of their lives.

ONE STOP ADVICE SHOPS

Our One Stop Advice Shops bring different organisations and sources of support together, making it easier for women to access help with issues such as:

Welfare and benefits
Housing
Employment
Debt and financial concerns
Rights and legal issues
Domestic abuse
Health and wellbeing

By bringing partners together, we help women access appropriate advice and support in a more joined-up way.

DIGITAL SKILLS & INCLUSION

Digital access is increasingly important for education, employment, public services and everyday life.

CWGIE supports women and girls to develop their digital confidence and skills, helping reduce digital exclusion and open up new opportunities.

Our CWGIE team also brings expertise in IT and cybersecurity.

PEER MENTORING & LEADERSHIP

We believe that women with lived experience have knowledge, strengths and experience that can help others.

CWGIE Evolution is developing peer mentoring and leadership opportunities so that women can progress from participants to mentors, role models and community leaders.

During Year 1, the project is providing peer mentoring and leadership training for 30 women.

ESOL, LIFE SKILLS & WELLBEING

Learning is at the heart of empowerment.

CWGIE provides ESOL, life skills and wellbeing activities that support confidence, communication, independence and participation.

These activities provide opportunities to learn, connect with others and develop the skills needed to navigate everyday life.

WELLBEING & RESILIENCE

CWGIE provides trauma-informed wellbeing support, helping women and girls build resilience and access trusted routes to appropriate health and support services.

Our approach recognises that wellbeing is connected to wider circumstances, including education, employment, financial security, relationships, language and social connection.

MEN AS ALLIES

Gender equality is a shared responsibility.

CWGIE Evolution’s Men as Allies initiative creates opportunities for men to understand gender equality and contribute to positive change.

The Year 1 programme is launching with 50 participants.

GIRLS AT CWGIE

Supporting girls to build confidence and imagine what’s possible

Girls aged 10–18 are an important part of the CWGIE vision.

The project takes a life-course approach, recognising that early experiences can influence future health, confidence, education and opportunities.

Through safe spaces, academic support, life skills and leadership opportunities, CWGIE helps girls develop social and emotional resilience while connecting them with trusted adults and positive opportunities.

We want girls to have the confidence to ask:

“What could I become?”

And the support to explore the possibilities.

Our Approach

People are not problems to be fixed. They are partners in change.

CWGIE Evolution is built around four principles. Our philosophy is simple: Do not wait for people to come to you. Go to where they are.

COMMUNITY-LED

Women and girls help shape the services they use.

Through co-production, advisory panels and ongoing feedback, participants have a voice in the development and evaluation of the project.

INTERSECTIONAL

We recognise that barriers can overlap.

Gender, poverty, migration, ethnicity, language, disability, age, health and other factors can combine to shape people’s experiences.

Our approach responds to the whole person rather than treating challenges as separate issues.

TRAUMA-INFORMED

We aim to create environments where women and girls feel safe, respected and able to participate.

Our delivery is designed to be culturally sensitive and responsive to people’s individual circumstances.

ACCESSIBLE

We do not expect people to overcome barriers simply to reach our services.

CWGIE uses community outreach, bilingual staff and resources, women-only spaces, flexible scheduling, digital and face-to-face engagement and other approaches to make participation more accessible.

Where We Work

Rooted in Swale. Growing with our communities.

CWGIE Evolution is rooted in Swale, with the CWGIE Hub in Sittingbourne and outreach activity reaching communities including Sheerness and Faversham.

The project is designed to reach women and girls in urban, coastal and rural communities, including those who may face additional barriers to accessing services.

In the later stage of the project, the CWGIE model is planned to extend into Medway, working with the Sunlight Centre in Gillingham.

SITTINGBOURNE

CWGIE Hub

SHEERNESS

Satellite outreach

FAVERSHAM

Community and outreach delivery

MEDWAY

Planned expansion in Year 3

YEAR ONE

Strengthening and Stabilising CWGIE in Swale

CWGIE Evolution is currently in its first year of delivery.

Year 1 focuses on strengthening the foundations of the project and expanding access to support across Swale.

Our Year 1 activities include:

One Stop Advice Shops
Bringing specialist organisations together to provide holistic advice and support.

ESOL, life skills and wellbeing
Regular activities supporting confidence, communication, independence and wellbeing.

Men as Allies
Creating opportunities for men to understand and support gender equality.

Peer mentoring and leadership
Supporting women with lived experience to develop mentoring and leadership skills.

Community outreach
Taking information, support and opportunities into the communities where women and girls live.

Safe and inclusive spaces
Creating environments where women and girls can learn, connect and participate without judgement.

These activities form the foundation for the next stages of CWGIE Evolution.

WORKING TOGETHER

Change is stronger when communities and organisations work together

CWGIE Evolution is delivered by Diversity House alongside a network of community, voluntary, statutory and specialist partners.

Our partnership approach helps connect women and girls with the right support while bringing different areas of expertise together.

Our partners include:

Citizens Advice Swale
Advice on benefits, debt, housing, rights and related issues.

SATEDA
Specialist domestic abuse support.

NHS Medway & Swale
Health and wellbeing pathways.

Swale CVS & DWP
Employment, volunteering and community opportunities.

West Faversham Community Association
Local community delivery and outreach.

Children and Families Ltd
Support relating to SEND families in Sheerness.

Swale Borough Council
Housing and household support.

Local schools
Outreach and engagement with girls aged 10+.

Sunlight Centre Gillingham

A PROJECT BUILT WITH ITS COMMUNITY

Your voice helps shape CWGIE

CWGIE is not designed behind closed doors.

Women and girls who use our services help shape what we do.

Through feedback, advisory panels, co-design and co-production, we listen, learn and adapt.

This helps ensure that the project responds to what communities actually need and that participants remain central to the development and evaluation of our work.

The people who use our services are our co-pilots in creating change.

LOOKING AHEAD

Building towards a stronger, more connected future

CWGIE Evolution is a three-year journey.

Right now, our focus is on strengthening delivery in Swale and ensuring that women and girls can access meaningful support, learning and opportunities.

As the project develops, we will build on these foundations through further opportunities around enterprise, STEM and creative innovation, women’s leadership and regional collaboration, including the planned Medway pilot.

For now, we are focused on getting the foundations right:

Listening. Connecting. Learning. Empowering.

GET INVOLVED

There is a place for you at CWGIE

Whether you are a woman looking for support, a community member who wants to volunteer, an organisation interested in partnership, or someone who wants to help create greater equality in our communities — we would love to hear from you.

WOMEN & GIRLS

Find out about current activities and opportunities.

Explore Our Activities

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VOLUNTEERS & MENTORS

Share your skills, experience and time.

Volunteer With Us

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ORGANISATIONS & PARTNERS

Work with us to strengthen support for women and girls.

Become a Partner

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