Uk Relay Report 08

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 Relay meeting of the partners involved in the TLCD project This was a three day meeting 12th 13th 14th 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 and Learning for Community Development (CD) project. This project is led by the Combined European Bureau for Social Development (CEBSD’s) and is a partnership between CEBSD’s and a consortium of organisations working within a CD context. Meeting of European Partners Partners attending the UK meeting were from Hungary (Hungarian Association for Community Development), Bulgaria (Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives) and Romania (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 and Learning for Community Development • To build up sustainable networking via the development of a network for Training and Learning for Community Development, this can cross local, national and European borders and boundaries. The experience from one Relay visit is transferred to the next and so on until the final relay visit, which combines the findings and prepares for a Laboratory in Malmo Sweden.

There are 16 partner organisations and each partner participates in one of the relay visits. At the Laboratory in Malmo in September 2008, partners will analyse the results of the relay meetings. The partner organisations will test methodologies that make exchange of experience come alive and distil the most important points for dissemination. The combination of relay visits and Laboratory is designed to test the most effective means of 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 to another Training and Learning For Community Development (TLCD) UK Relay Visit Dates of relay visit: 12th-13th March 2008 Aims of TLCD project: •

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

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To build up sustainable networking on Training and Learning for Community Development, which can cross local, national and European borders and boundaries

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Influencing Policy within different cultures and contexts for community development

Objectives of UK relay visit: •

Exchange experience and share good practice on elements of community development workers

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To transfer lessons from training and learning from one context and country to another

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

The meeting will consist of a mix of group discussion, project visits and presentations with practitioners in the field of community development. Participants will each be encouraged to write their thoughts down during the course of the two day meeting which should help provide a space for reflection and comment. At the end of the meeting, participants will be invited to share some of their thoughts and reflections to both feedback into the group and take away as part of the learning and exchange process. Tuesday 12th March Location: 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 national voluntary agency Denise Taylor, Adept Community Development Agency

12.00

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

12.15

Refreshments

12.30

Community Engagement methodologies and practice within voluntary & 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 in Bulgaria, Romania Hungary Discussion of context and practice

3.00

Refreshments

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

Project Participants: Mate Varda Emile Metodiev Ruxandra Sasu

Hungarian Association for Community Development Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives (Bulgaria) Romanian Association for Community Development

UK participants and facilitators Sue Webb Jane Dobie Liz Court Helen Animashaun Denise Taylor Dave Crossan Nicky Dee Paul Formosa Rekha Shivam Mel Passmore

Community Development Foundation Community Development Foundation Community Development Foundation Community Development Foundation Adept Agency Consultant TBC Haringay Council Wolverhampton Network Consortium Wolverhampton Network Consortium

Day One This was an all day meeting held in the offices of CDF in London. Besides the visitors from Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, invitations had also been extended to a few potential multipliers of the training and learning project based in the UK Adept, a Community Development Agency, was invited to present a local and national UK perspective on Training and Learning for CD. A Local Authority CD worker was also invited to the meeting and presented a contrasting perspective, which also allowed us to reflect on the role of CD as part of a mainstreamed service. For example some workers had CD as part of their other work within a community, such as Community Safety Officer, or Youth worker.

UK Presentation during Relay visit Overview Training & Learning for Community Development Relay Meeting UK Sue Webb Community Development Foundation UK European and International Unit

Why are we meeting? Two day meeting Get to know one another Share experiences Contribute to ongoing learning

Overview What do we need to talk about? • Programme • Questions???? • Logistics

CEBSD’s • Combined European Bureau for Social Development • Project promoter Three areas of work • Projects • Networking • Policy

CEBSD’s Project

CEBSDs • CEBSD - exchange good practice and to distil policy lessons from practice. Three main areas of exchange

• Training & Learning for CD

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

• 2. Multipliers

• 1. Training & Learning Partnership

• 3. Sharing & Learning

Community Development Foundation CEBSD’s Member • Non-departmental public body • Approx 70% funded by Department for Communities 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

What is Community Development? Community development is the “invisible” profession because CD work is about enabling and empowering others Building equity, inclusiveness, participation and cohesion amongst people and groups and organisations

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]

Community Development Policy context • CD is about enabling the empowerment of others • Role of government is changing – the need for greater empowerment • Change has to take place from the bottom up – society relies on 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

European Policy & CD • CEBSD’s 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 other voluntary groups at local, regional, national and European level representing the interests of a wide range of civil society. • http://www.socialplatform.org/PolicyAction.asp

Presentation from Adept ADEPT is a specialist and awardwinning national community development agency, established in 1990 as an independent not-for-profit company and charity. Our organisational experience and the expertise of our team have shaped the organisation we are today. In 2000 we won a British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) Commendation for best practice in capacity building and its "outstanding contribution to community life". In 2001, the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) funded ADEPT, as part of its best practice dissemination work across England. Throughout this time we have worked alongside local community groups supporting their own problem solving, and delivering interactive training. The training was developed with the support of local groups, around a modular course entitled 'Working in Community Organisations', accredited through the Open College Network, but also available in a workshop format. This training continues to be updated and modified to suit the specific needs of neighbourhood community groups, and political agendas based around renewal, cohesion, empowerment, engagement and consultation around local services.

Tailored support to community groups

ADEPT has, with local community groups, developed a modular course - 'Working in Community Organisations'. The course is available accredited through the open College Network or in a workshop format. Stand-alone modules can be delivered, or a combination of aspects of different modules creating 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 solutions while achieving knowledge and skills for group members during this process.

ADEPT is an approved centre for the Open College Network, which ensures all of our training is delivered within a clear quality standard. It also gives us the flexibility to provide tailor-made accredited training that is responsive to the needs of a community group and the individuals within it. The changing nature of local communities and neighbourhoods makes it increasingly important to provide support that is flexible, adaptable and responsive to individual and community needs.

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 offering steps, suggestions and things to avoid, as part of an ongoing resource. We have also developed a learning module entitled "Facilitate your Group" aimed at those members of community groups who wish to provide additional support to new members or to extend the membership of their group. This is available in a paper work book format at present, and is being developed as a web resource, and then as an e-learning accredited package.

Presentation from Haringay Council

Supporting New Communities & Building Community Cohesion

Community Cohesion is…

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What is Community Cohesion and why is it important?

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What do we mean by new communities and why are they relevant?

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

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What has been done in Haringey?

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What do you think?

New Communities

At the heart of a safe and strong community, where: •

Britain has always had community change.

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Community change in Britain is dynamic.

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This means that there are changes that people can find unsettling.

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Outcomes influenced can depend on the actions and policies of local authorities and community leaders.

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Community change is hard to record.

•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

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

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statistics and comments regarding rural issues and recent report.

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This has been made up of eastern europeans and refugees.

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Additionally the impact of immigration has diversified in three key ways: Location; Activities; Culture

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

The Role of Local Authorities •

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

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New communities will use/be affected by Local authority services, they have to make sense of the system and citizen responsibilities.

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They are also enfranchised and equal participants in the democratic system.

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Support communties develop social capital and provide them opportunities to interact and develop understanding and shared goals

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Set out an enabling context where al communities can have equal opportunities to participate in local politics and access services

Presentation from Hungary I am working for the Hungarian Association for Community Development and the Civil College Foundation, which is an adult educational institution. Both of them are nation-wide organizations and working on three levels. On the local level, we are initiating local development processes on a long term basis, where through CD methodology and trainings we are enforcing planning and local action. On the national level, we are linking the local initiatives by networking, and we are influencing the development of new civic structures by help to create various formal and informal ways of cooperation. We are influencing the policy making processes too on the National and international level. Related to the profession, we are developing methods, making publications on the results of our activities, we are running a Civic Radio and an internet based community database, we are developing training courses and running trainings all over Hungary. On the international level we are members of different European networks, running international projects on various issues, and influencing the policy making procedures. We organized the previous relay in Hungary, which was already reported. There was a possibility to introduce the results of the Bp. Relay, so I presented the main topics and details of the agenda. At the end of the report we collected the main points and results of the Relay, what I highlighted in London too: During the meeting we expressed some important key points related to our understanding (and the TLCD project) and also about our possible common efforts for training and learning in the future. We all felt that for the issue of sharing among us, it was really important that we made space to get to know each other’s national and professional contexts and history. That helped a lot to recognise the similarities and differences and also to realise what we can bring back to home from each other. Sharing about our frameworks was also helpful to recognise the different focus points and actors within our societies, which/who are the most responsible in the change of people’s attitude on the different levels. We agreed that our task also includes the support of grassroots initiatives, but we also have a responsibility to influence these actor’s activity and cooperation with each other (we defined some, as the general education, adult education, helper and developer professions – community, rural, cultural, social professionals etc. - and the state both on the national and European level). We need such policies and support which are making possible real participation in which people can really take over the responsibility on their lives and empowered properly to this participation. This cannot go without influencing policy on each level in the society and Europe for gaining good opportunities which can be seized both local activists and CD professionals. It seems that it worth to link these national efforts on a European level, where our basis can be the Budapest declaration in a more strategic way, more concrete on the educational aspect. It also can be a formalized group (an international Alliance?) which collects, attracts and influences the key actors responsible for civil society development.

It also came out, that we are all involved and we all are implementing long term processes in our work but the present situation needs a special focus from CD and adult education to be more action oriented too. It means that reflective steps are needed from our profession towards the key actors in policy making and implementing, and through trainings we also have to support directly the local action. More notes from the final discussion: -

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Within TLCD we should try to bring back the bigger issues. We are thinking a lot in contents and methodology (what is very important), but we should try to focus on the bigger analysis that you work from (the community itself, unemployment, disabilities, economics, rights) - this big issues should be emphasised within training. That also helps to avoid to use CD as a tool by the hand of the power, which is helpful to increase people’s “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 citizens directly, the active citizen should be supported. The professionals have to be more prepared (and their education should focus on that) about how to support active citizens, rather than using the toolkits they already have. Need to concentrate and 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.) which represents an attitude avoiding the “deep” and the realization of the deeper relations, so that is why the CD training is very important on the University level as a part of various studies Important to look at history and key developments of community work in order to better understand current context and influence future developments Be explicit about the values+beliefs+vision – value oriented community development – how our values shine in our practice? Focus on power-powerless+need of those excluded. Have an analysis of power, who has it, who doesn’t, how it is used?