Intermediaries
Many Transformation Fund projects were operating in the heart of local communities and engaging with people who were new to adult learning. They worked hard at widening access to learning opportunities. A number of projects adopted approaches where intermediaries rooted in their local communities had a key role to play.
Roles played by intermediaries were very varied, but in every case the intermediaries were predominantly volunteers. Roles for intermediaries included:
Mentors: Estuary Housing involved health mentors in a healthy eating project; St Giles' Trust used workplace mentors for ex-offenders .
Buddies: Online to Scilly - Cornwall Adult Education Service used learning buddies in a distance learning project to help sort out glitches in technology and support individuals in learning online.
Peer activators: Physical Activity Peer Activator Project - London Borough of Camden used local people to engage elderly residents in exercise, using outdoor gyms.
Conveners of learning circles:
- Cornwall Look Group Network -Tate St Ives developed self-organised groups studying art;
- A New Learning Adventure - Lancaster University used members of the U3A to convene learning circles for older learners linked to university lectures;
- WEA Learning Revolutionaries set up learning circles across all the nine English regions.
Community Learning Champions: Community Learning Champions are people who become active in their community by promoting the value of learning to others. They may be promoting learning with their friends, neighbours, relatives, or workmates, but they could also be engaging people they meet at the school gates, at the local shops or in groups or clubs. Champions speak from personal experience and act as role models for learning.
Some projects used learning champions across whole communities:
- Learning Leicestershire - recruited and trained community learning champions from diverse backgrounds and groups across Leicestershire, including "e-champions' to help with computer skills.
- Liverpool PCDL Partnership - involved community learning champions working across five neighbourhood management areas who recruited more than 600 new learners and opened up new spaces for learning.
- Learning Links - Bourneville College - developed existing groups of adult learners into community learning champions, operating out of Children's Centres and other venues.
Others specifically used learning champions from minority ethnic groups, who spoke local community languages, to engage learners from those communities:
- Bhalo Ranna - Bangladeshi women recruited their friends and family members to a healthy eating project for Asian women ;
- Birmingham Arthritis Appeals Trust (M500) - worked with individuals from minority ethnic communities to convey health messages about living with arthritis, particularly to people with limited English language skills.
In every case the recruitment and training of the intermediaries was key to the success of the project.
- Intermediaries need particular skills. One project commented about its conveners of learning circles: 'This role requires a broad range of administrative, interpersonal and facilitation skills - in booking venues, supporting the programme and ensuring that all members have the opportunity to engage in the group's discussions. From the evaluation data it is evident that this role also demands a sensitive and insightful personality, able to keep members of their group both focused and engaged.'(Look groups - Cornwall)
- Intermediaries require training and support. Most projects developed training programmes with regular support opportunities, either face-to-face or online.
- Intermediaries often contribute far more than is expected of them. Their enthusiasm, their contacts, and their experience in a wide range of roles are all invaluable.
Recruiting and training effective intermediaries takes time. A clear description of their role will be needed. CRB checks are likely to be required. Putting in place a structure for training and support involves careful planning.
A national development programme for Community Learning Champions is underway, running demonstration projects and testing out a package of resources and support (April 2009 - March 2011). To access their free downloadable materials go to: http://www.communitylearningchampions.org.uk/
Web Links
Join Our Revolution - WEA Learning Revolutionaries Project
a very informative website with links to resources and training materials for mentors and conveners of learning circles.
