Routes

Routes was founded in 2018 as a direct response to the additional barriers faced by women who are seeking safety in the UK. We see ourselves as a stepping stone from where people are, to where they want to be, supporting the women in our community to access the jobs and education that they want, build community, improve language and digital skills, and access culture in the UK.

We prioritise building the capacity of refugee women to do the things they want to do. The core of this work is our mentoring programme that we have been developing since 2018. The programme is designed to have mutual impact, and as such it benefits both mentor and mentee: whilst mentees grow towards their goals, their mentors (professional women from across sectors) are trained and supported to develop purposeful leadership and communication skills, through intensive training and practical mentoring experience.