Latest news with #WomenZone
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bradford scheme to build ethnic minority women's career confidence
Fifteen women within ethnic minority groups in Bradford have applied for apprenticeships with First Bus, following a partnership between the bus operator and charity-based community centre WomenZone, which helps ethnic minority women to build career confidence. The partnership entails one-to-one mentoring, the teaching of interview skills, and "tailored training." Following workshops held at First Bus's depots in Leeds, and the community centre on Hubert Street in Bradford, 15 women applied for apprenticeships in engineering and driving roles with the bus operator. Other women, meanwhile, have gained the confidence to look for jobs elsewhere. One of the beneficiaries of the scheme, Ayesha, said: "The First Bus interview skills workshop helped me to confidently answer questions, practice my interview technique, and deliver a successful interview, and I now have a job working at Greggs' factory and warehousing department. "The support from First Bus and WomenZone was really good as this was the first time I practised interviews." Another WomenZone member, who has been able to secure employment in the care sector, said: "I learned techniques that I used in my interview and now have a great job that I am so happy with." Mazish Ahmed, operations manager of WomenZone, said: "This partnership with First Bus has had a profound impact already, boosting confidence and providing invaluable tools for career success for the women who took part. "At WomenZone we continue to be excited by the ongoing work with First Bus, creating further opportunities of development, growth for our community, and boosting the chances of the local youth, who otherwise would not have had this opportunity." First Bus plans to organise a series of sessions at its Shared Services Centre in Leeds, covering customer services, HR, procurement, and retail development, with the aim of improving understanding of office-based roles and skills. Mubs Mahmed, community and social value partner at First Bus North & West Yorkshire, said: "The willingness and determination shown by the members of WomenZone and its team to embrace learning and skills development has been inspiring, and is the key element in the success we have seen to date. "We're naturally delighted this has encouraged some women to look at job opportunities with us, but it is also very rewarding to know that new careers have been started in other business and service sectors." More information about WomenZone is available at
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Concert postponed over India-Pakistan tensions
A launch event for a three-day festival celebrating the spiritual and artistic richness of Sufi culture has been postponed due to tensions between India and Pakistan. The three-day Sufi Music Heritage Festival in Bradford is the culmination of a wider 16-month project which has included workshops with community groups and schools. The sold-out launch event was due to feature a Qawwali performance by acclaimed artist Hamid Ali Naqeebi at Mind the Gap Studios. He was unable to travel back to the UK from Pakistan due to restrictions on international flights because of the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, organisers said. The Sufi Music Heritage Project was launched by Bradford's WomenZone community centre with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Organisers said given the ongoing uncertainty they did not see "airspace restrictions being lifted in the immediate future". "As a result, we have made the difficult decision to reschedule the event to a later date, once we are confident that Hamid will be able to return to the UK and perform." Festival co-ordinator Aamta Tul Waheed said planned events due to take place on Saturday and Sunday would still go ahead. Sufi music is rooted in a mystical branch of Islam, and often uses soaring singing of classical poetry, traditional instruments and rhythmic clapping to induce a spiritual state in audiences. Qawwali is a devotional Sufi music form from South Asia, featuring powerful vocals and rhythmic drumming. It was popularised in the Western world by legendary singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and has many fans outside of the Indian subcontinent and its global diaspora. Singer, poet and lyricist Kauser Mukhtar, who is performing as part of the festival over the weekend, said Sufism's "global" messages of community, connection and seeking inner peace "apply to everyone". "People practise it differently and in the South Asian culture it is particularly related to Qawwali singing, to a very strong culture of poetry, but there are also things like Rumi or the whirling dervishes in Turkey." She said it could be "very emotional" to sing literature or poetry written 500 years ago that was still as important and "impactful" as when it was written. Saturday and Sunday's events, held at WomenZone's Hubert Street base, include a youth-led performance, children's crafts, mosaic making, and yoga sessions for families. An open mic event on Sunday invites local voices to share stories and poetry inspired by their cultural roots. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. India says it hit Pakistan air defences and accuses Islamabad of drone strikes WomenZone
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Concert postponed over India-Pakistan tensions
A launch event for a three-day festival celebrating the spiritual and artistic richness of Sufi culture has been postponed due to tensions between India and Pakistan. The three-day Sufi Music Heritage Festival in Bradford is the culmination of a wider 16-month project which has included workshops with community groups and schools. The sold-out launch event was due to feature a Qawwali performance by acclaimed artist Hamid Ali Naqeebi at Mind the Gap Studios. He was unable to travel back to the UK from Pakistan due to restrictions on international flights because of the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, organisers said. The Sufi Music Heritage Project was launched by Bradford's WomenZone community centre with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Organisers said given the ongoing uncertainty they did not see "airspace restrictions being lifted in the immediate future". "As a result, we have made the difficult decision to reschedule the event to a later date, once we are confident that Hamid will be able to return to the UK and perform." Festival co-ordinator Aamta Tul Waheed said planned events due to take place on Saturday and Sunday would still go ahead. Sufi music is rooted in a mystical branch of Islam, and often uses soaring singing of classical poetry, traditional instruments and rhythmic clapping to induce a spiritual state in audiences. Qawwali is a devotional Sufi music form from South Asia, featuring powerful vocals and rhythmic drumming. It was popularised in the Western world by legendary singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and has many fans outside of the Indian subcontinent and its global diaspora. Singer, poet and lyricist Kauser Mukhtar, who is performing as part of the festival over the weekend, said Sufism's "global" messages of community, connection and seeking inner peace "apply to everyone". "People practise it differently and in the South Asian culture it is particularly related to Qawwali singing, to a very strong culture of poetry, but there are also things like Rumi or the whirling dervishes in Turkey." She said it could be "very emotional" to sing literature or poetry written 500 years ago that was still as important and "impactful" as when it was written. Saturday and Sunday's events, held at WomenZone's Hubert Street base, include a youth-led performance, children's crafts, mosaic making, and yoga sessions for families. An open mic event on Sunday invites local voices to share stories and poetry inspired by their cultural roots. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. India says it hit Pakistan air defences and accuses Islamabad of drone strikes WomenZone
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sufi music festival launch in Bradford postponed over India-Pakistan tensions
A launch event for a three-day festival celebrating the spiritual and artistic richness of Sufi culture has been postponed due to tensions between India and three-day Sufi Music Heritage Festival in Bradford is the culmination of a wider 16-month project which has included workshops with community groups and sold-out launch event was due to feature a Qawwali performance by acclaimed artist Hamid Ali Naqeebi at Mind the Gap was unable to travel back to the UK from Pakistan due to restrictions on international flights because of the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, organisers said. The Sufi Music Heritage Project was launched by Bradford's WomenZone community centre with support from the National Lottery Heritage said given the ongoing uncertainty they did not see "airspace restrictions being lifted in the immediate future"."As a result, we have made the difficult decision to reschedule the event to a later date, once we are confident that Hamid will be able to return to the UK and perform."Festival co-ordinator Aamta Tul Waheed said planned events due to take place on Saturday and Sunday would still go ahead. Sufi music is rooted in a mystical branch of Islam, and often uses soaring singing of classical poetry, traditional instruments and rhythmic clapping to induce a spiritual state in is a devotional Sufi music form from South Asia, featuring powerful vocals and rhythmic drumming. It was popularised in the Western world by legendary singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and has many fans outside of the Indian subcontinent and its global diaspora. Singer, poet and lyricist Kauser Mukhtar, who is performing as part of the festival over the weekend, said Sufism's "global" messages of community, connection and seeking inner peace "apply to everyone"."People practise it differently and in the South Asian culture it is particularly related to Qawwali singing, to a very strong culture of poetry, but there are also things like Rumi or the whirling dervishes in Turkey."She said it could be "very emotional" to sing literature or poetry written 500 years ago that was still as important and "impactful" as when it was and Sunday's events, held at WomenZone's Hubert Street base, include a youth-led performance, children's crafts, mosaic making, and yoga sessions for open mic event on Sunday invites local voices to share stories and poetry inspired by their cultural roots. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
