SLIC Sharing Paper 2

8/11/2019 SLIC Sharing Paper 2

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slicproject.wordpress.comfacebook.com/SharingLearningInCommunities

Perspectives on and thechallenges involved inengaging learners across a

number of divides:

A Community

Development Contribution


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PrefaceAn intended output and outcome from the SLIC project is evidence from partners confirmingthat they are working towards...

A strategic framework for Community Development Learning, reflecting

different national perspectives on engaging learners across the divides ofclass, age, gender, sexuality, culture and wealth and ensuring recognition of

skills and knowledge gained from community activities.

Contents

ReportPreface

Gathering the Evidence from Partner Contexts

Engagement in Learning Programmes Challenges and Changes

Learning Society & Lifelong Learning

Reflection and Summary AppendicesCyprus

Finland

Germany

Greece

Hungary

ItalyPoland

Slovenia

United Kingdom

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Response from most partners has been rich in evidence. Through written feedback material andthrough contributions made at the various gatherings across Europe evidence been gathered providinga range of examples in which communities have, with differing degrees of success, taken part incommunity based learning programmes and been able to use the learning to develop more sustainablecommunities. The practice and empirical evidence show the ways in which those involved haveengaged learners of different social classes, ages, genders, sexualities, culture and wealth. Importantlythe examples also illustrate the barriers that have been overcome to ensure access to learning andaddressing inclusiveness. There are some particularly good examples from Cyprus where work has beencarried out with youth groups in developing their resilience at a time of economic crisis. This focuscompliments the work and interests of some current UK project work that is engaged in identifying theforces and factors that enhance personal and community resilience. Similar to Cyprus the UK the work

has similarly focussed on youth groups in areas of greatest economic stress. In the North East of Englandthe statistics show that one in every three of young people between 18 24 years finds it impossible tofind employment.

The Greek partner was also involved in work with young people both bringing them closer to theirtradition and culture but also helping them to develop entrepreneurial skills to help them to exist inthe current economic climate. Clear attempts were made to target young people between 17 and 30with a balance of gender, parental status and age within that band and ensuring that immigrants andrepatriates were also well represented.

In Slovenia, steps are being made towards enhancing access to justice by developing volunteers to

provide legal advice for marginalised groups, thus providing opportunities for unemployed and highlyqualified volunteers providing training and experience while also addressing the marginalisation fromthe legal system of people without financial resources and who are often intimidated by the processesinvolved. They are also exploring ways of making legal advice and information available on-line andproviding the skills for older people to do so.

CAL in Poland has described the work of social animators and educators at their Social Welfare Centre inWloclawek based on the values of belief in dignity of the individual, mutual respect between people, asense of social justice, participation and empowerment. This is a place where trainers as practitioners,together with learners, form an important educational community focussed on social change. . Thisparticular work is focussed on the city of Wloclawek which has serious issues of unemployment and

poverty where people have little sense of belonging to the local community. Again, the work focuses oncutting across social class divides by identifying community leaders. Their initial role is to enable peopleaffected by poverty and unemployment to become involved in the working programme and workingwith people across cultures in the accidental community that has been formed.

A particularly interesting piece of work has been carried out in Hungary where a framework forcommunity development learning has been developed by the Association of Community Workers inone region, assisted by the Civil College Foundation. The community development professionals havedone their best to be inclusive of all actors in this process. The most important aspects of the strategyare the strengthening of self confidence and learning motivation, developments of learning skills andcapacities, the enhancement of local and regional community identity, the development of confidence

and co-operation between sectors. Work that has developed as a result includes free adult learningprogrammes to enable their availability to groups often marginalised from learning. There are also plansto introduce informal and interactive learning to the socialisation process of children and young people.Plans include community studies leading to the development o a community based economic culture

Gathering the Evidence fromPartner Contexts


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and proividing opportunities to learn about demoncracy. The process used involved parents, localinstitutions and other residents.

In the UK, efforts have been made to develop structures called Community Development Learning Hubsto bring together people and groups in a town or city to develop a strategic approach to communitydevelopment learning. The Hubs have become locally based partnerships with the purpose of providingmeaningful community development learning opportunities based on the Community DevelopmentLearning Framework. The partnerships comprise employers, training providers, activists and volunteers

who make joint decisions about the form the learning activities could take and how they will dealdynamically with the learning, social and economic needs emerging within our communities, thusensuring that all marginalised groups are included.

Engagement in Learning Programmes:

Challenges and Changes

Projects describe the barriers faced in involving people in learning programmes from which theyand their communities stand to benefit. In Poland, they identified psychological barriers thatinvolved a loss of hope in ever improving their situation, low self-esteem and an apathy to action.There were also a number of social barriers such as long term unemployment combined withpoverty and a sense of hopelessness and alienation together with a dependence on support fromaid institutions. The Slovenian project works across generations and has identified the issues of

providing on-line services to older people unused to the technology. They are working acrosssocial class and age divides as they help well qualified young people to develop and use theirskills to support older people and more marginalised groups to overcome barriers of living at alower social standard and perceptions of the welfare state and the rule of law as being somethingthat is not available to them.

The Hungarian example below provides information about the positive and asset based way inwhich they work with communities and especially with children and young people, bulding onthe strong community identity and comitment identified in some neighbourhoods. Communitydvelopment professionals became aware of processes within some local areas that promotedstudy of and involment in the local community from a very early age, through schools, local media

and parents. In this way, involvement of al groups happens throughout the life course. The CivilCollege Foundation is developing a complex strategy that will address the issue of includingmarginalised groups by mobilising and developing community solutions to build constituencyand citizen power. The work described in the German case study aimed at breaking down barriersto learning for physically and learning disabled people and people who had not completed theireducation. They worked to strengthen relationships across all educational phases, facilitatingempowerment and self guidance, promoting equality of opportunity and co-operation betweenproviders and users. They also worked across age divisions by making provision available to allfrom the ages of 12 to 99, using different forms of learning and media.

In the UK, the challenges are imposed by the austerity measures that have cut the funding not

only for front line delivery of training but also for the national and regional bodies that providedsupport for such delivery. The national Standards Board that is a partner in this project also seesthose challenges as offering opportunities though for developing new relationships and newways of recognising skills and achievements.


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Does the vision of a learning societysit comfortable in the context ofconstructing learning programmes which

form part of lifelong learning strategies

Two major issues of difference have been identified in exchange visit discussions.. Communitydevelopment learning, while providing a framework for qualification as a community developmentworker, places high value on intrinsic learning learning for its own sake. There has been a move overthe last twenty years in England away from learning of intrinsic value to learning perceived as being ofinstrumental value. Schools are forced to concentrate on getting learners through examinations andadult learning tends to be resourced only if it leads to a qualification which may help into employment.

Approaches that involve intrinsic learning have the potential both to develop and transform individualsand communities through developing their critical capacities. Intrinsic learning can inspire confidencein people and can develop new skills and knowledge within a community that can lead to sometransformative actions.

The second debate is, as yet, just developing. Community development learning aims to embraceissues of justice and inequality. This requires processes for ensuring that our work and any learningopportunities engage people across the divides of class, age, gender, sexuality, culture and wealth. Inthe case studies exemplified earlier there is evidence, explicitly and implicitly, that the processes beingused acknowledge the barriers that class, age, gender, sexuality, culture and wealth pose to involvementin both community development learning and within communities and democratic structures. There

are some good examples of the processes used to break down these barriers. Community developmentlearning is less concerned with counting the numbers of people taking part who have a low income orare gay or a woman but with using the right process to allow all people to take part. The evidence forthis is to be found in the case studies provided by the different partners.

Further, the Polish programme has worked with different age groups to enable them to learn how tofunction as a group and to accomplish goals together as a team. The monthly meetings they held withblock representatives provide an opportunity for participants to learn new skills, exchange experiences,develop mutual support and set common goals and tasks for each month. The workers have applied amodel of researching the problems and dilemmas of the community, analysing the issues, setting thegoals and expectations of the residents and planning implementation. The work described here is anexcellent example of informal learning.

In Hungary, Common Knowledge is a participatory learning programme carried out in five micro regionsof Hungary. The programme is based on the assumption that the countrys economic developmentcould be influenced by community and social relations as well as by active citizen participation in publicissues. Participatory learning processes have been used in both formal and informal learning adulteducation and, as a result, the programme increased the capacity of existing institutions for communityorganising and adult education. One element of the training worked with community enterprises andlocal economic development and included training in community entrepreneurship, local guiding forhiking and culture and community mentoring. Study circles were organised to compensate for the lackof opportunities in adult education. Another aspect of the programme focussed on community capacityfor self help, motivating young people to staying their communities and strengthening mutual help andsolidarity within communities.

There is an interest in Finland in developing community development learning within formal trainingstructures where citizenship based social work is already emphasised. The Finns are also developing


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meaningful partnerships with civil society and third sector groups. They are also working towardsdeveloping and delivery of a community development learning programme through working withothers/ Some of these developments have resulted from the Finnish groups search in the SLIC Projectfor new approaches and ways of approaching development work in terms of the curriculum anddelivering training.

There is an admission within Greece that the concept of the learning society is not widely understood,despite which educational activities take place to promote citizenship, intergenerational learning and

co-operation, challenging social exclusion and encouraging social inclusion. A number of examplesare provided of training programmes as part of the Youth in Action programme and ImplementingAssociation. However, the Greek perception of a learning society has been set out in some detail andhas a number of pillars such as learning through experience, active participation of disadvantagedgroups and a desire to change society for the better.

Thus, there is much evidence across Europe of community based learning programmes which contributeto a process of transformation which can work towards achieving sustainable and resilient communitiesand a learning society, in each of localities. All partners identify a range of barriers that they haveto overcome and the process they adopt to engage learners across the divides of class, age, gender,sexuality, culture and wealth. Lifelong learning strategies have been put in place in most locations which

support our vision of a learning society.

Reflection and Summary

It is a basic premise of the SLIC Project that community based learning practices can only be understoodas products of the national culture in which they exist. For the SLIC project is is becoming clear that theexperiences of one country can have a significance for people in the other participating countries. TheSLIC project through its activities, case study evidence and processes is designed to bring these out. Theexamples above identify the common challenges relating to the social and economically marginalisedyoung people; highlighting politically and socially divided societies and limited tolerance levels whichdemonise specific groups.

From a wider perspective, some contexts such as Germany, through vocational educational models andsocial pedagogical approaches aim towards progressive and responsible approaches to addressing someof the above. In the Northern parts of the UK, the perceived need is to create an informed, responsible

citizenry, capable of exercising democratic rights and fulfilling responsibilities., They are developingpolicies and practices which enhance civil society through resources and services explicitly focused ondeveloping a learning society.

Overall, the Partners in the SLIC Project have demonstrated a particular interest in spreading knowledgeof innovation in community based learning. They have demonstrated thereby their awareness of theneed for new approaches to meet ever changing circumstances and, not least that reach that largerpopulations hitherto untouched by traditional education approaches and practices.

Accommodating novel ideas and approaches in established practices is proving challenging andcomplex. However, in small ways the SLIC project is identifying situations that are open to change. The

challenge is how best to tackle these opportunities and facilitate ways of enabling participants in thisprogramme to take their aims forward and, at the same time, develop future project work.


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Appendices

CyprusBreaking down a project and writing the specific steps that have to be taken is an essential stage of asuccessful project. Below we describe the specific steps that need to be taken for the implementation ofa new project, titled Resiliency Development in Communities shortly described in 1st sharing paper.

The first step in developing a new project is to identify the target group, assess its needs, and decide onhow our involvement will benefit the recipients. Generally speaking, selecting a target group dependson factors such as the organizations mission and general aims, its expertise, its prior experience, andso on. Since our organizations general aims are the support of youth clubs and the promotion of the

well-being of youth in general, the ultimate beneficiaries in any project development must necessarilybe young people. Contributing to the strengthening of a community, according to BronfenbrennersEcological Systems theory, can have great positive impact to the communitys youth. In the framework ofResiliency Development in Communities the target group would be a community that is encounteringadversity due to the crisis and there is a youth club in its territory. To identify the most disadvantagedcommunities we could ask the executive board of every youth club all over Cyprus to fill in a questionerprepared to identify the risk and protective factors within their community (could be filled electronicallyor paper and pencil according to the potentiality of the specific Youth Club). A same questioner couldalso be sent to the authority of the communities and other local organizations or groups to gather morereliable data. Also we could arrange meetings of the youth clubs representatives with our coordinators

(employed officers of CYCO that have frequent contact with Y.C) and conduct informal qualitativeinterviews with them. This could give us more unstructured data that we could otherwise miss. Later, onthe basis of the data collected with the questioners and the interviews we can export a subgroup of themost disadvantaged communities (where youth clubs exist) and get the necessary guidelines to designour project the best possible way to benefit the most our target communities. At first we could proceedwith a single community as a pilot project to assess the effectiveness of such a program in a Cypriotcommunity and then expand to more communities.

The first meeting would be arranged by a CYCO officer familiar to the specific Y.C and the coordinatorshould be present. The benefits of the project can be presented to them and give them the opportunityto express their opinion on the applicability of the project in their communities, review the needs

together (give them ownership) and assess their interest and motivation to participate in such a project.Following the first meeting, the objectives of the project will be clarified always with the cooperation

and contribution of the Youth Club (e.g. strengthening the Social Networks within the community,development of support services, building a sense of community pride, development of diverse and


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innovative economy). Then we could start preparing for the strategy of achieving our expected outcome.This involves designing all the activities of the project and assigning the various tasks to the appropriateyoung volunteers, staff members and/or other associates. An important step at this stage is reviewingor building the activities with the people that will implement them so they get a sense of ownershipwhich helps the growth of motivation and the increase of the possibilities for a successful progress ofthe project. A starting activity could be the volunteers of youth clubs to organize meetings with othergroups (e.g. church groups), organizations and stakeholders in their communities (in the presence offacilitators) in order to develop common goals. The first approach could be challenging and staff shouldbe available to give guidance in order to avoid burn out of participants. Altogether could develop astrategy to encourage their citizens to buy locally and give them information and incentives for diverseand innovative economy. Other activity could be the conduct of workshops from psychologists fordeveloping a positive outlook among the people of the community. Because in different communitiesthere are different needs and characteristics it would be helpful if we prepared a pool of many modulesof activities in order to use different parts in different communities to meet their specific needs.

Furthermore, this stage of project includes applying for and securing funding, as well as finding partnerorganizations at a local, European, or international level that will collaborate in carrying out the project.Potential partners should be able to contribute to the implementation of the project through their own

expertise and relevant experience. Therefore, selecting the right partners is often crucial to the smoothprogress of the project.

Implementation of the project is where planning and ideas become reality. During this stage an ongoingmonitoring and evaluation will take place, which will help us identify possible weaknesses or flaws ofthe project. In this way we could act effectively, modifying the necessary aspects of the project in orderto improve the projects overall efficacy. Upon completion of the project, we could evaluate the resultsand outcomes through the questioner used in the beginning (as post-test) in order to identify anydifferences. In the end, the main conclusions will be disseminated in the target community and otherdisadvantaged communities.

Below are the major stages of project planning and development:

Identification of the target group. Assess its needs and decide how the project can best tacklethese needs and benefit the target group.

Preparation stage. Develop a strategy for achieving desired results. This includes designingactivities and assigning tasks to each member of the project team. Gaining a sense of ownershipat this stage increases the motivation.

Finding partner institutions from home or abroad that can add importantly to the project withtheir expertise. Applying for and securing funding.

Implementation of project. At this stage is also very important that the activities are appropriatefor the level of the community building on previous knowledge.

Monitoring and evaluation. Modifying aspects of the project, if necessary, in order to dealeffectively with arising problems and other challenges.

Completion of project. Evaluating results and utilizing them for future project.

Dissemination of projects results and conclusions. Could inspire other communities to implementit too.


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Finland

Step by step process for a new project. This process is based on an instruction for students research

projects.

1) Community analysis

Which groups or sub-communities the community consists of?

2) Needs assessment

Recources

Challenges and problems

3) Interests

What are the interests of the different groups?

4) Getting people involved

The community analysis will be shared with local people before the aims or targets can be defined

5) Aims or targets

6) Resources for the project

7) Process

The process consists of two parts: concrete level and analytical level .

8) Evaluation


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Germany

The Learning Studio The vision of a vocationally and

practical learning center

A strong participation in education in the field of lifelong learning contributes to ensure the futuredevelopment and maintenance of a highly qualified (working) population for todays industrialand service society. To win individuals to participate in education both the individual conditionsfor the involved people must be attractive as well as the educational offers themselves. Therefore alearning centre is needed which offers Lifelong Learning opportunities, that is general, professionaland political-cultural education in all phases of education from school to old age. This centre is tomeet the increasing demand for customized solutions in the context of lifelong learning and shouldprovide specific offers for all educational stages to increase the participation in education.

Under the name The Learning Studio such a learning centre will follow and actively support theguidelines of Lifelong Learning

strengthening relations between all educational phases and areas

empowerment and self-guidance

motivation for disabled people, persons with learning difficulties (or special needs) andpeople with a deficit in education

promotion of equal opportunity

cooperation between education providers and users

and will pursue its own working objectives

creating strong links of traditional and innovative teaching and learning methods

combining theoretical knowledge transfer and practical appropriation processes of differenttarget and participants groups

teaching and learning across different target groups

the ability to self-learning skills and cooperation

documented knowledge transfer across educational areas and generations

Based on this approaches the potential target group of the Learning Studio could include all eagerlearners between 12 and 99 years due to the fact that there are always education gaps across allstages of life (see picture 1) starting at the stage of vocational and academic orientation of pupils

Picture 1: Life and educational phases


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and ending at maintaining mental fitness for retired people.

To realise such a learning centre the business idea of the Learning Studio wants to pick upapproaches of a gym. Thus, different learning spaces will be created for the learners who also usedifferent forms of learning and media. For 4 different large rooms (like shown in picture 2), focusedon special target groups but also interactive linked with each other, a learning coach is responsiblefor the learners individually, gives support and help, answers questions or moderates events,workshops, etc. Like in a gym, the coaches want to identify specific gaps and deficits hereby on

educational level - as part of a consultation, to work on individual plans to remedy the deficits andto accompany and support for continuously control of success and improvement. Therefore the planshould not only include offers of the Learning Studio but also those that are implementable at home

Picture 2: Learning rooms and learning methods of the Learning Studio

or at other learning places individually.

The WORKSHOP ROOM with modern presentation and moderation equipment, enough space forworking in groups or to organise learning events, e.g. seminars & trainings, network forums, debates, etc.

The KNOWLDEGE GARAGE with library and media centre, computer work stations and a large range

of self-learning materials, learning and simulation games, learning programmes and special offers forretired persons or persons who are searching for a job.

The IT ACADEMY with several training programmes, e-learning programmes around the themes ITand networking. Interesting learning games should foster and support the learning process with newmedias for each age group. It should also integrate offers for beginners (e.g. older people) who are notyet proficient with PC, Internet, podcasts, mobile phones/smart phones, etc. and allowed them to workdirectly with their own equipment during the courses to get familiar with it.

The INDUSTRY CABINET AUTOMOTIVE as a demonstration and laboratory for pupils, students and youngpeople. It will impart knowledge about careers in the automotive industry and enables the young peopleto test in practice several jobs in individual activities with the guidance of experts.

And additionally there should be the opportunity for educational counselling or to obtain informationon the individual offers and opportunities within the Learning Studio. For that reason qualified learningconsultants are needed, who are able to classify learning types and to develop personnel learningplans tailored to the individual learning needs and the targeted educational goals. The learning planshould enable a continuously control of the learning success as well as the determination of the nexteducational goals.

Through the creation of optimal learning environments and conditions, an attractive range oflearning materials and professional learning support the learning center should provide access to awide audience. Thanks to its design and its ideas behind, the Learning Center can offer a high degree

of implementation for individual self-organized learning. Summarised the Learning Studio will bethe central contact point for Lifelong Learning that defines individual learning goals, develops andimplements individual learning plans, creates individual learning scenarios and adapts individuallearning speeds.


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Greece

EPIMORFOTIKI KILKIS SM LLC usually uses a specific process for planning and managing a project. The

programs that Epimorfotiki implement or which cooperate with other local bodies are related to LifelongLearning. The following describes the stages of planning and managing a project:

HOW EPIMORFOTIKI BE INFORMED ABOUT THE CALL PROPOSALS AND HOW SEARCH THE

SUITABLE CALL/ MEASURE

1. SEARCH INTERESTING CALLS/MEASURES DEPENDIG ON THE SECTOR OF EDUCATION (e.g. health,immigrants, technology, youth, social inclusion, environment and others):

Internet research (searches to websites of ministries, government agencies, Europeanorganizations, etc) and other available tools (e.g. mailing lists, yahoo groups etc)

Searches through local bodies and associationsHOW EPIMORFOTIKI WORKING TO GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT

2. CALL FOR TENDANCE:

Post of the call. Finding appropriate measures according to the educational needs of the region.

HOW EPIMORFOTIKI CHOOSE THE MEASURES OF THE CALL

3. STUDY THE SPECIFICATIONS OF TENDER/CALL: emphasis on the important points and choice ofmeasure that serves the needs

HOW EPIMORFOTIKI FORM THE CONTENT OF THE PROPOSAL

4. Design the project based the terms and conditions of the tendance /call:

E.g. Target group (gender, age, parentage e.t.c.)

Planning of the implementation of the project

Trainers profiles

Educational fields that will be the training

Actions/initiations of the project

Providing consulting services

Cooperation with other associations/bodies Analysis of the budget

HOW EPIMORFOTIKI WORKS FOR WRITING THE PROPOSAL

5. WRITING THE PROPOSAL:

Find short and clear title for the project

Description of the educational institution that will implement the actions or will undertake toprovide the training

Explain in a comprehensive way the issue, project objectives and the expected results

Target group of the project

Description of the educational fields

Description of the impact of the projects results on the target group, the local community andEuropean community


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HOW EPIMORFOTIKI SUBMIT THE PROJECT

6. Proposal submission in corresponding to the management body

Completion and submission the appropriate forms

HOW EPIMORFOTIKI BE INFORMED FOR THE RESULT OF THE PROJECT SUBMISSION

7. EPIMORFOTIKI BE INFORMED ABOUT THE RESULT OF THE PROJECT SUBMISSION via post mail or emailthat send the management body (e.g. ministry, European Social Funds ESF- Actions ImplementationAuthority). Sometimes Epimorfotiki be informed through internet research on the management bodysweb page.

WHAT ACTIONS DOING EPIMORFOTIKI TO VIEW THE PROJECT

8. VISIBILITY OF THE PROJECT FROM THE INITIAL TO THE FINAL STAGE

Epimorfotiki view the project by all available means and tools e.g. press releases, posts in websites,facebook, twitter, emails, newspapers, magazines, leaflets, promotional material such as hats, penetc

WHAT INFORMATION TAKE INTO ACCOUNT EPIMORFOTIKI FOR PROGRAMMING THE ACTIONS

9. PROGRAMMING FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIONS:

Place, space (classrooms), time, way (educational methods) and available means (internetconnection, whiteboards, projectors, flipcharts, videocamera etc)

HOW EPIMORFOTIKI CHOOSE THE TRAINERS

10. RESEARCH AND CHOICE OF TRAINERS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THEIR KNOWLEDGES, EXPERIENCE ANDNEEDS OF THE SCOPE OF EDUCATION. The choice of trainers is done through the Trainers Registry ofEpimorfotiki and after study of the CV of each trainer.

HOW EPIMORFOTIKI CREATES THE EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL

11. CREATION OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL

The educational material is created in cooperation with the trainers.

Use of educational material according to the level of knowledge and skills of participants.

Use of technology and internet tools

HOW EPIMORFOTIKI WORKS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTIONS

12. IMPLEMENTATION OF EDUCATION AND ACTIONS OF THE PROJECT WHICH ACCORDING TO THEREQUIREMENTS OF THE CALL

Realization of any travel or meetings Accommodation and food arrangements

Arranging airline tickets

Conduct with partners e.t.c.

WHAT PROCCESS IS USING BY EPIMORFOTIKI FOR THE EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT

13. EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT

Recognition of any errors

Evaluation of participation and interest of participants

Evaluation of trainers

Evaluation of methods that were used

Evaluation of training material


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General evaluation for the impact of the project to the local, national and European level.

Use an Evaluation Sheet by all were involved e.g. participants, trainers, mentors, responsible formonitoring the project

Creation an Evaluation Report by the responsible of the project and director

HOW EPIMORFOTIKI COMPLETE THE PROJECT

14. FINAL REPORT

Completion and submission the appropriate forms to the NA

WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR DISSEMINATION AND USE OF PROJECT RESULTS THAT IS USED BY

EPIMORFOTIKI

15. DISSEMINATION AND EXLPOITATION OF RESULTS AFTER THE END OF THE PROJECT

Dissemination or result through conduct, internet, local bodies and others

Exploitation of results by educational bodies, local or European associations, trainers, studentse.t.c.

Below there is a brief description of the planning and management of the project which entitled:ACTIONS OF YOUTHS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF LOCAL TRADITION AND CONTINUATION OFCULTURAL HERITAGE in the frame of YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAM.

1. SEARCH INTERESTING CALLS/MEASURES DEPENDIG ON THE SECTOR OF YOUTH and the needs in local,national and European level.

Internet research on http://ify.gr/ & http://www.inedivim.gr/

2. CALL FOR TENDANCE:

Finding the EUROPEAN QUIDE 2011 for YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAM and the appropriatemeasure (1.2 Youth Initiatives) according to the needs of the region

3. STUDY THE SPECIFICATIONS OF TENDER/CALL: emphasis on the important points and choice ofmeasure that serves the needs

4. Design the project based the terms and conditions of the tendance /call:

E.g. Target group (gender, age, parentage e.t.c.): Young people aged 17 to 30 (repatriates andimmigrants were included)

Planning of the implementation of the project: 09 / 05 /11 to 09 /05 /12

Trainers profiles: Experienced trainers were chosen by Epimorfotiki from using the TrainersRegistry. Trainers who worked for the project were: technologist for food, nutritionist and trainersfor traditional dances

Educational fields that were the training: healthy eating, exploitation of traditional products(e-commerce), Youth Entrepreneurship, meet young people the tradition and culture

Actions/initiations of the project:

Creation a Pontiac Stamping Ground (Area for young people: meetings implementation &youth information)

Workshop for Development the Basic Knowledge in Cooking with the use of traditionalPontiac products

Youth Meeting on the subject Youth and Culture

Providing consulting services: young people (participants) were consulting by a coach

Cooperation with other associations/bodies: cooperation with educational institutions, socialassociations and schools


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Analysis of the budget: a plan was created for the economical needs of each action and definedthe available amounts. For each action was made a market research and then following thenecessary arrangements with suppliers.

5. WRITING THE PROPOSAL:

A short and clear title was given for the project

Was given information for the body, the activities that body implements, the members of the

body, the collaboration network. The aim of the bodys description was for being understand themanagement capacity for support young people according to the projects needs

Epimorfotiki emphasized the need to be involved young people of the region, the need tobring young people close to tradition and culture but also the need to be developed youthentrepreneurship in order to exist in the future an economical growth. Also in the description washighlighted the nutritional value of traditional products and the need for a healthy way of life.

The characteristics of target group were described (e.g. age and hobbies of young people).Participants were 9 youngsters between 17-28 years old. Participants had to create, organize, viewand disseminate the whole project. Also in the project participated other young people from theregion as learners.

The educational fields that were chosen by Epimorfotiki were: culture and tradition, nutritionvalue of traditional products, youth entrepreneurship and healthy life style. The aim was toparticipate young people in training courses and take knowledge and skills for eat healthily anddevelop business ideas by using the traditional products.

The outcomes and results for youngsters, local community and European community weredescribed. For the proof of learning experience of young people the body provide to eachparticipant the CERTIFICATE YOUTHPASS.

6. The proposal was submitted in corresponding to the management body

7. EPIMORFOTIKI WAS INFORMED ABOUT THE RESULT OF THE PROJECT SUBMISSION via post mail

8. Epimorfotiki view the project by all available means and tools e.g. press releases, posts in websites,facebook, twitter, emails, newspapers, magazines, leaflets, promotional material such as hats, pen etc

9. PROGRAMMING FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIONS: The actions were implemented in Kilkis.Procedures were followed according to the actions and having as criterion the safety and protection ofyoung people.

10. The choice of trainers is done through the Trainers Registry of Epimorfotiki and after study of the CVof each trainer.

11. The educational material was created in cooperation with the trainers.

The educational material that used was according to the level of knowledge and skills of youthparticipants. For the needs of the project Epimorfotiki used all the logos of Youth in Action Program

12. Arrangements for the project. (e.g. conduct with trainers, local bodies, closing deals etc).Implementation project meetings.

13. EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT

Recognition of any errors

Evaluation of participation and interest of participants

Evaluation of trainers

Evaluation of methods that were used Evaluation of training material

General evaluation for the impact of the project to the local, national and European level.


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Use an Evaluation Sheet by all were involved e.g. participants, trainers, mentors, responsible formonitoring the project

Creation an Evaluation Report by the responsible of the project and director

14. FINAL REPORT

Completion and submission the appropriate forms to the NA

15. Epimorfotiki disseminated the project results through internet and other conducts. Also

Epimorfotiki cooperated with other local bodies for the dissemination of the results. Furthermore wascreated a presentation (in PPT form) in order to be used in the future in other educational programs.


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Hungary

Case study: The Common Knowledge participatory learning programme in Northern Hungary

This case study presents how community participation, knowledge about local citizen participationand citizen self-organisation and community learning were enhanced, and the institutions of localcitizen action established, through community development and adult education in five small regionsof Borsod-Abaj-Zempln, a severely disadvantaged county on the northern periphery of Hungarybetween 2005 and 2011.

Borsod-Abaj-Zempln County is the second largest in the country, and borders on Slovakia and Ukraine.Its total population is 709,634, with 408,000 people living in urban areas. There are 358 local communitiesin the county, of which 25 are towns. 34 per cent of the local communities have populations under500 persons. The standard of living in the villages is lower than that in the towns. The villages have lessaccess to services, job opportunities, healthcare and care for the aged, as well as to public institutions.As for infrastructural development, running water, electricity, telephones and gas are available almosteverywhere, but sewerage is missing in several places. Transport is excellent between Budapest andMiskolc, the county capital, by rail and highway. This said the availability of transportation to the smallvillages is variable.

The 1990s saw the county facing the consequences of economic transformation. The sudden collapseof heavy industry, such as metallurgy, mines and chemical plants, led to a structural crisis that causedhigh unemployment, the migration of qualified labour away from the county, the depopulation of wholevillages, the ageing of the population, the withdrawal of public institutions and ghettoization. Whilethe county caught up somewhat after 2003, the most recent economic crisis halted this development

and further jobs have been lost since 2007. As a result, the villages lack services and public institutions,especially in the fields of health, education and culture. Postal services and locations for citizens to meetand exchange are also lacking.

The Common Knowledge participatory learning programme was carried out in five microregionsincluding 85 local communities, mostly villages, in Borsod-Abaj-Zempln County. Starting in 2009,the programme was based on the assumption that the countys economic development could beinfluenced by community and social relations, as well as by active citizen participation in public issues.The programme built on the creativity, knowledge, selforganisation and cooperation skills of the locals,and it reached beyond local community limits, made training widely accessible and generated newcooperation.

The programme set out to improve the quality of locals lives through participative learningprocesses,through formal and informal adult education. In local contexts, the transition to a democratic culturehas been slower than the economic transition. Some of the social skills previously required havebecome obsolete, while those required by democracy have not yet been acquired. Until the communitydevelopment process took place in these localities, the citizens did not believe that they could actto improve their own situation. As a result, they were not motivated to act or to learn, and were shyand afraid of new things. The intervention of community developers grew new institutions of citizenparticipation that helped residents to see the value of civic engagement. The programme also increasedthe capacity of existing institutions for community organising and adult education (mostly culturalinstitutions, often at the forefront of Hungarian community development work). In almost all rural areas

in Hungary, learning for democracy and skills relevant to the contemporary economic and social contextare deficient. Little has been done to provide free access to learning opportunities for rural residents,who are faced with having to transform their lives and communities. Apart from the local pedagogical


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institute or the organisation that re-trains unemployed people, there are almost no adult educationinstitutions operating in Borsod-Abaj-Zempln County. Employers provide some training but focus onskills for specific jobs, rather than addressing life or community building skills. The most popular coursestaken are driving lessons and language courses. Local cultural centres have not been able to seize theopportunity and specialise in adult education, due to a lack of supportive policies and financial resources.

The programme aimed to address some of these deficits, especially those related to education andcommunity development. Although community development cannot solve structural unemployment,

it can contribute to local economic development. One training element worked with communityenterprises and local economic development, including trainings in community entrepreneurship, localguiding for hiking and culture, and community mentoring. Study circles were organised to compensatefor the lack of opportunities for adult education. Another part of the programme focused on communitycapacity for self-help, aiming to motivate young people to stay in their communities, develop the senseof belonging, and strengthen mutual help and solidarity within the community and openness towardsthe outside world.

The idea of community development appeared in the county in 2001 when the Hungarian Associationfor Community Development (HACD) started a community development process in the micro-regionsof zd and Putnok and in the villages of Kirld and Ht. A few local professionals working in culture,NGOs or for social change took part in HACDs work and training activities, forming a core team thatgradually worked towards the goals of community development. The countys Institute for Culturemade community development an integral part of its work. Its members teamed up with like-mindedprofessionals seeking community approaches to change and, in 2002, founded the Dialogue forCommunities Association. These two key institutions cooperate with county cultural institutions andthe institutions of higher education, especially as regards culture, social work and adult education.They engage these institutions in mobilising locals, conducting research and training, and organisingnew services. Further cooperating partners are schools, family support and child protection services,institutions of healthcare and education, the business sector, churches, and the minority communities inthe county. Above all, the programme sought to engage the residents of participating local communities.

Launched in July 2009 and completed in June 2011, the Common Knowledge programme wasimplemented through the cooperation of local and county-level public institutions and NGOs (mainlyorganisations of community work and community development) in a consortium. Previous communitydevelopment and learning processes served as valuable experiences, and active locals were engagedin the community planning process in two ways. Firstly, residents and their NGOs were invited tocommunity planning workshops. Secondly, the process was continued during four professionalworkshops conducted by the staff of the cultural centres located in the county.

The consortium presented the programme to the wider public in the county including communityactivists, local and county press. Opening events were organised principally to motivate and engage

new stakeholders in community development and adult education. Community organisations andfocal points for local action were introduced to newcomers by their neighbours, reinforcing theengagement of those who had been involved for longer and inspiring newcomers to join in, learn andact. Presentations were made by experts on a variety of themes related to community development andadult education. Information was distributed to participants about training available and on-the-spotapplications were accepted. These events reinforced the belief of the stakeholders in their work.

Accreditation procedures started for adult education in two institutions, the county Institute for Cultureand the Cultural Centre, Library and Museum of Edelny. Several adult education programmes wereaccredited including a 90-hour community mentoring training, a 90-hour community entrepreneurshiptraining, and a 90-hour local guide for hiking and culture training.

Several non-formal training activities were implemented through learning circles. A learning circle is asmall democratic group which functions according to the principles of dialogue and engages the activeparticipation of all its members. It is a free form of learning in which the participants (as equals) strive tounderstand the processes taking place in the society around them. The participants learn in a democratic


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manner, and have the opportunity to take part in building the community. They learn to communicate,cooperate and to participate in community, social, cultural and political life.

The study circles took place between December 2010 and March 2011, with five circles in each of the fiveregions in the county. They were organised on themes including agriculture, computer skills, traditionalHungarian embroidery, English and German language, etiquette and ballroom dancing, folk songs,cookery, handicrafts, local history, medicinal plants, and vintage motorcycles. Study trips were includedand experts invited, tools and textbooks were purchased, and cooperation with partners was established

to create prospects for continuity beyond the programme. The leaders of the study circles receivedtraining from community developers to ensure a positive learning experience for participants. Animportant concern was to involve as many local communities as possible, so each meeting was held in adifferent local community. The programme supported the transport costs of the participants to ensuremaximum participation. As a result, a total of 1,102 people participated in 25 study circles.

The programme included various events to inform the residents of the county the opportunitiesoffered. 22 such events were held along with several smaller meetings and press conferences for thelocal and county media. These events also served to establish continuous dialogue with beneficiariesof the programme about its results, further steps and possibilities for participation. The closing eventthat presented the results of the project was a true celebration involving all stakeholders, and giving allparticipants an opportunity to voice their feedback.

The success of this programme can be attributed to several factors. It united the resources of all thecooperating partners, and it drew on existing institutional capacity: the county Institute for Culturemanaged large scale funds, ran professional programmes, achieved accreditation and providedadministrative support, and its staff came with prior experience in community development work.Positive cooperation existed between community developers and the Department of Cultural and VisualAnthropology at the University of Miskolc, which developed the research tools to identify training needs.The researchers built on the knowledge and social network of the community workers active in the area,and the students conducting the survey contributed fresh perspectives. Local community developers

and their NGOs working in the county supported the programme, with their awareness of what could orwould not work in the local context. The programme was based on a culture of discussion and dialogue,with all decisions taken together among concerned stakeholders and participants. Finally, the facilitationof the educational dimension of the programme was a true example of participation, as the curriculawere developed according to the needs and knowledge of the stakeholders, while the training methodswere those of adult education, built on the work and life experience of adults, and developed each topicthrough the broadest participation possible.

The programme did, however, also encounter a number of obstacles. Community and regional identitywas weak among locals. They understood community more in administrative terms than in terms of asense of belonging, and they have little interest or motivation to get involved in community affairs. Local

NGOs tended to have limited horizons and few contacts beyond their villages. Given that the programmeplaced considerable emphasis on inter-community cooperation and partnership, much time and workwas required to expand horizons. One of the greatest challenges, however, was to ensure continuity andsustainability. The programme certainly succeeded in increasing participation and citizen activity, and inbuilding awareness of the importance of self-help and self-organising among participants. Nonetheless,the programme remained just a beginning in terms of real citizen activity.

Although the programme prepared members of the community to address problems they identifiedthemselves, many of those problems could not be solved. Community enterprises are a case in point.Some viable business plans were drafted but project carriers lacked confidence to implement themand expected others to deliver solutions. In addition, discrepancies remain between social and citizen

participation. The study circles demonstrated that interest in cultural traditions dominates over interestin the development of a modern democratic lifestyle and active citizenship, with handicrafts morepopular than English language or computer skills. This problem extends to cooperation with the localgovernments and real citizen action, such as participating in decision-making, advocacy or lobbying,


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which are not yet on the horizon for most resident groups. People living in these communities continueto know little about the mechanisms of democracy. Some participants of the educational activitiesalso found it hard to work with the nonfrontal and participatory training methods used, not surprisingperhaps given the rigid educational system they had learned in earlier.

Mistrust persisted despite the fact that examples of good practice accumulated. Some of it can be tracedback to the phenomenon of anomy, which is said to be greater in new democracies.16 Mistrust is alsonurtured by the experience that reality is becoming more complex and uncertain, and many people

find it hard to see where they fit in. In this project, this was manifest in the reluctance among someparticipants to share their contact information and to participate systematically in the study circles. Insum, this programme clearly demonstrated that the social environment for community participationremains challenging in rural areas.

All the same, there have been substantial results. Working with local knowledge and understandingthrough the participation of local people in planning this programme helped to build the self-confidenceof locals to engage in adult education. Most of them, like other people of low qualification, were afraidof adult education because they thought that they would not be able to learn, let alone teach. Thebroad base of cooperation established during the programme broadened the view of all stakeholderson opportunities they can create jointly, and improved their self-confidence and comfort in working oncommunity issues, cooperation with ordinary people and facilitating mutual learning.

While it is not usual for cultural institutions to conduct adult education and community development, orto base their work on local demands and engage residents, there are technical and mentality barriers tothis approach. Examples of such encountered by the institutions that joined the programme include theneed for flexible working hours and for adaptation to developments in the community.

It can be concluded that the programme presented here has achieved what could be achieved underthe specific circumstances in which it was rolled out. Although its results are partial, they can be turnedinto a solid foundation for future development if the actors of the three sectors government, NGOs andbusiness can muster the energy needed for systematic, continuous and long-term work, and the vision

to take their co-operation onto a larger scale of socio-economic developments in the county.

This is not an easy task in contemporary Hungary, given the general lack of resources, the difficulty ofaccessing development funds, their bureaucratic nature and the project-based approach preferred byfunders. Funds granted are generally available for the short-term, they do not necessarily address goalsdefined by the locals concerned, and there is no guarantee they will be continued once the projectis finished. In the same vein, this programme presents examples of the main problems of communitydevelopment in rural areas. Participation in public issues and community development are not yetincorporated into the local culture. Skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for managing modern,democratic societies are lacking, and policy-makers have not taken the necessary steps to fill the gaps.Instead of institutional frameworks securing development, NGOs and local government institutions arestruggling to meet contemporary challenges without suitable instruments. In sum, the mechanismssupporting development by communities for communities are not yet established in Hungary.

It must also be admitted that community development and civil society (no matter their will andpersistence) cannot compensate for the state and its policies. The attitude of government authoritiestowards citizen initiatives is often problematic. Hobby groups, which do not present alternative opinions,are well liked and in exchange for small-scale support, they readily legitimate the authorities approach.In turn, citizen initiatives working for change, engaging in advocacy or taking an alternative positionto the official line of those in power, do not receive support. What is more, development remains theprivilege of those whose work corresponds to the priorities identified in the national development

plan financed by the EU. No national or local resources are available to finance local development.Local governments struggle to make ends meet, even when it comes to their core tasks, while localdevelopment has become a task for others, especially the EU. In the local context, the short-termlogic of the project-based approach means that after 18 months of employment, people return tounemployment. If the mobilised residents cannot access the tools needed for the realisation of their


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Italy

Updating CV and self presentation

Inside a virtual class like eun community platform exchanging suggestions using wikispace or google-drive through the exploitation of non-formal and informal learning.

Why

1. The economic crisis involves a continuous search of job for both young and adults.

2. In the past because of the predominance of formal education this tool got rigid.

3. This instrument underlines and enhances self-esteem4. Experiences done are often undervalued whereas you never know if they are spendable in thejob world (reference: twelve key competences)

5. http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/key_en.htm

6. It allows people to have a complete evaluation of themselves with the chance that dynamicaspects of active citizenship could emerge.

How

1. Starting point: CV Europasshttp://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae/templates-instructions

2. Use of Google-drive or Wikispace to write together the same document on-line

3. Use of Eun community (collaborative and virtual class on the European Schoolnet platform) astool for tutoring and continual assessment

4. Discussion on learning experiences (in group) to let competences emerge

5.Discussion and selection of learning experiences taking into account the twelve key competenceshttp://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/key_en.htm

6. Writing : curriculum and letter of presentation

7. A video as a tutorial will be created.


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Poland

TURN settlement in Wloclawek

Based on the example of work of social animators and educators from Social Welfare Centre inWloclawek, CAL implement the objectives set out in the 1st Sharing Paper . Education is based on thepillars, that values are shared by the teaching staff e.g. belief in the dignity of the individual , mutualrespect between people, a sense of social justice , participation , empowerment . Trainers as practitioners, together with learners , forms an important educational community focused on social change . Effectivelearning process includes several key elements : a sense of meaning and purpose , the participantsinvolvement, sense of security and a sense of agency . We called this concept engaged education .

Step by Step process for a new project:

Introduction

We describe the process that led to mobilizing people in Wloclawek, Leopoldowo district and improvesthe living conditions of the local community. The aim of the task was to select local leaders who, throughtheir attitude and the commitment, affected the others, engaging them to solve the most importantissues in their community .

Background / situational context .

Wloclawek is a city with about 113 000 inhabitants. This is an area struggling with serious problem ofunemployment and poverty caused by the fact that over the last 10 years biggest companies wereclosed. Unemployment and a process of impoverishment of the population , results in an increase in thenumber of families having problem with paying the housing fees, which often leads to eviction to unitswith lower standard of living. The city has produced several places enclaves of poverty . The fastestdeveloping multi-faceted problems of almost every aspect of life were that people lived in accidentalcommunity , with no tradition and no sense of belonging.

The target audience

Area where educators and facilitators of Family Support Centre (OPS) work is one of these enclavesof poverty - District is is located on the suburbs of Wloclawek , far away from the city center . Thereis no proper infrastructure . The only connection with the city is one bus line . The inhabitants are arelatively small community . District is inhabited by 534 people within 181 families of which 143 are usingthe support of OPS ( 448 people in total ), which constitutes 84 % of the total population . Among the

supported residents nearly 50 % are children and young people up to 18 years of age.

Problems

An important aspect is the complexity and diversity of problems among the adult population of thesettlement like long-term unemployment, alcohol abuse , single motherhood , families with manychildren, youth crime . It is a socially excluded community . People from Wloclawek has a stereotypicalthinking of Turn People as lazy drunks.

Significant obstacles of residents Leopoldowo district :

psychological barrier - due to loss of hope of improving their situation , low self-esteem , apathy toaction

Social barriers - long-term unemployment combined with the poverty , hopelessness andalienation and dependence on the support provided by aid institutions. A social worker is treatedas a person in control , only providing the financial support.


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How do you set up a first meeting

Social workers, carried out interviews and observations with local community . Results were presentedduring several meetings with residents and local stakeholders. Many problem articulated by theresidents were on devastated staircases and lack of opportunities of leisure time activities for youngpeople.

Starting a Project and the development stage within it.

The first shared initiative was a project called Rainbow settlement . Focused on the oldest houses,because these were the most devastated . The main objective of the project was the reintegration offamilies at risk of social exclusion and make them learn how to solve problems by taking collectiveaction. Also included such items as :

building a system of incentive to undertake joint activities for their own the environment;

develop positive changes in individual social functioning ;

the formation of positive attitudes in community residents as social group ;

presentation of socially desirable behavior ;

making renovations to improve the aesthetics of the premises; Allowing Leopoldowo residents , who are in a difficult financial situation, repainting their homes -

residents who are actively engaged in the work could buy paint for this purpose;

an increased sense of responsibility for the common residential areas ;

educate young people by promoting the settlement of socially acceptable attitudes and rolemodels ;

change stereotypes about people on the estate through contact with local media andpresentation of results of the work performed;

formation of a new image of the citys inhabitants as people who are able to build and take care ofcommon property .

In the first place we wanted to meet local leaders , so that it was possible to initiate action and solve thefollowing problems.

Partners

Social workers invited to the project local partners : entrepreneurs ( lent materials , refreshments ) ,housing co-operative , which helped in the assessment and coordination of necessary repair work , localNGO and KIS (Klub Integracji Spoecznej)

Project

The pilot project Rainbow settlement and established cooperation between local residents and localpartners made it possible to launch five editions of this project. Almost every time there were morepeople who declared willingness to help . Planning subsequent editions Rainbow settlement alsodetermined actions that go beyond painting frames. We tried to choose and plan the tasks that they arenot only one time activities but also the inspiration and motivation for further actions.

Young people who participated in these projects , following the example of adults, painted schoolrooms, where classes were held and prepared court for beach volleyball .

How do we engage in Learning

Our project was conducted and initiated for different age groups. Participation in these projects createda chance for residents to establish neighborhood relations and settle partnership. The opportunity tolearn how to function as a group and accomplish goals together as a team were given.

Currently, residents are those who initiate and start new local projects.


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Since then monthly meeting with representatives of blocks were held, every last Wednesday of themonth . They are very important for those who are interested in improving the living conditions of theircommunities . They provide an opportunity to acquire new skills , to exchange experiences, mutualsupport, but also to set common goals and tasks for each month . They give a sense of efficacy andimpact on the surrounding reality . We hope this is the beginning of the road to independence .

Five edition of the Rainbow development allowed us to get closer to the people , to establish arelationship based not only on financial aid , but on partnership and mutual trust. We were able to

see crucial relations between people, who is the leader or can be trusted and who else need to bestrengthened . On the basis of these systematically collected information we could better plan the nextsteps that grasp the community needs.

Social workers starts every project with research of problems and dilemmas of the community. On thebasis of analysis of the problems main goal and objectives and expectations of residents are formulated.We try to define the results they want to achieve in the project. Very often the goals and outcomes aredetermined jointly with project participants during meetings and individual interviews. Then we plan, the place of execution , and people (including local communities ) and those responsible for theirimplementation. We are also planning a budget that will be needed for the project. Then, based on theirown observations and conversations with the locals, we describe the implementation of the variousstages of the project and what results have been achieved by collecting the photo documentation. Theactions promote co-operation with the local media as well as through our website, highlighting thecontribution made by the people and the role of local partners and sponsors . In addition , all those whohelp us in the implementation of projects receive a written thank you note .

Educators Reflections

We still have doubts whether our actions have meaning. For example, when the settlement is havingserious problem (such as the destruction of the lighthouse or the destruction of the car repair )

In order not to lose faith and strength we needed to notice these small successes , welcome every new

person who join us and want to work for the local community. It took three years to work this out withthe community. At the beginning they didnt have trust in us. Now they want to achieve their goals withour help but much with strength and empowerment. Working with these people draw energy and faiththat there will come a time when they create an image of the estate will not those who destroy , butthose who fix and work for their community .


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Slovenia

STEP BY STEP TOWARDS ACCESSIBLE JUSTICE

PREFACE

In this paper we will try to point out some key elements in implementation of this project at hand,namely Step by step towards accessible justice. Access to justice is one of the pillars of equal societyand fairness. There is no socially coherent society without law and equality. Therefore legal systemmust provide access to justice in order to prevent inequality and wider social exclusion of individuals orgroups. Civil society can also participate in promotion of law, equality, knowledge, social inclusion andactive citizenship, especially with incorporating volunteers in these actions.

BACKGROUND

Thinking more widely for a moment, no one today can pretend to have mastery over anything otherthan small parts of our legal system. And yet everyone of us, under the law, is taken to have knowledgeof all legal provisions that affect us. Given that most citizens do not know most of the law and cannotafford to obtain conventional legal advice, we seem to be in a rather parlous state. The problem seemseven bigger if you take into consideration that even a paper form for social help (or something similar)needs some knowledge in order to fill in the form. There is a visible deficit of legal and administrativeknowledge as well as lack of affordable legal advice.

In Slovenia, as well as in other EU countries, especially those who joined the EU in 2004, there is a

lower social standard and also different perception of welfare state and/or rule of law. There are also alot of people older than 60 years and these generations are not used to use online services or other ITequipment which widens the access to justice. In this context it is important that civil society proposesprojects that are aimed towards providing legal/administrative/informational services that help those,often marginalized groups of people.

Important fact is also that there is a surplus of legal graduates who cannot find proper employment.They are young people, without any experience and would be glad to assist in a project that helps themevolve and get some valuable experience.

PROJECT GOAL

In Intergenerational Centre Celje we were aware of the current situation, which has deteriorated sincethe start of global economic crisis. Therefore we started finding solutions in which capable volunteerswould add something towards accessible justice and improve legal/administrative/IT knowledge of localcommunities. The project has several goals:

Improvement of legal/administrative/IT knowledge of stakeholders,

To provide legal/administrative/IT services/advice,

Improvement of young lawyers experience and employment rates for young unemployed.

Promotion of active citizenship, rule of law, equality and access to justice.

HOW TO START

Every start is quite a difficult task, especially if you are an innovator in the field at hand. There are severalaspects that need to be taken into consideration before making the formal project proposition.


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a. Project team

One of the first tasks was to assemble a proper project team that would be able to provide necessarydata, knowledge, enthusiasm and devotion to the goals of the project. It was crucial that we foundindividuals from different generations, so we could take into consideration different aspects of the sameproblem, through the intergenerational prism. In addition, it was necessary to find capable individualsin different fields that are needed in this project: social welfare, law, society, volunteering management,project coordination, grants applications Therefore project team members derived from Faculties,

Local Communities, Governmental bodies and NGOs.

b. Preparation of the official time-line

When we have set out the goals and aims, prepared analysis of the community problem and defined thetarget group, it is crucial to set out a proper time-line, a project schedule that helps the project running.Every project team member has its own obligations which correspond to different tasks that are set outin the time-line.

Time-line needs to be wide enough, but on the other side it is also important that includes proper andrealistic dates and also enough concrete definitions of the tasks. Since this project aims at providing

useful knowledge for people from different generations, it is useful to maintain intergenerationalcoordination meeting throughout the project. Every generation has its own view on the tasks and it isworth listening to them in order to boost project results.

c. Implementation of project activities

Improvement of legal/administrative/IT knowledge of stakeholderssetting of the interactive seminars inthe local communities that are delivered by young unemployed lawyers and law students; preparationof informational leaflets containing key information about law system (especially those fields that areneeded the most ones: social welfare, rights, health security)

To provide legal/administrative/IT services/adviceproviding those services has a great impact on the

local community with regard to quality of living. Firstly, marginalized groups, especially those whocannot afford traditional legal advice, have better possibilities to resolve their legal issues. Secondly,volunteers, especially those unemployed and highly qualified, have opportunity to learn something newand to get important career experience. Thirdly, through giving advice, stakeholders are learning properways of resolving their issues.

Dissemination of the resultsIt is highly important to constantly provide information for the localcommunities and especially stakeholders. Promotion of the project is one of the more important keystowards a successful project. NGOs should also include IT capable volunteers to provide for them new,interesting and appealing ways of promotion video commercials, sketches, good design leaflets and soon.


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United Kingdom

Community Development Learning Hubs

In the past the UK government supported national and local organisations involved withCommunity development and Community development learning programmes. The ESB startedin 1997 with a small government grant to develop systems for ensuring quality in communitydevelopment learning and qualifications. Over the years this support has changed from grants tobidding for contracts for particular pieces of work, to focusing more on the regions than nationalbodies, which led to the development of regional community development learning networks.Now funding has been withdraw completely as part of the austerity measures. Therefore, muchof the national and regional infrastructure has closed down. ESB had never been dependent ongrants or contracts, earning money from its endorsement processes, and is thus in a better position

today to start to look at what is happening around community learning development and how topromote what remains and to develop new ways to fill in the gaps so that people have access toappropriate learning for themselves.

We developed the idea of bringing together all the people involved in a town or city to collectinformation about what they were offering, so that we could promote their activities to makethem sustainable and to create new learning opportunities to fill in the gaps. We use our NationalQualifications and Learning Framework as a guide to what learning people should have access to.

We described Community Development Learning Hubs as locally-based partnerships with thepurpose of providing meaningful Community Development learning opportunities based on the

Community Development Learning Framework for: continuing professional development for all using CD approaches, values, tools, and

processes,

workbased learning,

employability skills,

co-production of learning programmes to meet particular needs.

Based on value-driven Community Development practice these Community DevelopmentLearning Hubs aim to take forward individuals and organisations to where they want to be throughthe identification of needs and the creation of connections for action.

The hubs are local partnerships of employers, providers, activists and volunteers creating a criticalmass for the delivery of relevant, useful and purposeful Community Development learningactivities. It is those involved in the hubs who decide:

what form the learning activities should take,

how they link together to offer progression opportunities,

and how they will develop dynamically to deal with the learning, social and economic needsemerging in our communities.

We have now set up 4 of these CDL hubs in different cities and towns. In each place the processhas been similar but the outcomes have been different as they reflect the local situation and localneeds.


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The step-by-step process

In each area ESB has worked with its associate partner Sostenga ESB is a quality Assuring Body andSostenga is a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) of independent trainers and consultants in communitydevelopment who can deliver training and undertake other kinds of work. So a member of ESB and amember of Sostenga with local knowledge would decide to call a first meeting to discuss the possibilityof creating a CDL hub. We would agree on who should be contacted, explain the idea and then invitethem to a meeting. A local organisation would be asked to host the meetings. In London it was a

Housing Association, in Bradford, a community centre, in Adur a voluntary action organisation and inManchester a regeneration agency.

At the first meeting we would discuss the purpose of a CDL hub, using a prepared paper, outline the CDlearning and qualifications framework, find out what everyone was doing, and decide if we wanted tomeet again to make something happen. In each case the outcome was to meet again and to undertakespecific pieces of work, and to bring in other people who might be interested.

The following gives some idea of who got involved and the next steps they took.

In London the partners were Hexagon Housing Association, London Metropolitan University, Greenwich

Community College, ESB, Workers Educational Association, Croydon Voluntary Action, Islington Giving,Local Authority CD workers and independent trainers who had been involved in previous projects. Thelist was compiled from organisations that ESB knew undertook quality CD learning programmes.

The group decided that what was missing were taster courses and Recognition and they applied forfunding and were successful in getting a National Pilot Project fund from NIACE (a national body forcontinuing education) called Developing a curriculum for difficult times. The project ran in 2013 and wasvery successful and funding is being applied for a continuation project. Details of this will be given in the3rd Sharing Paper.

One of the other aims was to publicise the existing provision to increase take up.

In Bradford the impetus was from a community centre who wanted to train its staff and volunteersin Community development. They suggested some people to approach, and ESB suggested othersthat it had known from the past. The people who came were from other community centres, from aFoyer (a residential hostel for homeless young people), the local College, community workers, HousingAssociation, a local Resource Centre and Voluntary Action organisation.

This group decided to conduct a small survey to find out what kind of training people wanted. Thisshowed that some people wanted taster workshops, and others the opportunity to gain qualifications,and some wanted a form of Recognition for offenders on community service, some for the youngpeople in the foyer, as well as for volunteers. The group decided to compile a list of people who couldrun courses and have started to apply for funding to put on some courses. The group publicised the

existing CD course being run by the Voluntary Action. The community centre who started this hopesto run a pilot Recognition scheme early in 2014 using some of their own funds, Probation funding andmoney from local funding bodies. They have also contacted the WEA local coordinator who will visit soonto see if they can help with funding the workshops, which can be opened up to other local voluntaryorganisations.

In Adur a Sostenga member brought together a group of people who might be interested inRecognition, including a local voluntary action, The Big Local (a funding body), local council workers,independent training providers, voluntary sector training providers and local community activists. Theyorganised a workshop on Recognition which was then followed by a training day for future mentors.

The local voluntary action raised enough money to put on a day training session on What is CommunityDevelopment? and how Recognition could work. Now that interest has been expressed in Recognitionby different sets of people, the group is looking to find some money for a pilot project for local people.

In Manchester a Sostenga member met with a person who had previously led a national CD organisation.


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They then talked to a few more people who were attending a starfish meeting a meeting with a widerremit than just training in CD and from this a few people expressed interest. With the support of ESBa meeting was held to discuss setting up a CDL hub. This has now led to the likelihood of 2 hubs beingformed one for a very small area which is physically separated from the rest Manchester by roads, andthe other for a larger area to the south of the city. In the first one the regeneration agency has comeup with some money to run a Recognition scheme for local residents backed up by workshops open toresidents and their own staff who need to know more about CD. This project will start in the spring of2014. The bigger hub has members from the local council, housing associations, a specialised TheologicalCollege which runs CD programmes, the WEA and other training providers. This group has commissioneda trainer to deliver some What is CD taster sessions and to use them to determine interest in Recognitionor other types of learning in the near future.

We aim to share the ideas of CDL hubs at some national conferences of housing associations early in2014, and are looking at how to form a network of CDL hubs.

Documents

SLIC Sharing Paper 2