Why set up a CIC?

The Gentle Living Hub is about more than it’s founder – it is a movement that is much needed in the world at this moment for a vulnerable community that needs support & advocacy and to be offered a different perspective on life.  So it’s a social enterprise, not a business with the main motivation of making profit.  By being a CIC we will be able to work & collaborate with other CIC’s, charities, social enterprises, communities, assisted living facilities, social prescribers, schools, care homes etc.  We feel that it is overwhelming to try to change the world, but if we look at ourselves as puzzle pieces, we can connect and make a full picture.

Financial stability with self funding

To ensure long term stability of the GLH, we aim to pay for all business costs from the regular weekly classes. 
We will apply for grants, funding and donations, however they will be for additional projects – the downside to grants is that they tend to not be consistent or only for set periods of time.

Accessibility of classes

There will always be classes available online for those with social anxiety or unable to travel. 
Also classes will be limited on how many can attend to ensure that people with health challenges get a suitable amount of attention to ensure their safety. 
Plus there will be shorter classes available for those unable to do a full class. 
Seated participants are welcomed.

Consistency of classes

We aim to provide consistent classes (i.e days, times & locations) for participants, as we understand that reliable support is important. 
This is why the main classes will have a fee associated to them and will not be reliant on grants/funding.

Concessions & Scholarships

There will be concession prices for all the classes, meetups & workshops, for anyone experiencing financial hardships / limitations.  This will be on a trust basis – Participants will not have to prove their financial situation.  Concessions will be funded from the main fees. 
There will also be free 6 week scholarships available, which can be applied for, or participants can be referred from other social enterprises.  These will be funded by the class fees or grants.  

Community Meet-ups

There will be either free, donation based, or extremely low in price in order to ensure accessibility. 
Where possible we will apply for grants and collaborate with other communities.

Workshops

Workshops on Gentle Living, Easy Journaling & General Wellbeing will be either be free by being funded by a grant, or be as affordable as possible.  We will do this by collaborating with other CIC’s that have viable locations and are willing to offer reduced rental prices.

Collaboration Puzzle Pieces

We are keen to collaborate with, or even just network & support any other social enterprises who are in the area of helping young people, NEETs, neurodivergence & SEN, chronic health, mental health and anxiety.  We believe that collaboration is key – like we are all little puzzle pieces in a bigger picture – and can achieve so much more together.

Authentic Grant Applications

When possible we will apply for grants to provide scholarships & free / heavily discounted series of classes and workshops.  These will be authentic applications, for grants where we already know there is a demand, with funders who are a match for our mission & vision.  There will be a specific target niche & problem to be addressed for these fund applications, with an expected outcome/goal.  This will be tracked, to help with tweaking & improving future applications to ensure that we make the most of the funds entrusted to us.

Future Expansion Across The UK

The mission of the GLH is to spread the concept of ‘Gentle Living’ across the UK, with classes & courses that will help to support & empower the community.  We aim to make the setup & systems very easy to reproduce, so that we can find other potential facilitators & instructors once the first hub is stable.  Ideally these people would have direct life experience of the challenges that the GLH is aiming to help with, both so that they can understand their participants, but also so that the GLH can support them in creating an income via social enterprise.

Potential Instructors / Facilitators

Potential instructors / facilitators need to be neurodivergent, trauma, chronic health aware and be passionate about Gentle Living.  They will also need previous teaching / training / presentation experience and relevant qualifications / job experience.  An understanding of the nervous system and why traditional personal development / coaching techniques can be damaging in some instances, is also important.
Training can be provided in ‘Gentle Living’ and ‘Easy Journaling’. 
The Tai Chi For Health Courses with Dr Lam are also very accessible for people with family/health challenges. 
Other modalities are potentially welcome, however, this will be on a case by case basis & require a lot of investigation by the founders & directors of the CIC to see if they are suitable.

Director, Employee & Free Lancer Remuneration

Everyone has bills to pay, and therefore we believe that anyone provide classes, community meet-ups, courses or doing the relevant admin & marketing for these activities, does deserve to be paid.  However, this is a ‘not for profit’ enterprise, so this will be potentially lower than ‘the going rate’ for a limited company or sole trader.  It will be fair exchange, but not 
extreme and a priority to reinvestment, concessions & scholarships will be retained. 
(Please bear this in mind if you are considering helping the GLH to expand across the UK – you will be fairly remunerated, but this is not a ‘get rich quick’ scheme).

Environmental Impact

Tai chi is all about the being in harmony with the natural balance of nature.  This is therefore a basic part of the ethos behind the GLH and we will be consistently attempting to improve our environmental impact & awareness.  Whilst also being aware that the mental, emotional & physical health of our directors, instructors & facilitators is also important and sometimes choices are easier when in a more privileged position.  Health takes priority, because from there we can live to make more of an environmental difference another day.

AI Usage

Ai usage will be limited to just those activities that support the setup & research for the CIC in acknowledgement of the fact that the founder themselves has considerable financial, health & energy limitations.  It may also be used in an advisory role where needed.
AI will not be used to replace human creative roles e.g. to create music, film, videos, posters, social media etc.

Minorities & Politics

The GLH CIC is a safe space for all minorities, including disabled, LGBTQIA+ and all races.  Homophobia, Transphobia, Racism (including for any religion), Ableism, Mysogony and any other toxic behaviour, will not be tolerated.  We are a non political community, as required by the CIC regulator.  Founders, Directors, Instructors & Facilitators will of course have their own political views, but these will not be expressed as part of the GLH.

Tai Chi For Health Classes 

These Tai chi classes are not for someone who wishes to become a martial artist, fight or be involved in competitions.
The Tai chi classes are from the Tai Chi For Health Institute & Dr Lam programs.  These were selected as they are global and each program was created over many years combining modern medical & Chinese medicine, plus training with recognised Tai chi lineages.  Whilst we are sure there are other schools who understand that even Tai Chi needs to be adapted for those with chronic health etc, we could not investigate them all.  We appreciate Qi Gong is also more health orientated, however our preference was for a moving form of Tai chi, as this is more suitable for neurodivergence & some chronic health conditions that find standing still problematic e.g. POTs and Arthritis. 
These TCHI doesn’t just provide just amazing Tai Chi knowledge, but also covers how to teach and most importantly prioritises the safety of participants.  Where other styles of Tai chi are taught in GLH classes, it will be specifically highlighted, but the TCHI safety & teaching principles will still be used.

Easy Journaling & Wellbeing Workshops

These workshops will be licenced from the founder of GLH, Lisa Pearson, aka ‘The Mummy Whisperer’.  They were created based on her 30yrs as a healer & coach and her own lived experience as a passionate journaler, who found that many approaches to journaling were overwhelming, thus creating more problems than they fixed.