The 2Inspire Network Has Been Nominated For A Community Organisation Award at the National Diversity Awards!

For one night only Britain's most inspirational people come together to honour the rich tapestry of The UK, recognising individuals and groups from grass roots communities who have contributed to creating a more diverse and inclusive society. 

The awards will be held on Friday, 16th September at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral. The 2Inspire Network is proud to be recognised by the NDAs.

The 2inspire network was launched in May of 2012 to support women, particularly in enterprise. Hazel also formed The 2inspire Academy in March 2013, the academy is a personal development and life-skills programme for young men and women aged 16-24 whose work is driven by a group of young people who are on the steering group. The programme  ran a 2 week programme of free workshops for 16-24 year olds under the Smarter Communities Project in partnership with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in Lewisham in 2013.  2Inspire Network Founder, Hazel Chawapiwa was shortlisted for a Women4Africa Award in the “Role Model of The Year” Category. 

This NDA nomination is testament to the drive and passion that Hazel has shown to The 2Inspire Network since its inception in 2012.

www.nationaldiversityawards.co.uk 
www.facebook.com/nationaldiversityawards 
www.2inspirenetwork.com
@2inspireltd

Read Hazel Chawapiwa's piece on The For Harriet E-Magazine: The Truth About Single Motherhood

We are so proud that hazel's article has been featured on the popular For Harriet E-magazine based in the USA.

Please read and share @2inspireltd's Founder Hazel Chawapiwa piece THE TRUTH ABOUT SINGLE MOTHERHOOD http://ow.ly/B8rBN on  @ForHarriet

2Inspire Network - Mothers Day Special Feature & Competition: The Strength of a Woman

Mother's Day is nearly here, a celebration to honour mothers and motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world but most commonly it is celebrated in March to coincide with women’s history month and International Women's Day. March is a joyous month full of countless celebrations to celebrate women.

I have been fortunate enough to attend a few great women's celebrations this month but one that really touched me was the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trusts Women’s Awards which took place on the 7th March. It was a wonderful event as it celebrated the achievements of remarkable women who inspire those around them. Women were acknowledged and honoured for their amazing achievements. Along with promoting a positive image of women and recognising dynamic role models, the event raised an awareness of the work of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable trust which was set up in 2000. What really struck a cord with me was the courage of Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE who addressed the audience at the event, which was held the day after the revelations about the corruption of the police who were involved in the investigation of her sons murder came out. Doreen is truly a beacon of strength and I was completely humbled by her grace as she stood before us and spoke. 

My mother, Doreen Lawrence and I

My mother and Doreen are both formidable mothers who have inspired me by the way that they have become agents of change for their families, communities, and beyond. 

They are, in my opinion, prime examples of strong, selfless women who continue to have a powerful influence on those around them.

I have been fortunate to have cross paths with a lot of amazing women in my lifetime, particularly since I formed the network in 2012. Two that I would like to mention are two ladies that were recipients of the Ladies Day Award of Excellence in March and October 2013, Tricia Blake and Annette Clark-Headley, these are women that have beat the odds and have  overcome adversity by remembering what their goals are and what vision they have for their own future. You can learn more about these two from our feature on them in our blog and their spotlight interviews (details below*). 

                       

                              Tricia Blake, Divas Choice

Annette Clark-Headley, Almocado   

With them and the countless inspirational women that I have met in mind, I have decided that the theme for the next ladies day in June will be centred around the strength of a women. We have decided to run a competition whereby entrants will submit a title, slogon or catchphrase that highlights the strength of a woman which we will use for the event.(Full credit will be given to the winner). The prize will be a free exhibition stand at the event for the winner to promote a business or service. Please submit all entries to marketing@2inspirenetwork.com, the closing date is 8th April 2014.

I must end by saying that the strength and uniqueness of a woman can be compared to no other and I salute every woman out there.

Hazel Chawapiwa
Founder, Director 2inspire Network

*Interview & profile details of Tricia Blake & Annette Clark-Headley:
Tricia Blake: 
Blog: Tricia Blake Business Profile

Youtube: Tricia Blake Spotlight Interview

Annette Clark-Headley:

Blog: Annette Clark-Headley Business Profile

Youtube: Annette Clark-Headley Spotlight Interview

  

Hazel Chawapiwa featured on AfroCosmopolitan for International Women's Day

2Inspire Network founder, Hazel Chawapiwa was profiled on The AfroCosmopolitan Website on March 8th in honour of International Women's Day.

Read the profile piece here http://afrocosmopolitan.com/international-womens-day-celebrating-amanda-rabor-hazel-chawapiwa

The 2Inspire Academy "INSPIRE THE YOUTH" Summer Programme

August 30^th 2013 saw the completion of a 2 week summer programme titled “Inspire the youth” at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in Lewisham. The programme consisted of 5 workshops which were selected by a group of young people who are on the Steering Group for the 2inspire Academy.  The 5 workshops covered were Enterprise skills, Multimedia, Music technology and CV writing/Interview techniques. 

The Academy offers personal development & life skills programmes for young men and women aged 16-24 years,  it was set up to address negative stereotypical images of young people and provide access to personal development opportunities and role models.  Pebbles Denty, 18years old, a Steering Group member, says “I joined the Academy because I was intrigued to see what we would be able to achieve and what I could learn along the way. I wanted to be a part of something that could help to empower and motivate other young people. The summer programme was our first project, we learnt a lot and now have lots of ideas that we want to work on”.

The Academy was founded in March 2013 by Hazel Chawapiwa, Founder of The 2Inspire Network, Hazel says “I encouraged the Steering Group to take ownership of the Academy as it is important that young people take responsibility for their own development; are seen in a positive light by others; and they feel that they are valuable individuals who are able to make a positive contribution to society.  I was completely blown away by the young people’s commitment to the project and the results they produced in such a short space of time. With increasingly limited options, young people have been unable to find genuine opportunities to support their progression and more and more young people are becoming demoralized and disenfranchised.  The Academy was formed to be part of the solution and I am very proud of how the Steering Group have developed it.”

The Academy started planning the programmes in May 2013 and met fortnightly to develop the program and also to plan fund raising events. They successfully formed a partnership with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to run the workshops at the Stephen Lawrence Venue and were able to build relationships with Tutors to facilitate the workshops. Tutors were Junior Ogunyemi of Junior Entrepreneur, Poet and media specialist Patricia Foster, Lorna Stewart of Black 100+, Cory Waldron of KMC Talent Management. 

The Opening Ceremony for the event took place on Monday 19^th August to kick start the summer programme, The steering group opened the ceremony with presentation to inform attendees of the their aims and objectives and future plans for the Academy.  Lewisham Mayor Sir Steve Bullock and former Young Mayor of Lewisham, Jacob Sakil follwed with a speech and officially opened the programme with a cut of the ribbon.

 Sir Steve Bullock said that he attended the event to support the opening of the “inspire the Youth “ programme  as he strongly believes in the aims and objectives of the 2inspire Academy and thought it commendable that young people were being proactive and taking responsibility for their own development and that of their peers”. The Ceremony was ended with Performances from Nyarai and Chris Royal who entertained the crowd with their excellent vocal performances.

21 young people in total accessed the programme over the 2 week period and evaluations of the workshops have been very positive and have shown a demand for more. Felicity King, 18 years, said “I managed to attend most of the workshops and I really feel that I learnt a lot. I also gained a lot of knowledge from the experience of being part of the Steering Group, I am so happy to have been asked to be involved.  I have loved the journey so far and can’t wait to see what else we are able to do. Next time we will ensure we closely review optional dates in the summer, to ensure we do not clash with the period of exam result release dates and college and university enrolment, as a number of our attendees had to miss a few session due to clashes with these commitments,  but overall we are really pleased with the outcome and feedback.”

The Academy will be engaging in fund-raising events and activities whilst developing their next project. The next fund-raising event will be a talent showcase at Westfield Shopping Centre on October 3^rd as part of the Fashion Meets Music Pop Up Boutique that will be running from 7^thSeptember to 20^th October 2013.

For more information on the academy:

@2inspireacademy

www.2inspirenetwork/2inspireacademy.com

The 2Inspire Network celebrates its 1st Anniversary & fundraises for the 2inspire Academy

Saturday 8th June saw the celebration of the 2inspire Network 1st Anniversary party and fund-raising event take place at the Anise Bar in Liverpool Street.

2inspire Network was founded on 25th May 2012 and is a business dedicated to providing a platform of events, social media & training that empowers & inspire women particularly in business. A main objective of the business is to support women in enterprise and to assist them to enhance their socio-economic power. The company was founded as a result of the inspiration and support founder Hazel Chawapiwa received from her family & friends network, particularly during a difficult time in her life.


"Although the 2inspire Network is a new venture I wanted to mark the 1st year anniversary as I really wanted to celebrate the achievements of the organisation in such a short space of time, to acknowledge one of the inspirations behind the start up of the Network, (which is my mother whose birthday it was that week) and also to thank the women who have supported me and been a part of the 2inspire Network journey. It was not only a lovely celebration but a great chance to network and provided a fantastic platform for the performers to showcase their talents." - Hazel Chawapiwa

The event was also a fundraising event for the 2inspire Academy who are aiming to run a project in summer 2013 called "Inspire the youth" this is a project which intends to run workshops for 16-24 years olds in the following areas:

• Enterprise skills
• Multimedia
• Music technology
• CV writing/Interview skills

The 2inspire Academy was formed in March 2013 and is a a personal development & life-skills programme for young men & women aged 16-24. The academy was set up to address negative stereotypical images of young people and present them with additional life skills and role models. The aim of the academy is to guide and support young people so that they can make informed decisions, increase their skills and achieve personal targets to become confident active citizens within their communities. A steering group was formed for the Academy which consists of 8 16-24 year olds who guide the decision making of the Academy. The steering group members assisted in the planning and execution of the event and 5 of them were in attendance at the event. The Academy ambassador Charley Jai was also present and was instrumental in sourcing some of the amazing raffle prizes which included donations from Amor Magazine, Anise Kitchen, Mr Gorgeous, Bquav Photography, Dazzling Little Delights, Smomo, Diva's Addiction, Lorna Stewart, Deja Vu radio etc

It was a fun packed event and was hosted by inspirational speaker Usha Oliver of Dare to Dream.

The event highlights were:

The inspirational talks from guest speakers: Lorna Stewart (Black 100+), Carl Thompson (Self Made Me) Margaret Aberdeen (Life after Domestic Violence).

Lorna Stewart (Black 100+)

Carl Thompson (Self Made Me)

Margaret Aberdeen (Life After Domestic violence)

Spoken word performances from Cezanne Poetess and Patricia Foster.

Cezanne Poetess

Patricia Foster

Musical entertainment from artists: Nyrai Kizzy/ Amen noire, Joshua, Jen Titi-lola Da Sweetnezz, Rebecca , Linda E and Candice Chenade.

Nyrai Kizzy/ Amen Noire

Joshua

Candice Chenade

The event has now allowed the Academy to raise £464 towards their goal and was a great opportunity for the Academy message to be shared and get the support and encouragement from attendees. The Academy steering group will be holding their own fundraising event targeted at young people to help them reach their target in the summer. Please see link with information about the 2inspire Academy and possible ways you may be able to help them. http://www.2inspirenetwork.com/2inspireAcademy



A big thank you must go out to the sponsors of the event: Dazzling Little Delights, Smomo, Organo Coffee and Smomo:

 
More pictures from the event can be found on following link: 

https://plus.google.com/photos/111854041199502473986/albums/5891220528857886673?authkey=CN_DpseNv9bBBA

Photographs taken by Brian Quavs - bquavs@gmail.com

Hazel Chawapiwa on SouthAfrican.com

SouthAfrican.Com has featured SA and Zim women nominated in Women4Africa Awards

The annual Women4Africa awards celebrate UK-based African women making a difference in their communities. Hazel, founder of 2Inspire has been mentioned. Read the full article here: http://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/sa-and-zim-women-nominated-in-women4africa-awards.htm

The 2Inspire Network Celebrates the Creativity of Women in 2013

2Inspire Network is proud to announce the return of its popular 2Inspire Ladies Day event taking place on 9th March 2013 at the Crowne Plaza, Docklands.  Coinciding with International Women’s Day, "Celebrating the Creativity of Women" is a free event that will showcase budding and established female entrepreneurs; particularly those in the creative sector. For an additional £5 delegates can attend all workshops hosted on the day.

The event will include stands from organisatons and education institutions such as Birkbeck University as well as a wide range of businesses. There will also be entertainment and a number of workshops to meet the lifestyle, personal and business development needs of attendees. Workshop topics will cover health, education, personal development, business start-up, media and styling.

The 2Inspire Ladies Day offers a platform that promotes and celebrates the creative talent of women.  It provides an arena that will empower and support women in creating a crystal clear vision for both the personal and professional aspects of their lives.

The 2inspire network was launched in May of 2012, “Empowering individuals and helping them to realise their potential is something that I am passionate about. I believe that women should work together and support each other on their journeys, this belief is the foundation of the network, an organisation that provides forums and platforms that help to empower, promote and inspire women” says Founder Hazel Chawapiwa.

The network held its inaugural Ladies Day event in August of 2012, which had an attendance of just over 200,  it was a great success and received fantastic feedback from attendees and the exhibitors who took part. Hazel adds “The aim is to make this 2^nd Ladies day an even bigger and better event, a real celebration of women. We believe all women are creative in their everyday lives as home makers, mothers, employees and entrepreneurs and we want to showcase and celebrate this on the day.”

The event will also mark the official launch of the 2Inspire Network’s Academy; a 4 week personal development and life-skills programme for young people aged between 16-21. The academy is a partnership with Youth & Community worker, Milisa Nugent. “We are forming the academy to help young people focus on what's important for them now and in the future, providing them with access to positive opportunities and role models. The aim is to enable them to make informed decisions, increase their skills and achieve personal targets to become confident active citizens within their communities. At this 2Inspire Ladies Day we aim to raise awareness, raise funds and kick-start our recruitment drive for the academy with the intention to commence the program in August 2013.”- Milisa Nugent.

For more information log onto www.2inspirenetwork.com

marketing@2inspirenetwork.com

@2inspireltd

#2inspireladiesday

Registration link: http://2inspireladiesdaypart2.eventbrite.com/#

Notes to Editor

The exhibition will have an estimated 500 delegates and up to 45 exhibitors, whose products range from fashion to beauty to artwork, making the event an ultimate one-stop shop for ladies seeking inspiration, shopping, pampering and entertainment all under one roof. There is a one-off payment charge of £5, which permits entry to all of the workshops being held on the day. A crèche facility will be available onsite, which will be run by Ofsted registered Child-minders at an additional cost. This free exhibition is an opportunity not to be missed. It’s the only one of its kind in London and will be held at the luxurious Crowne Plaza Hotel is in the heart of London’s thriving Docklands area.