Grants Open Doors to Employment

Halyna Skvortsova
Jun 30
2 min read

Small Grants, Big Changes: How Facework Participants Turned Ideas Into Opportunities

At Facework Ukraine, we believe employment is not always about sending CVs and waiting for responses — sometimes, it’s about creating opportunities for yourself.

In our previous session, we explored how to transition smoothly into a new job — from making a great first impression to understanding workplace culture and onboarding in the UK.

Now, we’ve opened a new chapter:✨ From looking for a job → to creating one.

If you have valuable skills but aren’t sure how to gain local experience, there’s another way forward. Grants can help you transform your talents into employment opportunities — even if you’ve just arrived in a new country or sector.

That’s exactly what our latest session was all about:Small grants — and the big changes they can bring.

Learning from Real Experiences

Instead of just talking about theory, we went all in — this session was entirely focused on practical, real-life cases from our own community.

We explored 6 projects funded by small grants during Refugee Week, plus 3 more supported by the Lewisham Borough of Sanctuary. All of these initiatives were designed, applied for, and successfully implemented by Facework participants — many of whom had never worked with grants before.

With the support of Facework Group, especially Taina Zavora and Halyna Skvortsova, they navigated the full grant journey — from writing applications to bringing their projects to life.

Celebrating Creativity and Impact

Each project reflected a unique approach to building connections and creating opportunities:

Anastasiia Spivak used plasticine to help people craft inspiring, healing stories.
Oksana Yarema introduced newcomers to British culture through informal, engaging activities — helping locals and refugees better understand each other.
Lyudmyla Yakubova showed how Ukrainian painting traditions can spark environmental awareness.
Daria Shapovalova & Olena Naumenko organised a vibrant sports festival, proving that movement brings joy and unites people.
Svitlana Yakovlieva brought people together through games, highlighting the common ground we all share.

More Than a Session — A Turning Point

This wasn’t just another workshop. It was a moment of reflection and celebration — a chance to recognize how far participants had come.They say: no risk, no champagne. We took that risk — and we raised our glasses to dreams that are already becoming reality 🥂

Ready to Start Your Own Journey?

If you're wondering whether grants could help you too, we encourage you to watch the recap video from this session. You’ll see how small grants can open big doors — to employment, community connection, and personal growth.

And a heartfelt thank you to Katie Griffin and Stephen Carrick-Davies for their unwavering support and belief in this project from day one PRESENTATION