Why growing capabilities matters, and the difference it can make
When I first started working with WM2U, I was struck by how different it felt to the usual way organisations are designed and governed. It wasn’t about meeting targets, ticking boxes, or filling out forms - instead, it was putting into practice the principles we often hear about - relational, person-centred, trauma-informed, strengths and rights-based. But the question is - what does that actually look and feel like in practice? And how does it make a difference for the parents, carers, children, and young people who live with the challenges that services are trying to support?
I regularly go back to Hilary Cottam's capabilities approach as us one way to understand the approach of and differences made by WM2U. Cottam’s capability approach is the belief that people have agency, that they want to flourish, and that flourishing can depend on a mix of internal preparedness (feelings, skills, health, etc.) and external realities (socio-economic conditions, policies, etc.). Importantly, capabilities are not a fixed destination - they are contextual, they evolve, and they grow through participation, connection, and opportunity. It’s worth saying that adopting a capabilities approach is not new, because for example, Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach showed decades ago that flourishing requires more than meeting basic needs. As Sen explained, to live well, and to thrive, we need friends, community, and an environment where we can take part in things that matter to us. Additionally, this way of working isn’t something only WM2U, or any single organisation can deliver because anyone can take this approach.
Going back to the way Cottam puts it, capabilities can’t be done to you. This is where WM2U comes in, as an initiative we work with people to create the conditions where they can grow their own capabilities, and this requires a granular understanding of people’s lives - not in a generalised way, but really seeing what support is needed at different ages, stages, and circumstances.
Confidence, connection, and community
As a learning partner, I feel privileged to support people to share their story and use this to encourage learning and growth. The stories shared by practitioners, parents, carers, and young people, have helped to shine a light on how people can develop confidence, skills, and knowledge, when they are supported by networks, resources and opportunities. One parent described how getting involved in a family project at the Charleston community centre between the CLD community empowerment team and WM2U, helped her to gradually deal with anxiety, meet new people, and find her own voice. Nevertheless, her story isn’t about WM2U solving her anxiety. It’s about WM2U supporting the conditions with trusted practitioners, peer support, opportunities to contribute, that helped her develop in leadership, and become part of a wider network of relationships:
I worked in retail for seven years and then had to give up work to look after my three children, with my eldest being in and out of school. I had a lot of anxiety when I first attended a family group… However, I have noticed as time has passed, I can deal with my anxiety a lot better… Now, I am the Chair of Charleston Matters… My eldest son, he has been through a lot of hard times, and being part of Charleston Matters gives me a voice to share what is needed in the community for others, particularly young people.
Leadership and belonging for young people
Young people’s stories echo the same theme. At first, many had limited confidence or felt uncertain about joining in. But through WM2U’s partnership with Columba 1400 and CLD youth workers, they began to see themselves differently. This isn’t confidence handed down from a project, it is the growth that can happen when young people are given space, respect, and genuine opportunities to shape what they’re part of:
I learnt that you are your own leader, you don’t have to follow what everyone else says, you have your own opinions.”
“We’ve learned how to help ourselves and help other people at the same time. We opened up more as time went on and started to learn that our opinions matter - we’re different, but we have similar views and experiences.
Sustaining places and purpose
For one community leader, it has been about sustaining a vital community space, and she described how the encouragement and connections made through WM2U and the Columba 1400 Values Based Leadership Experience (VBLE) enabled her to work with others to keep the Lifegate building open. The capability was not just about individual resilience but about collective achievement with the community working together:
I came back from the VBLE with one clear purpose - to realise the vision that our community must not lose the Lifegate building. To make that happen, I needed to stay in touch with the people I’d met, especially the community learning and development (CLD) and health teams. Their support was great - sharing funding links, offering encouragement, and helping me think through next steps. Geoff, the WM2U coordinator, has been a lifeline. He’s kept me up to date with funding opportunities and always encouraged me to keep going, especially when things were tough.
Finding strength as a carer
For one kinship carer, the journey has often been about finding the strength to speak up and connect with others who understand. This honesty and trust emerged because WM2U through the work with the CLD community empowerment team, listens, values experience and creates safe spaces where parents and carers can be heard without fear of judgement.
From being involved in WM2U, I don’t feel so alone anymore, and I have the confidence and trust to say when I am struggling.
WM2U will step back in 2026, and we are reflecting on the legacy that can be harnessed from the capabilities grown – how can people be continually given the confidence to speak, the skills to organise and develop networks of care, and the belief that change is possible? The challenge for all of us is how to keep nurturing capabilities so they continue to grow long after WM2U has “got off the pitch.” Because capabilities can’t be done to people. They can only be grown, together.