Combined European Bureau for Social Development (CEBSD)

 

Training and Learning for Community Development

 

Report on the Relay visit to the UK

 

The Community Development Foundation (CDF) hosted the UK Relay meeting of the partners involved in the TLCD project

This was a three day meeting 12th 13th 14th March 2008

 

 

This project is funded by Europe

 

 

This report outlines the visit to the UK of the relay group, as part of the Training and Learning for Community Development (CD) project.  This project is led by the Combined European Bureau for Social Development (CEBSD’s) and is a partnership between CEBSD’s and a consortium of organisations working within a CD context.

 

Meeting of European Partners

Partners attending the UK meeting were from Hungary (Hungarian Association for Community Development), Bulgaria (Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives) and Romania (Foundation PACT)

 

Relay Visit Aims are:

·         To transfer lessons from training and learning for CD from one context and country to another.

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

The UK Relay meeting considered:

·         Key elements of Community Work and practitioners roles in different contexts,

·         The nature of Influencing Policy within different cultures and contexts

·         An overview of current European policy

·         Lessons from training and learning for CD from one context and country to another

 

 

Training and Learning For Community Development (TLCD)  UK Relay Visit

 

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

 

Aims of TLCD project:

 

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

 

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

 

  • Influencing Policy within different cultures and contexts for community development

 

Objectives of UK relay visit:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

Tuesday 12th March

Location: CDF London Office

 

Programme

 

10.30               Welcome & Introductions – Sue Webb

 

10.45               Overview and logistics of the two days – Sue Webb   

 

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

 

11.30               The practice of community development within a national voluntary agency

Denise Taylor, Adept Community Development Agency    

 

12.00               A local policy perspective: The practice of community development within a local authority

                        Paul Formosa, Haringay Council

 

12.15               Refreshments

 

12.30               Community Engagement methodologies and practice within voluntary &             community sector

                        Rehka Shivam, Wolverhampton Network Consortium

 

1.00:                Lunch

 

1.45                 Influence of national policy upon resources and practice of community development
Jane Dobie, Community Development Foundation

 

2.15                 Presentations/case studies of community development in Bulgaria, Romania Hungary

                        Discussion of context and practice

 

3.00                 Refreshments

 

3.15                                  The view from Europe – Sue Webb

 

3.30                      How does this fit together in a policy context?         

                        All, Discussion and recommendations

 

4.00pm                        Close of meeting               


Project Participants:

 

Mate Varda                 Hungarian Association for Community Development

Emile Metodiev                       Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives (Bulgaria)

Ruxandra Sasu             Romanian Association for Community Development

 

 

UK participants and facilitators

 

Sue Webb                   Community Development Foundation                     

Jane Dobie                  Community Development Foundation

Liz Court                     Community Development Foundation         

Helen Animashaun     Community Development Foundation

 

Denise Taylor                         Adept Agency

Dave Crossan                         Consultant

Nicky Dee                  TBC

Paul Formosa              Haringay Council

Rekha Shivam              Wolverhampton Network Consortium

Mel Passmore             Wolverhampton Network Consortium

 

Day One

 

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

 

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