Active Learning for Active Citizenship Learning for Life Exeter CVS and ALAC partners

ALAC A Home Office Pilot, Aimed to identify the most effective ways in which an expansion in citizenship learning opportunities for adults could be stimulated and supported

Active Citizenship … the capacity of individuals and communities to relate to the world around them as active, critical, engaged citizens. If we are to have a healthy democracy we need to support each other in identifying the issues that concern us, and develop the confidence and skills to make a difference to the world around us’ (Woodward, CRU, ). (Woodward, CRU, ).

The Hubs  South West: Exeter CVS  Manchester Metropolitan University  West Midlands – Black Country (VCO)  South Yorkshire: WEA and Northern College  Lincolnshire Citizen Network  Tees Valley  London Civic Forum

ALAC participants Included people for whom there is no or very limited learning provision, including:  Women  Refugees and migrants  Travellers  People from BME backgrounds  Carers  People with Learning disabilities  People with Physical or sensory disabilities  Mental Health service users

Key principles  Build upon existing good practice in voluntary and community-based learning  Active Learning in groups – learning together and from each other  Learner centred  Linking learning, action and reflection  Linking individual to collective concerns  Doing, rather than being done to.  Key values of social justice, equality and diversity  Linking the local to the global

Learning happens through…. Group workRelationships WorkshopSupport ConversationsDialogue Classroom based teachingParticipation Activism Reflection Journeys Field Trips Action ResearchMentoring

Reflective Learning An Example For example, an exploration of ‘power’ and ‘power relations’:  Individuals explore when they have felt both ‘powerful’ and ‘powerless’  This is shared confidentially in small groups and key themes and points reflected back to the main group  A concept of power is shared and explored with the group in relation to their own experiences  This concept is used to critically explore notions of ‘powerful’ and ‘powerless’ in the external world  Different types of power are explored in different contexts

“Learner Centred”  Participants plan own research  Participants design content of learning  Learning from own and others’ experiences  Learning by active involvement  Use of participatory methods  Meets diverse needs  Access issues central

Role of facilitator Create and maintain healthy group dynamics so people can validate their own knowledge, skills and experiences, as well as provide relevant information and theory to allow deeper understanding and critical reflection.

Facilitation Principles  Process important  Reflection crucial  Skills, knowledge and experience are valued/built on  Safe Space  Participatory methods  Ethical principles crucial  Power dynamics explored

Outcomes  More people active in their community, for their community  Marginalised people given a voice and confidence  Service users in health and social care enabled to ‘Speak Up’, participate in forums, work with, recruit and train professionals  Public services challenged  Partnership working between organisations