Community Learning Development Resource 600 – 05
NEIGHBOURHOOD REGENERATION – THE LEARNING COMPONENT
SUMMARY
Our agenda needs to focus on how learning in the community is used and applied within neighbourhood regeneration (and community development).
- Workers may either seek skills to bring about regeneration changes themselves and/or support others, by equipping them with the skills and encouraging and energising them to use them.
- The success of a learning-regeneration connection should be evidenced by the assessment of learning outcomes, which draws on the evaluation of changes brought about within community development. The contribution of any learning is evidenced by the impact of learning outcomes in changing lives within individuals, families, neighbourhoods and communities.
The current profile of a Learning in the Community curriculum within community development work.
- Not something that is understood? A lot needs to be explored and developed, including a practical understanding of the connections between learning and regeneration.
- In current community development educational and training practice, a community development or regeneration learning curriculum may not be generally well understood, not pursued, not overt and not implemented.
- Developing a regeneration learning curriculum is not commonly part of education and training provision for adults.
How to deliver Regeneration learning – some models and worker roles
HOW? |
WORKER ROLE? |
|
| A taught course, e.g., in Citizenshipcourses – the traditional education and
training provider model.
|
The worker role is as a teacher.
|
The learning isformal |
| The supported practical community development/ action research model
– learning success and confidence- building for learners through their success in community development activities |
The worker role is asan encourager and
supporter (also Capacity Coaching)
|
The learning isnon-formal and
informal |
| The empowerment model– individualcapacity-building, and community
capacity-building through learner participation and collective contributions to community development |
The worker role is as a coach and enabler
(Capacity Coaching)
|
The learning isnon-formal and
nformal |
| The provision model– communitydevelopment brought about by the
worker/agency doing the work and making the changes – delivering services, providing facilities, leadership, and management, with learners involved as passive receivers. |
The worker role is as aprovider
|
The learning isinformal? |
| The learner-directed, self-help model,which can range in its nature from the
confrontational, protest/anarchy model to the proactive model, underpinned by prior learning and empowerment. |
The worker may not havea role in this model.
|
The learning isinformal and
non-formal? |
In seeking to develop appropriate learning models the worker needs to take account of their own strengths and weaknesses; their relationship with the learners and with the community; and the nature of the community dynamics, democracy and politics affecting the regeneration and community development activity.
The skilful worker will be concerned to understand and use appropriately principled strategies and will be able to work in a variety of ways.
PROMPTS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
- What part does learning play within your work generally?
- What part does learning play within your work if that is concerned with regeneration – community development and changing people’s lives?
- Can you analyse your role in relation to regeneration or community development and the learning for people within that sort of work?