Title Id - University of Technology Sydney · University of Technology, Sydney The overarching aim of this paper is to ‘talk up’ learning in the Australian neighbourhood centre

Title Id : 13071 Title : Australian Journal of Adult Learning ISSN : 1443-1394 Serial Type : Journal Format : Print Status : Active SubjectCodes : EDUCATION - ADULT EDUCATION Publisher : Adult Learning Australia Country : Australia Start Year : 1961 Content Type : Academic / Scholarly Editorial Description : Covers theory, research and practice of adult and community education. Website : http://www.ala.asn.au/pubs/AJAL/ajal.html Refereed : Yes Abstracted/Indexed : Yes Language : Text in English Frequency : 3 times a year

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Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 51, Number 2, July 2011

Centres ‘Down Under’: Mapping Australia’s neighbourhood centres and learning

Donna RooneyUniversity of Technology, Sydney

The overarching aim of this paper is to ‘talk up’ learning in the Australian neighbourhood centre sector, realising this aim is premised on a need to understand neighbourhood centres themselves. Hence, the paper tentatively offers a mapping of the sector by first asking: ‘What is a neighbourhood centre?’. Next, the paper provides an introductory scoping of learning in centres in an effort to invite further consideration. Two important conclusions are made. The first is that centres’ capacity for continual re-shaping, while retaining some very particular values, marks them in ways that differ from organisations for which adult education is the primary purpose. The second is that the range of learning possibilities in centres is far-reaching, and makes significant and valuable contributions to individuals and communities, and ultimately to the Australian nation.

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Introduction

Whatdoatake-a-wayshop,café,lawnmowingserviceandawineryallhaveincommon?Thereareseveralanswerstothis,butoneisthattheyallarepartoftheworkofAustralianneighbourhoodcentres1.Asecondisthattheyallinvolveadultslearning,andapossiblethirdisthatthislearningmaynotbecapturedbythemechanismsthatreportonadultcommunityeducationinAustralia.

Whilethereisageneralagreementthatlearningoccursbeyondeducationalinstitutions,traditionallythoseinterestedinmeasuring,accountingforandreportingonadultlearninginAustraliahavelookedtowardsrecognisededucationalinstitutionswhencompilingtheiraccounts.Whilethishasbeenanappropriatestartingpointthathasfacilitatedtheproductionofmanyimportantnationalaccountsoflearning,ithasfailedtoaccountforlearningprovidedinothersettings.ThestartingpointhereisacollectiveoforganisationsacrossAustraliathatisnotnecessarilyconsideredtobepartofAustralia’seducationalframework(Rooney2004,Rule2005).Unlikeschools,collegesoruniversitiesthatareeasilyidentifiedbyeducationalresearchersasbeingeducational,theorganisationscentraltothispaperarenotalwaysvisible,letaloneobvioustothoseinterestedinlearning.Theorganisationscentraltothispaperareneighbourhoodcentres.Thereareover1,000oftheselocatedacrossAustralia.Whileamoredetaileddescriptionisforthcoming,ahelpfulfirstdefinitionisthataneighbourhoodcentreisasmall,community-ownedandmanaged,non-profitorganisationthattypicallysubscribestotheideasofcommunitydevelopment.

Communitydevelopmentisacontestedterm,butgenerallyreferstoa‘bottom-uppractice’(Ife2009:9).Whatthismeansisthatpeopleandcommunitiesareinvolvedindefiningandtakingactionontheissuesthataffectthem(Tett2005:126).Itisa‘politicalactivity’(Kenny2010:2)thatvaluesthewisdomandskillsoflocalpeople,sustainability,diversityandinclusiveness,andtheimportanceof

Centres ‘Down Under’ 205

process(Ife2009:9–28).Itaimstochallengediscriminationandinequalityandworkstowardasociallyjustsociety(Tett2005:126).Communitydevelopmentworkersuse‘tools’likeadvocacy,referral,informationsharing,andemotionalandmaterialsupportaspartoftheircommunitydevelopmentwork.Ofimportancetothispaper,educationisalsoatoolforcommunitydevelopment(McArdle1999,Tett2005&2006).

Despitelearningbeingamongthepracticeswithinneighbourhoodcentres,nationalstudiesseldomfocusontheseorganisationsasbeingsitesoflearning(Ducie1994,Rooney2004).Withtheexceptionofsomecentres(mostlyinVictoria)formallyfundedtoprovideadulteducation,centresbyandlargearenotconsideredlegitimateplayersintheeducationallandscape.Alongwithanestimated500,000othernon-profitorganisations(ProductivityCommission2009:8)forwhomeducationisnottheirprimepurpose,neighbourhoodcentresarethefocusofresearchtextstypicallyfromdisciplinaryareasotherthaneducation.Forexample,theycanfeatureinsocialservicesliterature(e.g.Coleman1995,Connor1993,Otto&Onyx2006,Suhood,Marks,Waterford&Song2006),inorganisationaland/orsectoralreports(ANHLC1997,Bullen&Onyx1999,Ducie1994,LCSA2002&2004),orinbroadercommentaryaboutthirdsectororganisations(Lyons2001).Ingeneral,thesetextsspeaktodifferentaudiencesandseldomcapturetheattentionofeducationalresearchersorauthorities.

Afailuretoacknowledgethelearningpotentialofcentresisaconsiderableoversightgiventhatacommunitydevelopmentfocustypicallymeansthatthosepeopleinvolvedareoftenhighlyrepresentativeofpeopleunder-representedinothereducationalsettings(McIntyre&Kimberley1996,Rooney2004&2007,Suhoodetal.2006).Learninghowtoprovidemoreeffectiveeducationalopportunitiesforsuchpeopleissaidtobeanationalpriority(Rudd&Smith2007,MCEETYA2002).Indeed,researchthatconceptualises

206 Donna Rooney

learninginthesetypesoforganisationspromiseseducationalinstitutionsnewunderstandingsofhowlearningmightbebetterprovidedfordisadvantagedandmarginalisedpeople.Suchpromiseprovidesthewarrantforthisresearch.

Thispaperrepresentsafirstphaseofaresearchprojectthathasanoverarchingaimof‘talkingup’learninginneighbourhoodcentresintoeducationaldiscourses,yetrealisingthisaimispremisedonanunderstandingofthesectoritself.Thisunderstandingcanbeachievedbytheprovisionofamappingofthescopeanduniquenessofthesector.Therefore,drawingempiricaldatafromdocumentarysources,interviewsandfocusgroupsfromacrossAustralia,thispapertentativelypresentssuchamapping.Inotherwords,thedeceptivelysimpletaskofthispaperisfirsttoaddressthequestionof ‘whatisaneighbourhoodcentre?’.Asecondaryaimistoprovideanintroductoryscopingoflearningincentresinanefforttoinvitefurtherconsideration.Whileamorecomprehensiveconceptualisationoflearningisbeyondtheaimofthispaper,thediscussionofferedherelaysthegroundworkforsuchworktobegin.

Thepaperispresentedinfoursections.ItbeginsbycontextualisingboththeresearchprojectandtheAustralianneighbourhoodcentresector.Inthesecondsection,itpresentsapreliminarymappingbyaddressingthequestionofwhatisaneighbourhoodcentre.Withaprovisionalmapestablished,thepaperthenaddsfurtherdetailinthethirdsectionwherethefocusisonlearningincentres.Inparticular,thissectiondrawsattentiontothebroadscopeoflearningandtothecontributioncentresaremakingtothelearninglandscapeintermsofhuman,socialandidentitycapitals.

Takingthecomplexitiesevenfurther,thefourthsectionproblematisesearlierattemptstodefinewhataneighbourhoodcentreis,andconcludesthat,whilecentressharemanysimilarities,asacollectiveoforganisationstheyarefarfromhomogenous.Overall,thepaperactuallymapsandthenunmapsneighbourhoodcentres.Thisstrategy


isusefulsothatontheonehandthevalueoftheseorganisationsmightbeacknowledged,andontheother,thedifferencesarekeptinplay.

Twoimportantobservationsaremadefromthismapping(andunmapping)exercise.Thefirstisthatcentres’capacityforcontinualre-shaping,whileretainingsomeveryparticularvalues,markstheminwaysthatdifferfromorganisationsforwhichadulteducationistheprimarypurpose.Thesecondisthattherangeoflearningpossibilitiesincentresisfar-reaching,andmakessignificantandvaluablecontributionstoindividualsandcommunities,andultimatelytotheAustraliannation.

Background

Research project

Theempiricalmaterialonwhichthispaperdrawscomesfromfieldworkundertakenoverasix-monthperiodin2009.Threemaindatacollectionmethodswereutilised.First,analysiswasundertakenofover200publicdocumentswheretheinterestwasinhowvariouscentresacrossAustraliapresentedthemselves—thatis,thepublicidentitytheyprojectedintheformof‘identitystatements’.BythisImeanthestatementsthatorganisationswriteaboutthemselves(e.g.‘Xcentreis...’).Theseidentitystatementsservethepurposeofinformingotherswhatcentresareandwhattheydo.Theycanbefoundonthewebpagesofcentresaswellasincentres’prospectuses.Second,semi-structuredinterviewswereconductedwith24representativesacrosseachAustralianStateandTerritorywiththeintentionofelicitingrichaccountsintermsofthescopeandbreadthofcentres’work,fundingarrangementsandgenerallywhatgoeson.Over19hoursofinterviewswererecorded,transcribedand,alongwiththeidentitystatements,subjectedtothematicanalysis.Finally,15centresfromacrossAustraliawerevisited,enablingunstructuredobservationsandinformalconversations.Thesevisits,andthe

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conversationsoccurringbecauseofthem,affordedafeelforcentresinaction.

Historical context

WhilethispaperisconcernedwithAustralianorganisations,neighbourhoodcentres,ororganisationsresemblingthem,arefoundglobally.Forinstance,Finland’snetworkofSetlementti, Vancouver’sNeighbourhoodHouses,Israel’sCommunityCenters[sic],Germany’sNachbarschaftshäuser,andBritain’sSettlements,areexamplesoforganisationsresemblingthosefoundinAustralia.Someoftheseinternationalorganisationshavebeeninexistenceforover200years(Parker2009),andhaveinspiredtheestablishmentofsimilarorganisationsinternationally(InternationalFederationofSettlementsandNeighbourhoodCentres2009).

Incontrasttolonghistorieselsewhere,theintroductionofneighbourhoodcentresinAustraliaismorerecent.Whileafewisolatedcentreswereinoperationinthe1960s,thereisageneralagreementthattheyamassedalongsidethewomen’smovementinthe1970s(Golding,Kimberley,Foley&Brown2008,Henry2000,LCSA1994).Thisdevelopmentwasfosteredbytheconsiderablelegislativereformsoftheera’ssociallyprogressivegovernment.Upuntilthispoint,benevolentandcharitableinstitutions(typicallyfaith-based)providedmanysocialservices.TheAustralianAssistanceProgram,introducedaspartofthesereforms,servedtoestablishorganisations(likeneighbourhoodcentres)thatespousedcommunitydevelopmentapproaches.

Communitydevelopment,then,andorganisationslikeneighbourhoodcentresthatespousedit,presentedanalternativetothealtruismoffaith-basedand/orbenevolentserviceprovision.Whatthismeantinpracticeisthattheseorganisationswereownedandmanagedbytheverypeoplewhomtheyweresaidtoserve.Self-determinationwas(andremains)highlyprized,andvisionsof


socialjusticeprovidedthewarrantfortheactivitiestheorganisationsengagedin(ornot).

Relationshipsbetweentheorganisationsandtheirfunders(thatis,thegovernment)havechangedsincetheseearlydays.Likeelsewhere,neoliberalpolicieswereembracedinAustraliaintheearly1980s,andthiscontinuesthroughtothepresentday.Thishasseen(amongotherthings)thecreationofmarketswheretheyhadpreviouslynotexisted(Marginson1997,NewSouthWalesCouncilofSocialServices1999).Fornon-governmentorganisationslikeneighbourhoodcentres,the1980smarkedatimewheretheywerere-positionedintopurchaser/providerrelationshipswithgovernment,andwereexpectedtoparticipateinmarketprocesses.Moreover,fororganisationswithahistoryofworkingcollaborativelywitheachotherandwithlike-mindedorganisations,thisnewspacepresentedchallenges(NewSouthWalesCouncilofSocialServices1999:51).However,thisspacealsopresentedopportunitiestodevelopnewwaysofbeing(e.g.consortiaofsmallorganisationsproducingjointtenders)andofnegotiatingwhatwasunderstoodasunfavourableconditionsinwaysthatretainedtheirsocialjusticepurpose(Lane1999,Rule2005).

What is a neighbourhood centre?

So,whatisaneighbourhoodcentre?Afirstanswertothisquestionisthatsuchacentreisanentityofsomesort—aplace,building,organisationorassociation.However,manycentresqualifywhatkindofentitytheyare.Forinstancetheyusetermslikesafe,warm,friendlyand/orfun.Many(liketheintervieweebelow)alsopointoutwhatacentreisnot.

Technically,usingtheinternationalclassificationsofnot-for-profitorganisationsastheProductivityCommissionuses,[centresare]alocally-based,multi-activitysocialserviceanddevelopmentorganisation.

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Termslikenot-for-profit,non-government,non-religiousand/ornon-discriminatingarecommonamongtheidentitystatementsofcentres.Theuseofthesetermsflagsthatcentresarepurposefullydifferentiatingtheirorganisationsfromothers(forexample,thosethataregovernment,profit-making,religiousetc.).

Thecommentabovealsodrawsattentiontomulti-activities,andmostcentres’illustratethisviathetypesofprocessestheyuseintheiridentitystatements.Therearemanyprocesses(material,mentalandrelational)mentionedandthesegiveanindicationofwhatcentresdo(orsaytheydo).Whilesomereferenceismadetomental(e.g.evolve,seek,believe)andrelational(e.g.belongto,are,is)processes,themostcommontypeofprocesses(byfar)arematerial.Forexample,centressaythatthey:address,change,connect,create,deliver,develop,improve,initiate,link,lobby,reduce,research,run,serve,stimulate,strengthen,andsupportetc.Theprevalenceofmaterialprocessesinthedescriptions ofcentressuggeststhatcentresaredynamicandactiveorganisations,andthisissupportedwhenlookingattheprogramsandactivitiesonoffer.

Funding and focus

Australia’smodeloffederalisationcomplicatesanationalpictureofneighbourhoodcentresbecausecentresaregenerallyfundedatstatelevel.Centrefundingcanrangefromafewmilliontozerodollars,althoughthemedianisalittleover200,000.Whilecorefundingmaybeprovided(admittedlyinsomestatesbetterthanothers),almostallcentresrelyupononadditionalfundingforspecificpurposesaswellasfromvolunteerinputand/orfromfundraising.Inotherwords,mosthavemultiplesourcesoffunding:anextremeexampleisacentrewithover40differentfundingsources(alongwithasmanyacquittalprocesses).

Whiletheaimoftheresearchwasnottocomparecentresinvariousstatesandterritories,someinter-stateidiosyncrasiesareworth


noting.Ofparticularinterestisthewaythehoststates’prioritiesshapetheworkofcentresandthisisseeninthe‘taglines’offundingprogramsthatprioritise:strong,vibrantcommunities(inWesternAustralia);communitybuilding,communitydevelopmentandpreventativehealth(inTasmania);andvulnerablegroupsandthosemostinneed(inVictoria).Thismeansthat,whileallcentresworkwithinfederalagendas(e.g.SocialInclusion),differencesinstatefociinfluencetheworkofcentresinsubtleways.ApoignantexampleisthesituationinNewSouthWaleswherearecentshiftinfundingprogramshasalsoseenprioritiesshiftfromchildprotectiontobuildingstrongercommunities.

Asearliernoted,anothercommonalityacrossallstatesisanespousedinvestmentintheprinciplesofcommunitydevelopment.Withthatsaid,communitydevelopmentmanifestsindifferentwaysincentres’identitystatements.Someembedcommunitydevelopmentintheirpublicstatementsbydescribinghowpeople‘areencouragedtoparticipateintherunningofthecentreandtobecomeinvolvedinavarietyofprojects[…]orinthemanagementareas’;othersaremoreexplicit,andanexampleofthisisacentrethatstateshowitis‘committedtosocialjusticeprinciples,believingthatpeoplehavetherighttoparticipateindecisionsthatwillaffecttheirlives[…]andtoadvocateforafairerdistributionofresources’.

Location/place

Centresemphasisethelocalintheiridentitystatements,andthistooisinkeepingwiththetenetsofcommunitydevelopment.Theemphasisismorethanaddinganaddressthough.Mostcentres(regardlessofstateorterritory)explicitlylocatethemselvesusingtermslike community-based,localorganisation,heartofthecommunityandsoon.Theeffectofthissignifiesastrongidentification,orembedding, withinaparticulargeographicalarea,regionand/orcommunity.Centresdonotseethemselvesas

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simplyexisting,ordoing.Rather,theyexist(anddo)somewhereinparticular.Locationmatters!Intervieweesconcur—asonesaid,‘it’saboutplace’.

Notwithstandinganemphasisonplace,itbecomesapparentininterviewsandobservationsthatcentresexceedplace.Centresarenotmerely‘containers’whereactionhappens,rathermuchactionhappensbeyondtheboundariesoftheactualbuildings.Oneexampleisatake-away-foodshopthatacentreestablishedtoaddresssocial,economic,employmentandeducationalissuesofconcerntolocalpeople.Otherexamplesincludeawinery,alawnmowingbusinessandasocialactioncampaignaroundturtles—allofwhichoccurbeyondthebricksandmortarofcentres.

Finally,centresstresstheimportanceofpeople.Whileafewclaimtodirecttheireffortstoeveryone,mostsuggestthattheyworkwitheveryonewithinthespecificlocation,communityorregioninwhichtheyaresituated. Moreover,effortsareoftentargetedtospecificgroupsofpeople(e.g.thoseonlowincomes,peoplereturningtowork,vulnerablepeople,peoplelivingwithadisability,familiesetc.).Itisherethattheimportanceofsafe/friendlyplacesresonates(asexemplifiedbytheintervieweebelow):

[Thevalueofcentresis]inreachinghard-to-reachlearners,youknow,providingpeoplewhowouldneversetfootinanythingremotelyresemblingaschooltosomewherethat’sasafelearningenvironmentforthemtogointoandtrytore-engageinanykindofeducationprocess.

Centres and learning

Thecommentaboveleadsnicelytothefourthsectionofthispaper,wherethefocusisoncentresandlearning.However,thisdiscussionisalsocomplicatedbyfederalisationbecausetherearevariousdefinitionsofadultcommunityeducation(ACE)acrossAustralia(Borthwick,Knight,Bender&Laveder2001,Choy,Haukka&Keyes


2006,McIntyre2001).InsomestatesthereisavisibleACEsector(e.g.NSW,Victoria,SA,Tasmania)comprisingentitiesreceivingpublicfundsspecificallyfortheprovisionofadultcommunityeducationprograms.Someoftheseentitieshavesuccumbedtopublicpolicyimperativestoanextentthattheyresemblevocationaleducationandtraining(VET)providersratherthantheadultcommunityeducationorganisationsthatmostbeganas(Tennant&Morris2009).Inotherstatesadultcommunityeducationisatypeofnon-publically-fundedprovision,yetrecognisedasaworthwhileactivityandsupportedviadistance(e.g.WA).Finally,inotherstates(e.g.Queensland)itisdifficulttodiscussanadultcommunityeducationsector,whichisnottosaythatadultcommunityeducationdoesnotoccur(Schwencke1997).

RelationshipsbetweenneighbourhoodcentresandACEaredependentonthehoststate’sdefinitions.InsomestatescentresandACEaremutuallyexclusive(e.g.NSWandTasmania).Howeverthereareexamplesofcomplementaryrelationshipsbetweensectors.Forinstance,stateeducationauthoritiesmayfundsmallprojectswherecentresworkinpartnershipwith‘real’providers(LCSA2001).Itislittlewonder,then,thattheidentitystatementsfromthesestatesrarelyappeartoforegroundadulteducationorlearning.Withthatsaid,manysuggestthattheyprovidedopportunitiesto‘meetnewfriends,joinagroup,shareaskillorfindingoutabout’.Thesetypesofstatementsimplylearning,butdonotexplicitlyforegroundit.

InotherstatestherelationshipbetweenneighbourhoodcentresandACEisintegrated(e.g.Victoria,WAandSA).Inthesestatesthestatutorybodyresponsibleforadultlearningexplicitlysupportscentrestoprovideadulteducationprograms(includingVET).InVictoria,centresaresupporteddirectlythroughrecurrentandincreasinglycontestablefunding.InWesternAustralia,thepeakorganisationisfundedtosupportthevoluntaryACEdeliveryofcentresbutthecentresthemselvesreceivelittleornofunding.In

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SouthAustralia,centresreceiveaquarterofthestate’sACEbudget,andareabletocontesttheremainder.Inthesestates,andinparticularinVictoria,centresmakefulluseofeducationaldiscourses.Forinstance,centresmadeclearuseofeducationaldiscoursesandinfrastructureintheiridentitystatements,usingtermsliketraining,courses,accreditationandregisteredtrainingorganisations.

Finally,inotherjurisdictions(e.g.QueenslandandNorthernTerritory)relationshipsareelusive.Thisisbecauseoneorbothsectorsaresolooselydefined(seeArnott2003andSchwencke1997).Forinstance,inQueenslandthereisabroadcollectiveoforganisationsthatworkssimilarlytoneighbourhoodcentres,butarecognisableACEsectorismoredifficulttoestablish.IntheNorthernTerritorybothsectorsarelooselydefinedsothatanycommentaryontherelationshipbetweenthemisproblematic.

Overall,lessthanhalfofAustralia’s1,000pluscentresreceivefundingspecificallyfortheprovisionofadultcommunityeducation.Despitenotbeingfundedforthispurpose,almostallprovidearangeoflearningopportunitiesincludingwhatmightbedescribedasadultcommunityeducation.Thisishardlysurprisinggiventhatcommunitydevelopmentandadultcommunityeducationarecloselyallied(Tett2005:126).However,inasense(capital)ACEisnotatypeoflearningthatisofparticularinteresthere—notbecauseitisunworthy,ratherbecauseithasbeenrelativelywelldocumented(McIntyre2001;McIntyre&Kimberley1998).Withthatsaid,eventhisfundedACEdeliverydelivers‘somethingmore’—asanACErepresentativeexplained:

Weareveryluckybecausewhatthecentrescandovalue-addstothepiddlylittlebitofmoneythatwehaveavailablefortheactivities...We’renotpayingfortherealcost,we’repayingforalittlebit,butalltheotherservicesthatthecentresprovidearewhatmakesasuccessofit.It’snotthebitwepayfor.


ThisintervieweedrawsattentiontotheadditionalsupportmechanismsandservicesprovidedbycentresandhowtheseaddvaluetofundedACEprograms.However,asalreadysuggested,specificallyfundedlearning,whilevaluable,isonlythetipoftheiceberg.Inothercentres,indeedeveninthecentresthatalsoprovide‘real’ACE,thereisevenmoreadultlearning(Rooney2007).Butthislearningcomesundertherubricofcommunitydevelopmentand,atleastinsomestates,thereareproblemswithcallingitlearning.

Toillustratethislastpoint,anintervieweerecountstheresponsehereceivedfromagovernmentagencyduringafundingprogramreview.Theintervieweetoldofhowheincludedadulteducationasoneofthecentre’soutputs.Theresponsehereceivedfromthefunderswasthat‘weactuallycan’tfund[that]’.Whatweseehereisthatwhileadulteducationisalegitimateactivityinsomecentres,itisnotforall.Moreover,itisnotalegitimate(readfundable)activityinastatewhereadulteducationandcommunitydevelopmentaresiloed.

Atthispointitisimportanttoreiteratethatnotbeingfundedtoprovideadultlearningdoesnotalsoprecludeitfrombeingprovided.Neighbourhoodcentres,asgeneralistorganisations,arenotlimitedtoprovidingjustoneparticulartypeofservice(includingadulteducation).Theirapproachmeansthatthereisalwaysacapacityfordifferencegiventhatgeography,demographicsandpoliticalcontextinwhichtheyarelocatedwillalsodiffer.Forexample,thelearningneedsofametropolitancommunitywithlargenumbersofculturallyandlinguisticallydifferentpeoplewilllikelydifferfromthoseofaregionaltownwithanagingandhomogeneouspopulation.Withthisinmind,thepaperturnstointroducethescopeandcomplexityoflearningincentres.

Scope and complexities of learning in centres

Learningincentrestakesmanyforms.Someoftheseareeasilyidentifiedaslearningandcaptureattentionwithintheeducational

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purview.Forexamplethereisanarrayofformalaccredited,vocationaleducationprogramsofferedincentres,aswellasmanynon-accredited,pre-vocationalcoursesthataimtosupportlearnerstotakethenextstepintoaccredited,vocationalprograms.ThereareformalEnglishlanguageprogramsaswellasinformalgroupswhereparticipantscanpractisetheirEnglish.Therearealsotrainingprogramsforthesector’smanyvolunteers.

However,thereareotherformsoflearningactivityofferedincentresthatarenotsoeasilycapturedinpublicaccountsoflearning.Forinstance,thereareinformalleisure-learningcourses(e.g.craft,cooking).Thesegroupsmayhaveateacher,ortheroleofteachercanberotatedamongparticipants.Therearemanyprogramsthatfocusonhealth(e.g.gentleexercise,managingdiabetes).Thereareworkshopsandone-offactivitiesthataddresscommonconcerns(e.g.recycling,parentingteenagers)thatmaybeledbyexperts.Thereareleaderlessgroupsthatsupportmemberswhoexperienceacommonhardship(e.g.amputee,divorcee).Therearesocialgroupsforpeoplewhoshareacharacteristic(e.g.oldermen,recentarrivals).Andfinally,therearesocialactiongroupsformedbecauseofaneedtoaddressalocalissueofconcern(e.g.theplacementofanewfreeway,anewbusroute).Thislistisbynomeansexhaustive,butitbeginstodemonstratethediversityandscopeoflearningincentres.Moreover,asimilardiversityandscopeisseenintheoutcomesoftheseactivities.

Outcomes of learning in centres

Theoutcomesforparticipantsoftheseformsoflearningaremanyandvaried.Forsome,likevocationalprograms,theoutcomesmayseemclear(e.g.ajoborsomeprogressalongthepathtoobtainingone).However,theoutcomesoflearningactivitiesmaynotbeasclearasmightfirstbeassumed.Takethecommentsofaparticipantinaquiltinggroupforexample:


Well,Ialwayswantedtodoquilting.Istarteddoingthat—sothewomeninthequilters’group,weallswapbooksandthings.UntilIjoinedIhadn’treadthesortofbooksthatthey’reintothough,soit’spickedupmy—whatIreadnow—andthat’spartofthequiltersgroup.

Firstofall,thecentre’sjustificationforprovidingthisgroupmaybeinorderthatisolatedpeoplemakefriendsratherthanmerelytoincreasewomen’squiltingskills.Whiletheparticipantmayindeedmakesomefriends,shedescribesaquiltinggroupthatdoublesasareadinggroup—whereshehas‘pickedup’herreading.Itisunlikelythataquilters’groupwouldbeconsideredasaliteracyprogram,moreoveritmightbeunlikelythatshewouldjoinaliteracyprogram.Yet,thisbriefexamplebeginstoillustrateallthesepossibilitiesoflearningprovidedbyorganisationsforwhicheducationisnottheprimepurpose.

OnewaytothinkaboutthecomplexitiesoflearningincentresisprovidedbySchuller(2004).Heillustratesarangeofoutcomesoflearningusingatriangularmodelofinterrelatedhuman,socialandidentitycapitals.Theacquisitionordevelopmentofknowledgeandskillsthatenablepeopleto‘functioneffectivelyineconomicandsociallife’areencapsulatedinthedimensionofhumancapital(p.14).The(above)quilter’scapacitytoread,orpeoplereceivingsomesortofqualification,wouldconstituteanincreaseinhumancapital.Butitistheothertwocapitalsthataremoreinterestinginrelationtocentresandlearning.Identitycapitalrefersto‘thecharacteristicsoftheindividualthatdefinehisorheroutlookandself-image’and‘includesconceptslikeself-esteemandsenseofself’(p.22).Reportsoflearningincentresarerepletewithreferencesofincreasedidentitycapital(LCSA2001),anditislikelythatthequilterhasanewsenseofselfbecauseofherachievementsinreading.Finally,socialcapitalreferstotherelationshipsbetweenpeople(p.17)andthisconstitutesthethirddimensionofSchuller’smodel.Thisthirddimensionisanotherwayofthinkingaboutthecommunitythatiscentraltocommunity

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developmentwork.Again,itislikelythatthequilterdevelopedrelationshipsbetweenherselfandothers.

ThevalueofSchuller’smodelistheacknowledgmentoftheinter-relationshipbetweenitsvariousdimensions(2004:22),ratherthanfocusingonjustone.Themodeldrawsattentiontohowaperson’sidentitycapital(senseofself)willimpactontheircapacitytodevelophumancapital(skills)and/orsocialcapital(relationshipswithothers).Thisisnotnecessarilyanewidea,butinamilieudominatedbyeconomicconcernsandamistrustofothers,itisworthemphasisingtherelationship.

Afinalvignetteofacentrevolunteerservestoillustratethisrelationshipfurther.Thecentrewherethevolunteerworksislocatedinaregionwherethereisalow-securityprison.Theusersofthecentreincludeprisonersandtheirfamilies.Thevolunteerrecallshowhisworkbroughthimincontactwithpeopleheconsidereddifferenttohimself:

Ithoughtthatwasjustsomethingthathappenedtootherpeople—ithappenedinthenews,andthenallofasuddenyouhavecontactwiththesepeople.It’snotjustthepersoninjailthatsuffers—youhavethefamilyandit’snottheirfaulteither.[It]makesyouaskwhytheydidit.There’salwaystwosidestoeverystory[but]youonlyeverget[the]news—thecriminal—thepoliceside.

Itseemsreasonabletosurmisethatthisvolunteerhasdevelopedempathyandmaynowunderstandhimselfinrelationtoothersdifferently(identitycapital).Moreover,withabetterunderstandingofthepeoplewithwhomhelivesandworks(socialcapital),hecanperformhisroleasvolunteerevenbetter(humancapital).Thepointisnotaboutthetruthofthisconjecture,butmoreabouthowthedevelopmentofeachcapitalisreliantonthedevelopmentofanother.


Un mapping

DespitehavingpresentedabriefmappingofAustralianneighbourhoodcentrestoaddressthequestionofwhatisaneighbourhoodcentre,thispartnowmovestoconcludewithatwist.Thetwististhatmostintervieweesfoundthequestionproblematic.Asoneclaimed,‘it’sthebarbecuestopper,becauseyoucan’tanswerit’. Anothersuggested,‘peoplecan’tdefinecommunitydevelopment,theycan’tdefine[a]neighbourhoodcentre[...]thatisaweaknessasasector’.

Thetaskofansweringwhatseemsaneasyquestionismoredifficultthanfirstrealisedbecausethemodus operandiofcentresmeansthattheyarecontinuallyshapedandre-shapedbysocio-politicalcontextsaswellasbytheircommunitydevelopmentwork.Theideaofpeople‘takingactiononissuesaffectingthem’(Tett2005:246)leavesthedooropenforanalmostunlimitedrangeofissues.Fiveexamplesofissueswherepeople‘cametogether’include:

• Aregionaltown,withlittlelocalinfrastructure,whoselocaltake-a-wayfoodstorecloseddown.Thismeantthatnotonlycouldlocalsnolongerpurchasetake-a-wayfood,butalsothattouristsnolongerstoppedover—whichfurtherimpactedonthelocaleconomy.

• Ametropolitansuburbwhereitwasnotedthattherewasahighproportionofpeoplewithamentalillnessandfewlocalservices.

• Asuburbwhereagrowingnumberofyoungpeoplewerecausinganxietybyhangingaroundthelocalshopsduringschoolhours.Thesepeopleweretooyoungfor‘official’youthprograms,andactionbyschoolauthoritieswasseentobeinadequate.

• Anotedincreaseinviolenceperpetratedbymeninahousingdepartmentestatewherethereweremarkedincreasesinunemploymentofmen(mostofwhomwerelow-skilled).

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• Aregionalareawhereincreasedsalinityinthelocalriverresultedinturtlesbeingcoveredwithscales.

Communitydevelopmentapproachestotheseissuesresultedinthelocalcentresmorphingintoatake-a-wayfoodstore,café,lawn-mowingbusiness,winery,andasocialactioncampaign.Theselocalsolutionsresultedinmodesteconomicgains:forexample,increasingthecapitaloflocalinfrastructure(e.g.throughmaintaininglocaltourism,provisionofgoodsandservices)andsecuringadditionalfundingsourcesforcentres(e.g.sustainability).Moreover,potentialoutcomesacrosstheseexampleswouldalsoincludeincreasedhumancapital.Forinstance,severalprovidedaccreditedtrainingresultinginincreasedqualifications.Severalalsoresultedinpeoplegainingworkexperienceandsomelocalpeoplegainedmeaningfulemployment.Theseareindeedvaluableoutcomesandlikelytobelaudedbyeducationalauthorities.

However,returningtoSchuller’s(2004)model,thereareevenmorepossibleoutcomes,someofwhichincreasesocialcapitalandidentitycapitalaswell.Forinstance,thepeopleinvolvedinplanningdevelopnewunderstandingsoftheircommunitiesandbroadersocietyastheyresearchhowtosetupandmanagewhatostensiblyaresmallbusinesses(e.g.wineries,cafés,lawn-mowingetc.).Allinvolvedmaydevelopnewunderstandingsofdifference,andofissuesfacedbypeoplewithamentalillness,men,and/oryouthetc.Suchactivitieshavethepotentialtodeveloptrustbetweenvarioussegmentsofcommunityandbetweenpeopleandorganisations,likethevolunteerpeopleinvolvedmaylearntoknowdifferencedifferently.These‘spillover’outcomeshavepotentialtocontributetothesocialfabric(capital)ofcommunities.Furthermore,thepeopleinvolvedcandevelopnewunderstandingsaboutthemselvesandinsodoing,experienceincreaseinself-worth.Lonelypeoplemaymakefriends.Othersmaydevelopstrategiesforgettingalongwithpeoplewhomtheyconsiderdifferent.Inotherwords,thisactivitybuildsidentitycapitalaswell.Allthesecapitalgainsmadepossiblebecausefive


smallorganisationswere‘nimbleandflexible’enoughtorespondtolocalneeds(LCSA2002)—notbecausethesefivecentreswere butbecausetheywere able to become!

Some concluding observations

Themapping,andunmapping,workofthispaperprovidesthebasisfortwoconcludingobservations.Thefirstisthatcentres’capacityforcontinualre-shaping,whileretainingsomeveryparticularvalues,markstheminwaysthatdifferfromorganisationsforwhichadulteducationistheprimarypurpose.Thissuggeststhatthecapacitytoprovidebespokeactivities,servicesandresponsestolocalissuesisbetterachievedwhenactivitiesandservicesarenotprescribedfromtheonset.Intheexamplesprovidedhere,localsolutionswerecreatedtoaddresstheidiosyncrasiesofissuesinwaysthatuniversalsolutionscouldnot.Sothatevenwhileaninabilitytodefinecentresandtheirworkisseenbysomeasaweakness,theambiguitycanalsobeunderstoodasastrength.Freedomfromtheconstraintsandboundariesassociatedwithrobustdefinitionsaffordneighbourhoodcentressubstantialfluidityindevelopingappropriateorganisationalidentities.

Asecondobservationisthattherangeoflearningpossibilitiesinneighbourhoodcentresisbroad-ranging,andmakessignificantandvaluablecontributionstoindividualsandcommunities,andultimatelytotheAustraliannation.Underpinningtheseactivitiesareconcernsthatextendbeyondlearningalone.Thisresultsinoutcomesoflearningincentresthatarealsobroad-ranging.Whiletheoutcomesmaywellcontributetoimportanteconomicpriorities,theyalsomakeasignificantcontributiontotheindividual,socialandhumancapitalofparticipants,andcommunities,andultimatelytheAustraliannation.Thesecontributionsandlearninginvitefurtherconsideration.

222 Donna Rooney

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Endnotes1 TheseorganisationsareknownbydifferentnamesindifferentAustralian

StatesandTerritories.However,theterm‘NeighbourhoodCentres’isusedhere(unlessotherwisestated)intheserviceofclarity.


About the author

Dr Donna Rooney is an early career researcher and lecturer in adult education at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). Her doctoral research focused on learning in New South Wales’ neighbourhood centres. Her broader research interests focus on adult learning outside of educational institutions. This includes community-based learning as well as learning in workplaces.

Contact details

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, 2007, Australia. Tel: +61 2 9514 3044 Fax: +61 2 9514 3737 Email: [email protected]

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

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Title Id - University of Technology Sydney · University of Technology, Sydney The overarching aim of this paper is to ‘talk up’ learning in the Australian neighbourhood centre