Why Qawah?

Qawah is a Hebrew word, which means “to wait, look for or hope with eager expectation.”

This waiting is far from passive – but balances the things we are in control of with those things that are outside of our immediate influence. We can wrestle (with our contexts, our resources and even ourselves) as we wait – and, in doing so, we begin to see clarity forming where once there was only confusion. So we neither naively expect everything to improve immediately, nor sit back and hope for change to happen without us having to do any work.

Hope is not dependent on personal circumstances, history or attitude – but stretches beyond our present reality, into a future where things have changed for the better. And we draw on an range of internal and external resources as we engage with this hope – including understanding that the realisation of that hope takes time, and positive change only comes through intentional action. This action may be to stop a behaviour or relationship, to start something new, and/or to alter how we think about and do things.

Waiting is not instinctively an easy thing for most of us. We live in a world where increasingly everything happens quickly, and we all-too-readily lose sight of the opportunity to stop, notice and reflect. When you work with a coach, you are giving yourself explicit permission to invest in areas of self-limitation, fear or false-narrative.

And so, at Qawah, we work with you to create space where you can have an honest conversation with yourself about who you really are, and who you want to be – personally and/or professionally – to begin a journey of improvement, with eager expectation that the journey will be exciting, engaging and profitable.

Get in touch to find out how we can help you help yourself

Training, Public Speaking and Resource Creation

At Qawah, we recognise the importance of learning and development. We have years of expertise in a range of formal and informal education settings, and can off your business, organisation or group a high-quality bespoke product that responds to your needs.

Andy has spent much of his career in training, education and charity work. He has designed and taught lessons, courses, and group-learning exercises for all ages – including time as a tutor on two Youth Work and Culture degrees, as a Chaplain in a secondary setting, and Director of a local youth work charity.

Although we have split our approaches into three different categories below, the reality is that often these delivery styles blend to suit the context. We remain convinced that learning and development is best experienced collaboratively and that individuals and communities learn best when they journey together towards a common goal.

Training:

We specialise in creative approaches to problem solving, and are experts at capturing complex topics and themes and communicating them clearly in a way that encourages proactive and positive responses. Some things we have provided training for include:

Charities seeking to re-connect with the purpose
Faith communities looking to re-examine their sense of calling and identity
Youth, school and community groups who want to explore ways they can positively impact their communities or grow together
Businesses wishing to deepen their sense of identity, build internal relationships or re-discover their core strategies

Andy is also a qualified trainer of FAA-accredited courses in:

Awareness of First Aid for Mental Health (RQF level 1/SCQF level 4)
First Aid for Mental Health (RQF level 2/SCQF Level 5) – this is the course where you can qualify as a First Aider for Mental Health
Supervising First Aid for Mental Health (RQF level 3/SCQF level 6)

Public Speaking:

Andy is an accomplished public speaker, confident and capable in front of crowds of all sizes. He has spoken on a range of topics, including (but not limited to):

Wellness and mindfulness
Ethics
Spirituality
Culture
Environmental issues and action
Creativity
Mental Fitness

Andy has also designed and led retreats.

Resource Creation:

We have years of experience of designing and creating resources for individuals or groups to use, covering a range of topics (including those listed above).

Lesson plans, assemblies and staff-training/CPD resources for schools
One-off sessions or longer courses for youth or community groups
Study materials for church or community groups
Wellness journal ideas for individuals or groups
Urban Retreats for individuals and groups who want to reflect on spirituality in a city

Wellness – what is it, and why should I think about it?

We are complex beings, and do not always feel able to invest or prioritise in our physical or mental health – but when we do so, we are at risk of under-performing or even injuring ourselves.

There has been a significant amount of study in the last few decades, highlighting the value of intentional wellness practices – of taking the time to notice and re-connect with your mind, body and spirit*.

Wellness – sometimes called well-being or mindfulness (and the list goes on) – is simply about making space and time to acknowledge who you are in the moment.

It might be about giving the body rest or exercise – for example through better sleep patterns, breathing exercises, stretching or physical exercise.
Or you might find you need to find ways to rest or re-charge the mind – connecting with others socially, giving yourself permission to put things down for a while or taking up something creative.
Others find they need to do some work with their spirit – through practices such as meditation, prayer or volunteering activities.

It should be obvious that there is significant overlap between the above categories, and practices that will bring benefit!

When you work with us on your well-being, we will help you identify areas where you wish to see improvement, and offer or point you a range of skills and practices which will fit with your lifestyle

(* ‘spirit’ can mean many things to many people. We use it to reflect on the part of ourselves that connects with the other – which may be other people, a deity and/or the world around us)

Why on earth would I need a Coach?

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We are all doing our best to get through life, to find what ‘success’ means to us, to feel that we have a purpose or contribution to make.

To spend time with a Coach is to be given the gift of time and space with yourself – a good coach will never tell you what you should do, but will work with you to help you understand what your reality is, and where you are limiting yourself or being unrealistic.

We have all had those moments when spending time with someone else – where we can see things they are somehow blind to, where they seem to be unconsciously limiting themselves, or trapped by fears about what the future might hold.

A Coach creates and moderates the space where you can be fully honest with yourself – about any hopes, fears or uncertainties you may have (sometimes hidden beneath the surface). We help you see where you are limiting yourself and where you are defined by stories that others have told you about yourself. We observe, question and offer feedback – always without judgement – and help you arrive at a new place where you have greater insight about yourself, others, and who or what you want to be.

The client is always the one who initiates any change, resolves any issues or sets any goals – the coaches may offer some insight as to how such progress can be made, point to any external tools that could be helpful, or co-form a specific challenge with the client.

People who commit to being coached commonly experience:

Improved performance or focus
Increased self-awareness
Improved ability to relate to and influence others
Increased levels of motivation and performance

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