Duchess Meghan, the duchess of empowerment highlighted Luminary bakery as a force for change in the British Vogue September edition. Her compassion towards the disadvantaged led the Duchess to highlight this social enterprise which empowers women overcoming domestic and sexual abuse.
The work you do, what you represent to the community, the spirit of the women there- you all embody what it means to be “forces for change”. Thank you for being a part of this special project.
HRH The Duchess of Sussex
Luminary Bakery empowers women to build their careers and gain independence. They have a 6-month training program where they learn to bake also gaining life skills food hygiene, time; money management and computer literacy. It’s also designed to help women build a network and develop trusting relationships.
We use baking as a tool, but it’s also wider than that, we look at life skills. It’s called the employability programme and the vision for it is, that by the end, the women are ready to step into employment because we see that as the key to unlocking and tackling some of the barriers they’re facing. We look at things like managing money, writing a CV, getting ready for a job interview.
Rachael Coulson Commercial director Luminary Bakery.
Studies show that women who are connected to networks find opportunities others do not. Luminary bakery continues to provide mentoring, group workshops and community for 2 more years after one graduates from the program. Duchess Meghan’s patronages such as Smart Works help women help women find employment. The Together Cookbook with Hubb Kitchen; another example of women working and supporting each other. Women succeed in the workplace as a result of their networks.
It’s not just lip service for Duchess Meghan she shops at Luminary Bakery they baked her 38th birthday cake.
Luminary Bakery’s Impact on the London community:
- 60 women have gone through the program to date.
- 10 women who completed the training program with Luminary Bakery have gone on to start their own businesses. Talk about asset management.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pivots towards optimism and uses her platform to create opportunities for others. She is fulfilled by helping others succeed than being on the cover of Vogue.
What they’ve created at Luminary Bakery is exceptional – it’s a space for baking, healing and rebuilding. When I visited earlier this year I was struck by how the baking, itself, is a means of therapy for these women – which in many ways makes complete sense – feeling they had no control over their lives based on their previous (and often harrowing) circumstances, they found comfort in the measured nature of baking. Mixing equal parts of one ingredient and another could yield the perfect dessert, but the act of doing so provided personal balance. So while the baked goods are absolutely delicious, it’s the story of how the program at Luminary reshapes lives through baking that is the actual icing on the cake.
HRH The Duchess of Sussex
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