Introducing Connect Academy
The complete course for anyone setting up, leading or involved with faith-based community work.
Over nine months you’ll gain the skills to confidently set up, lead and sustain great social action projects that will transform your community.
Registration for 2027 will open soon …
Diane McWilliam
Lead Trainer
Hello & Welcome!
I'm Diane and I head up Connect Academy. If you're a follower of Jesus and love your community then this is the place for you.
You may already be leading a project, perhaps you're a volunteer with a passion to see lives changed or a church leader who wants their community to flourish! Through Connect Academy, we can help you on that journey.
When it comes to social action, there are a lot of courses out there. Here at Cinnamon, we look at all the practical things through the lens of our faith.
In your monthly Training Workshops...
In your monthly Training Workshops experienced trainers will help you develop skills in such topics as fundraising, project management, and partnership development and understand the unique challenges faced by churches and Christian organisations.
You'll also get a chance to chew over what you've learned and how to put it into practice through our monthly Learning Hubs. You'll be grouped with like-minded Academy members and if there are a few of you from your church, deanery or project, we'll make sure you're in a Hub where you can bounce ideas off each other.
Oh, and you’ll also have access to Cinnamon Connect – a library of great resources and information at your fingertips.
I'm confident that the skills you gain through Connect Academy will help you and any projects you're involved with to thrive!
If you’ve got questions – let me know. dianemcwilliam@cinnamonnetwork.co.uk
Register
Registration for 2025 is now open!
Begin your growth journey with Cinnamon’s Connect Academy and develop your social action skills in our online learning community.
EARLY BIRD Registration Closes on 31st August 2025
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TRAINING
You’ll take part in nine, three-hour training sessions on Zoom. You can choose to attend on Thursday or Saturday mornings.
As you work your way through the module, you’ll build up a body of knowledge and resources to help you establish, deliver and sustain brilliant social action work in your community.
LEARN
Learn from specialist practitioners who are at the cutting edge of social action.
ENGAGE
Engage through breakout groups and Q&A sessions to really consolidate your learning.
APPLY
Apply the knowledge with follow up resources and ongoing support.
EXPLORE YOUR 10 TRAINING MODULES
MISSIONAL LISTENING
10/12 October
Reflect on what community is all about and develop the right attitude to approach others…
LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE
14/16 November
You’ll learn how to develop healthy leadership habits and nurture the next generation of leaders…
MANAGING CHANGE
7/12 December
Learn techniques to help you anticipate when you need to make changes…
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
16/18 January
Hear from a range of speakers on how you can create an inclusive culture in your organisations…
LOOKING AFTER YOUR PEOPLE
20/22 February
You’ll get stuck into good employment practice and how to manage your team well…
DEALING WITH CONFLICT
20/22 March
We’ll help you understand what conflict is and how to identify problems before they grow…
THE VOLUNTEER JOURNEY
24/26 April
You’ll learn all aspects of volunteer management including recruitment, training, retention, and recognition…
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
15/17 May
Get equipped to find partners who can open funding opportunities, provide resources, and help grow your ministry…
EFFECTIVE FUNDRAISING
12/14 June
Explore strategies and techniques to identify potential funders and write compelling grant proposals..
AND NOW…
Online anytime learning with our new self-led training course
IMPACT MEASUREMENT
Learn how to measure the impact of your project by building in monitoring and evaluation…
Learning Hubs
Find a group of like-minded people who share your faith and are on the same journey, although perhaps at different points.
Through the hubs, you’ll explore that month’s training within the context of your own community or church project. You’ll get to share ideas and ask questions so you can apply the learning within your own context.
If you’re attending with a group from your church, deanery or organisation we can set up a specific group just for you.
Join a monthly Learning Hubs with other Academy participants. Or, for those with 5 or more learners you can have your own Learning Hub for your church, charity or local network.
What Our Alumni Say…
“I’ve been in the voluntary sector for 25 years and his is the only training I’ve found that has a Christian emphasis.”
“I think it’s brilliant. It’s wisdom and experience that is well curated and facilitated so that people in the Academy can apply it to context.”
“The investment in time will be repaid many times over. It will broaden your horizons physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.”
Get Prepared for Action
Benefit from our expertise in faith-based social action.
Who can join?
Any Project leader, Activist, Volunteer, Church Leader, or Trustee who wants to run robust, effective, sustainable social action projects.
WHEN IS IT?
The course kicks off in October and runs until June. We also have a celebration for all our Academy graduates in the autumn.
HOW MUCH TIME WILL IT TAKE?
Each month you’ll attend a 3 ½ hour training workshop and 1 hour mentoring session. You’ll also receive resources and content to reflect on in your own time.
WHAT’S THE COST?
The enrolment cost of Connect Academy is just £450. Learners will also need to be a member of Cinnamon Connect PLUS, which is £10 per month.
Sign up before 31st August and claim your £50 EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT.
Automaticlly applied when going to checkout.
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
- 9 online training workshops led by experienced practitioners
- 9 Learning Hub sessions with fellow students and your tutor
- 1 Self-Led Online Anytime module
- Support from fellow Academy members, who are in on the same journey
- Access to Cinnamon Connect PLUS and its extensive library of resources
- Resources, templates and downloads
- Tools and takeaways you can use right now
- Graduation and commissioning celebration
Meet Your Team of Trainers
Diane McWilliam
Head of Connect
Over the past 25 years, Diane has gained experience as volunteer, board member, worker, manager and consultant in a variety of voluntary sector and faith-based organisations. Alongside her Cinnamon work, Diane is a Practice Tutor for the post-graduate courses in community development at the University of Glasgow.
Mark Kitson
Associate Director
Mark leads the Cinnamon Project Incubator and has experience in helping organisations develop strategies for growth and replication in the UK and overseas. He has helped numerous organisations with their change management strategies including Costa Coffee, Christians Against Poverty and TLG.
Gareth Brown
Director of Smethwick CAN
Gareth and his wife Beth are Team Leaders of an inner-city church in the Cape Hill area of Smethwick. Gareth also works part-time with Redeeming our Communities UK. He was formerly part of the Church Engagement Team at Cinnamon Network and Co-Founder/Director at Smethwick Church Action Network- bringing churches together for social good.
Carolyn Merry
Place for Hope
Carolyn has been fascinated about the concept of peace since childhood. Before joining Place for Hope, she spent over 25 years working in the humanitarian and international development sectors. Her passion for peace-making, in its most holistic sense, is deeply rooted in her Christian faith and experiences of living and working beside people with different life experiences.
Martina Hunt
Place for Hope
Martina has a passion for justice, peace-making and non-violence. She brings many years of experience of developing, training programmes in the international, charity and academic sectors. Most recently, she has facilitated conflict transformation workshops with faith and community groups around the UK
Sharon Mclean
EDI CONSULTANT
Sharon helps companies and charities shape their approach to diversity and inclusion. She has more than 30 years of industry experience and has authored books on the topic. Alongside her consultancy work, Sharron is a qualified counsellor, pastoral trainer and counselling supervisor of the family therapy centre.
Jo Irwin
GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNI =
Jo is HR Manager at Glasgow Caledonian University. She has extensive experience of all aspects of HR, including recruitment and training through her work at the Glasgow Caledonian University and Marks and Spencers. Jo helps organisations develop positive cultures that support wellbeing and healthy teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to complete any exams?
There are no formal assessments for the Academy. To get the most out of the course, we ask that participants make every effort to come to all the training workshops and mentoring sessions.
What if I can't make one of the workshops?
We really encourage all Connect Academy students to make every workshop. We’ll only be running one workshop on every topic each year.
We can provide the slides and follow-up resources to anyone who can’t make the session in person.
However, the most valuable part of every workshop is the interaction and discussion. So, we really hope you can make them!
Can a colleague attend a workshop instead of me?
The Connect Academy is designed to develop individuals, so the workshop places are just for you.
What are the Learning Hubs like?
The Learning Hubs are a chance to reflect on the previous workshop and the implications that has for your ministry.
We’ll keep them small, with around 6 members, so you’ll get plenty of chance to chat with your tutor.
What support do I get after the course ends?
It’s our hope that you develop a good relationship with the other Connect Academy members who join you on the course.
You’ll also continue to be supported through the Cinnamon Connect online learning community, where you can access resources and advice.
I can't afford enrolment fee
If you can’t pay enrolment fee. If this is too much, then please get in touch at team@cinnamonnetwork.co.uk and we can discuss a discounted rate. We really don’t want anyone to miss out!
We have lots of people want to enrol, do we get a group discount?
If you have the potential for lots of people from your organisation, church or network wanting to sign up to journey together through the course, then please get in touch with us and we can discuss pricing. Email training@cinnamonnetwork.co.uk.
What's the deadline for signing up?
You’ll need to sign up prior to the first training course in October to guarantee your place.
If you’ve missed the registration deadline, please register your interest with us now so we can gauge demand. We may consider running the course more than once a year if there’s sufficient demand.
Do I get any pre-course reading?
There is no pre-course materials. All the resources you receive will relate to the specific training workshops.
Get equipped for the next stage of your journey
We are here to help you serve your local community and make good choices about where to get involved.
Register Today
Registration for 2027 is coming soon
Begin your growth journey with Cinnamon’s Connect Academy and develop your social action skills in our online learning community.
EARLY BIRD Registration Closes on 31st August 2025
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Get equipped for the next stage of your journey
We are here to help you serve your local community and make good choices about where to get involved.
If you have questions, use the form below to send us your enquiry.
