| Social Leaders Hastings |
Social Leaders HastingsJanuary 2026 - June 2026 A fully funded Emerging Leader programme for social leaders in Hastings. Apply now Register your interest Join a webinarProgramme informationAre you a budding leader within Hastings’ voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector? You might be leading in your community, your workplace, or through lived experience. If you’ve supported people, delivered projects, or advocated for change, you’re already a leader. Hastings is a town of creativity and strong community spirit. It’s home to vibrant arts and cultural scene, and a growing network of grassroots organisations. Yet alongside this energy, Hastings also faces real challenges: it ranks among the most deprived areas in England, with high levels of child poverty, housing pressures, health inequalities, and unemployment. The VCSE sector offers vital support for the community, tackling inequalities, and helping shape a more inclusive future. But the demands on local leaders are high, with limited resources and complex pressures. This fully-funded leadership programme is developed and delivered in partnership with Clore Social Leadership and Hastings Voluntary Action. The programme will bring together 25 participants from Hastings to strengthen strategic leadership skills, build confidence in working with funders and partners, learn from expert speakers and develop tools to sustain long-term community impact Most importantly, it’s an opportunity for Hastings’ leaders to recharge, reconnect, and re-imagine how they can continue to drive positive change. We are on a mission to democratise leadership by making development opportunities accessible to every social leader in the UK, working towards a fairer and more equitable society. As part of this commitment, we actively support leaders from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences and ensure our programme elements reflect this. Our commitment is to all underrepresented and marginalised communities. We want to remove as many barriers as possible to support you to engage with this opportunity. If you, or a colleague, need any reasonable adjustments please email us. This programme is certified by The Institute of Leadership and on completion of the programme participants will have access to the award-winning MyLeadership e-learning programme from The Institute of Leadership to enable their continued development. To learn more about this certificate click here.
Programme Info
Programme Outcomes
 With special thanks to the programme funder, Henry Smith Foundation, for the opportunity to deliver this free programme in Hastings. Along with becoming a Clore Social Fellow, participants
will become part of the Henry Smith Foundation network - the network comprises individuals they have supported through leadership interventions.
Eligibility criteriaThe budding leaderDesigned for individuals ready to step into more strategic roles, preparing them to advance their leadership and elevate their impact in their communities. You might be leading in your community, your workplace, or through lived experience. If you've supported people, delivered projects, or advocated for change, whether in a full-time, part-time, paid, or voluntary capacity, then this programme is for you. Passionate about social changeYour dedication to self-improvement to drive positive social change is vital, as it enhances your own capabilities while contributing to positive changes for the community and society as a whole. Committed to diversityWe strongly encourage applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds, as we believe that fostering diversity and equity is essential for creating a more just and inclusive society. Lived experienceWe encourage applications from people with lived experience of the issues we’re tackling, as well as those from marginalised, minoritised, or underrepresented backgrounds. What our previous participants sayKey datesApply nowApplications close on Sunday 30 November 2025 at 11:59pm. You can apply now here. Please register your interest to receive updates, including if new dates will be released in the future. Moderation decisionApplicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by Tuesday 16 December 2025. Programme startThe programme will start in January 2026. You can find an overview of programme elements below and detailed timings will be provided to successful applicants to support planning. Application informationProgramme fee: This programme is funded by our partner Henry Smith Foundation which aims to use its resources to help people and communities in times of need and to bring about positive change. The funding priorities lie in a commitment to strengthen Hastings's communities through impactful leadership development. Application guidance: We recommend downloading and reading the Application Guidance word document to plan your answers in advance before completing the online application form, as the form will not save your answers, so you must complete it in one go. Please check the eligibility criteria above. You can apply now here. Webinar: Join us for our webinar on Thursday 9 October 2025 12:30 - 1:00pm or Wednesday 19 November 2025 12:30 - 1:00pm, to find out more about the programme, meet the team and have your questions answered. You can register for a place for the webinar here, we look forward to seeing you there! Programme elementsThe programme will offer access to a variety of leadership development initiatives designed to help participants build the skills, knowledge and networks needed to lead social change effectively.
During four weeks at the start of the programme, you will explore the fundamentals of leadership, which will support you to be more effective and equip you with the skills and confidence to take on a more significant role. You will finish the programme with a long-term Leadership Development Plan, ready to make the most of the other elements of the programme. For more information on Discover, please click here. Through three one-to-one sessions, you will work with a professional coach to tap into your talent and overcome barriers that might be holding you back, helping to increase your resilience, efficiency and performance - and get one step closer to achieving your professional and personal goals. A series of structured learning days, delivered by expert facilitators, covering key leadership skills and sector-specific challenges. Topics covered include Strategic Leadership & Systems Thinking, Building Resilience & Avoiding Burnout and Confident Conversations. Over two days, you will be guided through a series of workshops and activities that strengthen cohort connections, explore some of the key challenges faced by the sector and learn more about yourself through Lumina Spark psychometric self-portrait. You will have the opportunity to hear directly from experienced social leaders, including their key lessons, failures and tips they learnt along the way. Through these stories, you will be learning key leadership lessons whilst also growing your network. You’ll explore your strengths and leadership style through a personalised profile, helping you better understand how you lead and how to support others, through Lumina Spark psychometric self-portrait. This powerful personality profiling system provides a unique portrait of who you are, helping you increase your self-awareness, reveal hidden potential and help you understand how you behave under pressure. This includes a full-day training session. For more information on Lumina Spark, please click here. With a small group of peers, you will regularly come together in an inclusive and confidential space to aid reflective learning. You will present challenges you face and, with the support of the Set, deepen your understanding of the situation and possible solutions, finding the answers within yourself and through learning from one another. As well as providing practical solutions to real-world issues, Action Learning promotes a culture of coaching; supporting you to refine your coaching skills, which can then be applied within your organisation. OutcomesYou will be guided to develop inspirational, empowering, courageous, focused, passionate and generous leadership capabilities - qualities essential to any effective emerging leader within the voluntary, community and social enterprise space. You will learn how and what these skills and behaviours look like in action, where your strengths and areas of improvement lie, and how you can develop and encourage them in yourselves and others. The skills you develop will aid you to improve the quality of services in your community and implement long lasting and meaningful change. The Social Leaders Hastings programme is designed to ensure you leave with an increased confidence in your ability to lead, clarity on your purpose and leadership style, and with the skills and knowledge to effectively work with others - ultimately fast-tracking your growth and impact as a community leader.
You'll become more effective in your role, learning how to enable high performance within your projects and teams. This programme demonstrates how to inspire, resolve conflict, and set effective goals for truly outstanding work. You'll be able to position yourself as a trusted team leader, with a clear, concise vision. Throughout the programme you'll be supported to embrace and work on the challenges your project or organisation is currently facing, developing practical, long-lasting solutions that you can take back into the workplace. Discover and develop the fundamental skills and behaviours that can ensure success at a grassroots, community level. Get to know yourself, your unique purpose and the impact you have on others better, to improve communication skills and relationships, and prevent burnout and anxiety for yourself and your team. Through these skills and a supportive network, the programme will empower you to develop revitalised, agile and resilient leadership, to manage through challenging social situations and crises. Meet other community leaders and develop a strengthened network of supportive peers. Investing in relationships with your cohort enables you to create a joined-up vision that can inspire and motivate others. Past cohorts have found the support they receive from their peers during and after the programme essential in their journey to becoming a better leader. We encourage the development of strong relations with your peers for long-lasting advice, guidance and friendship. The programme will boost your confidence in your leadership abilities, with you gaining the know-how and resilience to navigate the pressures, complexity, and uncertainty that social leaders face throughout their careers. In addition, through self-reflection, seeking feedback and exposure to diverse leaders, you'll gain valuable insights into your style, strengths and areas for growth. By the end of the programme, you will be more self-assured and authentic in your leadership. You'll be supported with tools and strategies for building resilience and fostering wellbeing, which will help with managing stress, preventing burnout and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, ensuring you can lead with vitality and sustainability. By focusing on personal resilience and wellbeing, you'll improve your approach to work and enhance your ability to support and inspire your team and community, leaving the programme as an effective leader ready to make a lasting positive impact. Our methodsOur programmes are tailored to meet the needs of participants, whilst based on the foundational principles that we have developed over more than a decade of working with 4,000+ social leaders. Frequently Asked QuestionsNo, you don’t need to have any particular academic or professional qualifications to take part in the programme. We know that management and leadership training can be very difficult to access in the social sector,
so try to make it accessible to those with minimal prior training. Your passion for and experience in the social sector are all you need to participate. Yes, you can do this programme while doing a full-time job. The programme is designed to accommodate your busy work schedule. Yes, it is required that you attend all live sessions scheduled for this programme to make the most of the programme, deepen your learning and meet peers from across the social sector. We want to remove as many barriers as possible to support you to engage with this development opportunity. If you, or a colleague, need any reasonable adjustments please email us at info@cloresocialleadership.org.uk. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@cloresocialleadership.org.uk. We aim to respond to all enquiries within 48 hours. If you need any reasonable adjustments for the application process, please contact us at info@cloresocialleadership.org.uk. We aim to respond to all enquiries within 48 hours. This programme is funded by our partner Henry Smith Foundation which aims to use its resources to help people and communities in a time of need and to bring about positive change. The funding priorities lie in a commitment to strengthen Hastings’s communities through impactful leadership development. Reach your potentialIf you’re ready to take the next step in your leadership journey, or know someone who should, apply today and be part of shaping Hasting's future. Better yourself, your team, and your organisation
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