Paul Unsworth from Kahaila visited Regenerate’s Get Leading Group and shared his inspiring story of leadership.
Paul talked about his experience of how and why he opened Kahaila Café which is now an award winning cafe on Brick Lane, and a place for so much more than a cup of coffee! He described how the cafe created a space for his church community to dream together about ways they can create social change. Different leaders in the group came up with dynamic ideas that have evolved into Luminary Bakery a thriving social enterprise that employs vulnerable women and Ella’s Home a housing project that rescues women involved in modern day slavery. He spoke about the journey of realising your dream from the birth of an idea, to the waiting and learning process, to the fruition of dreams.
Paul believes in empowering people to live out their dream and make change especially in their local community. He challenged the group to think about questions like: What are you truly passionate about? What would you sacrifice to live out your dream? What are the barriers to stopping you living your dream? How can you communicate your dream? This led to a powerful discussion and each leader shared their passions and ideas about how they hope to impact the lives of others and make a difference to their communities.
One of our young leaders said “This was one of the best evenings we have had, it allowed us all to talk about what we want to achieve. It was personal, and yet not scary to share our ideas. I said far more than I usually do!”.