uk relay report 08

8/14/2019 UK Relay Report 08

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Combined European Bureau for Social Development (CEBSD)

Training and Learning for Community Development

Report on the Relay visit to the UK

The Community Development Foundation (CDF) hosted the UK Relaymeeting of the partners involved in the TLCD projectThis was a three day meeting 12 th 13 th 14 th March 2008

This project is funded by Europe

This report outlines the visit to the UK of the relay group, as part of the Training andLearning for Community Development (CD) project. This project is led by theCombined European Bureau for Social Development (CEBSDs) and is a partnershipbetween CEBSDs and a consortium of organisations working within a CD context.

Meeting of European Partners Partners attending the UK meeting were from Hungary (Hungarian Association forCommunity Development), Bulgaria (Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives) andRomania (Foundation PACT)

Relay Visit Aims are: To transfer lessons from training and learning for CD from one context and

country to another. To build on the specific experience and expertise available from a range of settings to work out common guidelines for action and policy on Training andLearning for Community Development

To build up sustainable networking via the development of a network forTraining and Learning for Community Development, this can cross local, nationaland European borders and boundaries.

The experience from one Relay visit is transferred to the next and so on until the finalrelay visit, which combines the findings and prepares for a Laboratory in Malmo Sweden.


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There are 16 partner organisations and each partner participates in one of the relayvisits.

At the Laboratory in Malmo in September 2008, partners will analyse the results of therelay meetings. The partner organisations will test methodologies that make exchange of experience come alive and distil the most important points for dissemination. Thecombination of relay visits and Laboratory is designed to test the most effective meansof sharing outcomes from the exchange of experience, skills and knowledge.

The UK Relay meeting considered: Key elements of Community Work and practitioners roles in different contexts, The nature of Influencing Policy within different cultures and contexts An overview of current European policy

Lessons from training and learning for CD from one context and country toanother

Training and Learning For Community Development (TLCD) UK RelayVisit

Dates of relay visit: 12 th -13 th March 2008

Aims of TLCD project:

To work out common guidelines for action and policy on Training and Learningfor Community Development

To build up sustainable networking on Training and Learning for CommunityDevelopment, which can cross local, national and European borders andboundaries

Influencing Policy within different cultures and contexts for communitydevelopment

Objectives of UK relay visit :

Exchange experience and share good practice on elements of communitydevelopment workers

To transfer lessons from training and learning from one context and country toanother

To build on specific experience and expertise on community developmentavailable from a range of settings


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The meeting will consist of a mix of group discussion, project visits and presentationswith practitioners in the field of community development. Participants will each beencouraged to write their thoughts down during the course of the two day meetingwhich should help provide a space for reflection and comment.

At the end of the meeting, participants will be invited to share some of their thoughtsand reflections to both feedback into the group and take away as part of the learningand exchange process.

Tuesday 12th MarchLocation: CDF London Office

Programme

10.30 Welcome & Introductions Sue Webb

10.45 Overview and logistics of the two days Sue Webb

11.00 Report summary of February 2008 Budapest relay meeting -Mate Varga

11.30 The practice of community development within a nationalvoluntary agency Denise Taylor, Adept Community Development Agency

12.00 A local policy perspective: The practice of communitydevelopment within a local authority Paul Formosa, Haringay Council

12.15 Refreshments

12.30 Community Engagement methodologies and practice withinvoluntary & community sector Rehka Shivam, Wolverhampton Network Consortium

1.00: Lunch

1.45 Influence of national policy upon resources and practice of community development

Jane Dobie, Community Development Foundation

2.15 Presentations/case studies of community development inBulgaria, Romania Hungary Discussion of context and practice

3.00 Refreshments


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3.15 The view from Europe Sue Webb

3.30 How does this fit together in a policy context?All, Discussion and recommendations

4.00pm Close of meeting


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Project Participants:

Mate Varda Hungarian Association for Community DevelopmentEmile Metodiev Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives (Bulgaria)Ruxandra Sasu Romanian Association for Community Development

UK participants and facilitators

Sue Webb Community Development Foundation Jane Dobie Community Development FoundationLiz Court Community Development FoundationHelen Animashaun Community Development Foundation

Denise Taylor Adept AgencyDave Crossan ConsultantNicky Dee TBCPaul Formosa Haringay CouncilRekha Shivam Wolverhampton Network ConsortiumMel Passmore Wolverhampton Network Consortium

Day One

This was an all day meeting held in the offices of CDF in London. Besides the visitorsfrom Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, invitations had also been extended to a fewpotential multipliers of the training and learning project based in the UK

Adept, a Community Development Agency, was invited to present a local and nationalUK perspective on Training and Learning for CD. A Local Authority CD worker wasalso invited to the meeting and presented a contrasting perspective, which also allowedus to reflect on the role of CD as part of a mainstreamed service. For example someworkers had CD as part of their other work within a community, such as CommunitySafety Officer, or Youth worker.


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UK Presentation during Relay visit

Training & Learning for Community Development

Relay Meeting UK

Sue WebbCommunity Development Foundation UK

European and International Unit

Overview

Why a re we mee t ing?

Two day meeting

Get to know one another

Share experiences

Contribute to ongoing learning

Overview

Programme Questions???? Logistics

What do we need to t a lk abou t?

CEBSDs

Combined European Bureau for SocialDevelopment

Project promoterThree areas of work

Projects Networking Policy

CEBSDs

CEBSD - exchange good practice and to distilpolicy lessons from practice.Three main areas of exchange

Development of Civil Society Including the Excluded Training and learning for Community

Development

CEBSDsProject

Training & Learning for CD

1. Training & Learning Partnership

2. Multipliers

3. Sharing & Learning


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Community Development FoundationCEBSDs Member

Non-departmental public body

Approx 70% funded by Department forCommunities and Local Government

Delivery of projects and programmes Context evolved out of welfare state Various policy streams strengthening

communities, engagement cohesion European work not funded by UK Gov

Community DevelopmentPolicy context

CD is about enabling the empowerment of others

Role of government is changing the need for greaterempowerment

Change has to take place from the bottom up society relieson CD to do this, but CD is not well known

If there was no CD there may be problems of participation,inclusion and poor social capital

What is Community Development?

Community development is the invisibleprofession because CD work is about enablingand empowering othersBuilding equity, inclusiveness, participation andcohesion amongst people and groups andorganisations

European Policy & CD

CEBSDs works to influence policy with the aim of ensuring policy is developed that is favourable to CD

Social Platform The members of the Social Platform represent

thousands of organisations, associations and othervoluntary groups at local, regional, national andEuropean level representing the interests of a widerange of civil s ociety.

http://www.socialplatform.org/PolicyAction.asp

Community Development Foundation

European and International Unit Unit 5, Angel Gate 320 - 326 City Road London EC1V 2PT Tel: 020 7833 1772 Fax: 020 7812 6584 Web: www.cdf.org.uk

[email protected]


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Presentation from AdeptADEPT is a specialist and award-winning national communitydevelopment agency, established in1990 as an independent not-for-profitcompany and charity.

Our organisational experience and theexpertise of our team have shaped theorganisation we are today.

In 2000 we won a British UrbanRegeneration Association (BURA)Commendation for best practice incapacity building and its "outstandingcontribution to community life".

In 2001, the then Office of the DeputyPrime Minister (ODPM) fundedADEPT, as part of its best practicedissemination work across England.

Throughout this time we have workedalongside local community groupssupporting their own problem solving,and delivering interactive training.

The training was developed with thesupport of local groups, around amodular course entitled 'Working inCommunity Organisations', accreditedthrough the Open College Network,but also available in a workshop format.

This training continues to be updatedand modified to suit the specific needsof neighbourhood community groups,and political agendas based aroundrenewal, cohesion, empowerment,engagement and consultation aroundlocal services.


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Tailored support to community groups

ADEPT has, with local community groups, developed a modular course - 'Working inCommunity Organisations'. The course is available accredited through the open CollegeNetwork or in a workshop format.

Stand-alone modules can be delivered, or a combination of aspects of different modulescreating a tailor-made package.

We are regularly commissioned to provide bespoke packages to support groups in their

development and sustainability, by supporting them to arrive at their own solutionswhile achieving knowledge and skills for group members during this process.

ADEPT is an approved centre for the Open College Network, which ensures all of ourtraining is delivered within a clear quality standard.

It also gives us the flexibility to provide tailor-made accredited training that is responsiveto the needs of a community group and the individuals within it.

The changing nature of local communities and neighbourhoods makes it increasinglyimportant to provide support that is flexible, adaptable and responsive to individual andcommunity needs.


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ADEPT has developed a dedicated resource for groups in the form of a website -groupsinaction.com .

This provides a range of materials including examples and templates, while offeringsteps, suggestions and things to avoid, as part of an ongoing resource.

We have also developed a learning module entitled "Facilitate your Group" aimed atthose members of community groups who wish to provide additional support to newmembers or to extend the membership of their group.

This is available in a paper work book format at present, and is being developed as aweb resource, and then as an e-learning accredited package.


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Presentation from Haringay Council

Supporting New Communities&

Building Community Cohesion

What is Community Cohesion and why is it important?

What do we mean by new communities and why are theyrelevant?

What can local authorities do to increase community cohesionthrough their work with new communities?

What has been done in Haringey?

What do you think?

Community Cohesion isAt the heart of a safe and strong community, where:

There is a common vision and a sense of belonging

Diversity is appreciated and valued

People from all backgrounds have similar opportunities

People from different backgrounds have positive relationships

And it is:

Something that local authorities have a duty to promote

New Communities

Britain has always had community change.

Community change in Britain is dynamic.

This means that there are changes that people can findunsettling.

Outcomes influenced can depend on the actions and policies oflocal authorities and community l eaders.

Community change is hard to record.

The UK has had its most significant and diverse waves of immigrationin the past decade.

statistics and comments regarding rural issues and recent report.

This has been made up of eastern europeans and refugees.

Additionally the impact of immigration has diversifiedin three keyways: Location;Activities; Culture

E.g.paint a picture of a typical Somalian, Polish and Colombians pathand experiences.

The Role of Local Authorities

Local authorities have a duty to work towards communitycohesion- this is an overarching concept (related to racerelations, dda, inclusion, every child matters etc)

New communities will use/be affected by Local authorityservices, they have to make sense of the system and citizenresponsibilities.

They are also enfranchised and equal participants in thedemocratic system.


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Support communties develop social capital and provide themopportunities to interact and develop understanding and sharedgoals

Set out an enabling context where al communities can haveequal opportunities to participate in local politics and accessservices


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It also came out, that we are all involved and we all are implementing long termprocesses in our work but the present situation needs a special focus from CD andadult education to be more action oriented too. It means that reflective steps areneeded from our profession towards the key actors in policy making andimplementing, and through trainings we also have to support directly the local action.

More notes from the final discussion:

- Within TLCD we should try to bring back the bigger issues . We are thinking alot in contents and methodology (what is very important), but we should try tofocus on the bigger analysis that you work from (the community itself,unemployment, disabilities, economics, rights) - this big issues should beemphasised within training . That also helps to avoid to use CD as a tool by thehand of the power, which is helpful to increase peoples happiness instead of dealing with real problems

- Use an analysis to link local concerns to wider structures, issues- Facing our work, we have to make a balance, that besides developing trainings on

professional issues (training professionals), we have to support active citizensdirectly, the active citizen should be supported. The professionals have to be moreprepared (and their education should focus on that) about how to support activecitizens, rather than using the toolkits they already have. Need to concentrateand focus on people in communities, developing active citizens, whether

working with professionals or communities/politicians- This has an implication for training methods and contents, they should be more

action oriented (e.g. Saul Alinsky Rules for radicals)- But there is a tendency to simplify the world everywhere (quick knowledge,

very practical, simplifying structures, pictures, summaries, guidelines etc.) whichrepresents an attitude avoiding the deep and the realization of the deeperrelations, so that is why the CD training is very important on the Universitylevel as a part of various studies

- Important to look at history and key developments of community work inorder to better understand current context and influence future developments

- Be explicit about the values+beliefs+vision value oriented communitydevelopment how our values shine in our practice?

- Focus on power-powerless+need of those excluded. Have an analysis of power ,who has it, who doesnt, how it is used?


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uk relay report 08

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