I’m Karin Douglas, and I run Energise Therapies and Training in Glasgow .
I’m also the founder of Metta Wellbeing CIC, a non-profit organisation set up to work with people living with cancer, people with long term mental and/ or physical health conditions, and unpaid carers who are unable to work due to care commitments. We feel that this type of work will be even more essential as we come out of the pandemic and the very strange days we’ve lived through this past year that have left their mark on communities and individuals
All of Metta’s directors are volunteers, and have lived experience of one or more of the above criteria .
Why the name ?
We thought this one over for a long time! We wanted a name that would say what we’re about, and what we hope to achieve through our social enterprise . We looked at a couple of options, but felt this was the best fit for a number of reasons.
Dictionary.com says :
“Metta is derived from the Pali language, an ancient tongue in which Buddhist scriptures were composed. The following attributes can be attributed to “metta”: loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence.”
There’s a beautiful Metta meditation that we practise regularly, its essence is:
- May you be happy
- May you be well,
- May you be safe
- May you be peaceful and at ease .
That fits with what we want to be about – we want Metta Wellbeing CIC to be somewhere that people can feel at ease, relaxed, and as well as possible .
Metta in action
We hope to achieve this through being friendly and welcoming (and very definitely inoffensive and non -violent) and through offering a wide range of health-related activity, including stress management, massage and complementary therapy treatments, mindfulness sessions, relaxation and meditation activities, and workshops aimed at health improvement that will equip people with skills and knowledge that will help them to maintain the benefits of their sessions at home.
It’s important to us that these sessions are affordable for those who are unable to work due to long term health issues, be they mental or physical, or through unpaid care commitments, and we’ll trade as a business in other ways to raise the funds to make sure we can make this happen.
It’s also important that we’re accessible to all those who might benefit from what we do, so we intend to seek funding to allow us to develop an online service – we understand that some people are reluctant in light of the pandemic to venture out to access our service, and also that the nature of some people’s conditions mean they are housebound. This service will be about self-care, and will address a range of wellbeing issues. Self-care packs with products for home treatments will be a part of this strand, so if people can’t come in for a treatment, they can give themselves a safe home DIY treatment and have the resources to hand to do this.
Energise has its oncology massage CPD training approved by Think Tree Hub, and we offer this at greatly reduced rates for community organisations and those who volunteer with people living with cancer. The techniques taught are also suitable for people living with a range of conditions that mean standard massage may be ruled out. Our aim here is to maximise the opportunities for people to access therapies within their communities, be it in salons and spas, or via specialist organisations – we’re working towards the day where no-one has to be turned away! Meantime, Energise will train Metta volunteer therapists in oncology massage free of charge .
How will we fund our work ?
We’ll establish a team to offer workplace stress management and therapies to commercial and public sector organisations, produce resource boxes for stress management that will be available to the public to purchase (via our etsy shop and a Facebook shop on our page that we’re currently working on), and raise funds in other ways to support our core work.
Energise is providing access to premises and equipment free of charge, and all therapists are volunteering their time and skills, although we aim to be able to pay therapists longer term as we recognise the value of their work and believe that should be paid for.
We intend to apply to various trusts and funding organisations, and other fundraising activities including use of funding platforms such as Just Giving. Energise’s product range (massage oils and balms, room sprays and candles) will be fully launched soon (as Slinkiwitch Products) and 10% of all profits on these will go to Metta Welbeing CIC.
Setting up a community-based social enterprise mid –pandemic, has had its challenges, but we like a challenge!
We’re looking forward to being able to open the doors and engage with groups and individuals face to face again in a safe environment, and to moving forward with our aims
Always, we will try to keep the principles of Metta at the heart of what we do, click here
Karin Douglas