I don’t remember exactly how I came across Florence Nightingale Foundation's programs. All I remember is I applied for the Internationally Educated Nurses and Midwifes (IENMs) Program and did not get a slot. A few months later, I got an email from the organization about another program: The Windrush Leadership Program. I took a shot at it, applied and got accepted for the 2023/2024 second cohort.
In case you are wondering, the name "Windrush" comes from British nursing history. In 1948, a ship called the HMT Empire Windrush arrived in Britain from the Carribean. A majority of its passengers went to work for NHS. Amongst them nurses. They are popularly called Empire Windrush Nurses. One could say that they were the first wave of migrant nurses to come to Britain to work for the NHS. Despite their vital contribution to the foundations of British's health system, they faced discrimination and racism, and their qualifications were thought to be less than. Today, hindsight has shown that the contributions of the Windrush generation were immense. June 22 is known as Windrush Day to commerorate them.
The Windrush Leadership Program, as the name connotes, is open to nurses of Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background in England. The main goal of the program is to empower BAME nurses to identify their leadership strengths and have the confidence to speak up and occupy spaces and positions to lead.
The program runs over six to eight months. In this time, sessions are held online with one face-to-face class and a final celebration day. All participants are expected to take part in a Quality Improvement (QI) project of their choosing at their workplaces. The best projects are selected and their posters are presented on the celebration day.
My Highlights of the Program
Overall, I enjoyed the entire program. All sessions were very well organised and interactive. We got to network meaningfully. The course moderators were nothing short of exceptional. The guest speakers were inspirational. My fellow participants were equally inspirational. During the sessions we got opportunities to share our struggles and dreams and to motivate and challenge each other.
More specifically, I enjoyed the sessions below the most;
The first session. In this class, we used the Myer Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to explore our personalities. This was a very reflective session that opened my eyes to me. Funny how we imagine we know everything about ourselves.
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) session. The theme of this session was Presence and Impact. This was the only face to face sesion. The moderator, Abi Eniola, is a reknowned communication and behavioural change coach. We practiced occupying your space in a room, letting your presence be felt even before you speak. One thing that has stayed with me to date is grounding yourself during public speaking, literally feeling the ground with your feet and letting your weight rest on it.
Building Your Authority Module. To me this was the most impactful of all sessions. It was a two day interactive workshop where we explored how to be Global Leaders. We restrospected on our career journeys, discussed leadership energies, the concepts of API and PIE among other topics. We had presentations from two trailblazing nurses in the UK: Ruth Oshinkanlu and Nichole Mcchintosh. In the end, we came up with Career Development Plans.
Impact of the Program
As a migrant nurse, my confidence in leadership was way below average. I changed jobs and moved to Critical Care just when I was starting to feel somewhat like my old self. This took me back to my early days in England. The Windrush Leadership Porgram came at an opportune time for me. I realised the feelings I had were not isolated to me.
Since the program, my confidence has skyrocketed. Even though I am yet to step into a leadership role, I am able to speak up when I feel I need to. My goal is to become a Nurse Specialist in Critical Care and eventually transition in teaching and mentorship. In every step of my career journey, I will carry all the learnings from the course close to my chest.
What Could Be Better
In my view, the sessions were too far apart. Although implementation of our Quality Improvement Projects was ongoing, the actual sessions could be months apart, fragmenting learning.
What my Cohort Mates had To Say
“I am very grateful to be one of the scholars for the FNF in 2023. I enjoyed listening to the admirable speakers and meeting up with my cohort members. The program has thoroughly made an impact in my career and encouraged me to be the best leader I can be. It inspired me to be the best person I can be, remembering that whatever I achieve in life, I always have to stay grounded. The program has made me a better leader and made me take every opportunity I have to improve myself and my leadership skills. Everyday is a challenge and an opportunity for learning!”
Bblyn Yotingco
“It was a great experience being a part of the Windrush Leadership Programme for May cohort in 2023. It was a life changing experience and I met some wonderful individuals along the journey.The Program has impacted positively on my career as I have grown alot in my role. I have been using the tools and strategies that I learnt throughout the duration of the course.
I am a Team Leader today in my new role that came a bit later than expected but by God's grace, I got there in the end. I continue to speak up, be bold and brave to get my voice heard. I totally enjoyed the workshops that were held throughout the program. They facilitated excellent interaction among my colleagues and on one occasion people got emotional as we spoke our truths and broke down barriers that we were facing just by finding our voices and standing our ground.
I am pleased to say that the Windrush Leadership Program has definitely helped me to stand tall, be grounded and let my voice be heard.“
Georgine Dunn
“I attended the program in 2023, this was an impressive program, perfectly designed to engage and educate the participants in each step of the program. I enjoyed the face to face part of the program where we got to interact and learn from the team and the participants. This gave a deep understanding of how different Trusts and teams work within the UK. This program gave me more confidence, better skills to communicate with my team, and be a better leader, to listen to my colleagues. I have kept myself up to date and involved with quality improvement in my Trust and is supporting with implementing this in my team.”
Berly Karippal Thomas
"I truly appreciated the opportunity to interact and connect with like minded individuals, engage in meaningful discussions and also be challenged by what each individual was doing and aspired to do. The programs workshop, mentorship sessions were delightful to say the least. My best lesson was the RADA training.
The program helped me to narrow down on my interests while intermarrying this with my skill set and experience. I gained the confidence to pursue the career path that will help me achieve my goal and enjoy it as the same time. Since completing the program, I did further training on quality improvement and moved into clinical research. I have become more vocal at work and I look forward to achieving my PHD in future."
Agnes Muthoni
Applications are Now Open
If you are BAME nurse reading this, please apply for the course here by 2nd March. I believe all nurses are leaders at different capacities, making this course a resource for all. Make sure to request for study leave from work in good time as you are entitled to it.
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