Designed to help boost individual’s confidence and become a person of influence, the GEM programme helps participants to build connections, share personal experiences and overcome challenges across the sector.
As part of our passion to help colleagues advance in their careers, we are continuing to work alongside the GEM programme and engage in key conversations across the housing sector.
Charlotte Bond, our Lettings Team Leader at LiveWest, is excited to use her experience to help more communities across the region and engage in key conversations across the sector, she said: “For me, it’s really important because you get to see what society is doing right and what they are doing wrong and what influence you can have into people’s lives.
“Through the programme, I have also been able to join the CIH Futures Board, which has been fantastic for my development. I think for LiveWest, it’s of massive importance.
“I think it allows us to reach out to other housing associations and providers to see what they’re doing and work together to improve the sector.”
From talking with politicians and charity leaders at Westminster to building connections with chief executives from a variety of housing associations, the programme offers individuals the chance to develop diverse leadership skills and engage in key conversations.
Across several locations pinpointed across the United Kingdom, our GEMs have an opportunity to not only increase their knowledge of housing, but also develop their confidence and awareness with their GEMshacks.
GEMshacks include equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), homelessness, sustaining communities, sustainable building, personal leadership and much more.
Recently, our Chief Executive Paul Crawford was welcomed by the GEM programme at their GEMshack in Leeds to set a business challenge as part one of their workshops. He also talked about his passion for the housing sector and work towards building more affordable homes across the South West.
Across the next five years, our plans will see 5,000 affordable homes built across the region.
The LiveWest GEMs have also created strategic ideas to help the sector move forward and encourage positive change after talking to local authorities and agencies to explore different ways to help people struggling with the pressures of housing.
Charlotte added: “The GEM programme has provided me with many extra opportunities. I am more driven than ever to do better and make a difference in the sector.
“We're all really like-minded people who are interested in making a difference. So, we're doing some campaigns at the moment which will hopefully see an improvement in the sector.”
Geraldine Howley, GEM Programme Director and Chair of Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “I think that being in the housing sector, is all about having passion. Talking to our LiveWest GEMs, they have such a great passion for the sector, passion for people, passion for the future and it’s great to see their enthusiasm.
“LiveWest is an amazing partner with the GEM programme, and we’ve been really pleased by all the support we’ve had from its Chief Executive Paul Crawford, Development Leadership Jane Pightling, and from all the mentors.
“When a GEM enrols on the programme, they really need that support and to have some fantastic mentors in LiveWest supporting them through the programme, it’s just amazing.”