Women Take Part Information Pack Includes: feedback from previous participants, the practicalities, information about the wider health improvement project, why women? the facilitators, care support protocol. Women must apply by 8 March 2013 to be involved in the course - a short (2 page) application form can be emailed or posted to you - contact Lorna Prescott on 01384 267421 or email lorna@dudleycvs.org.uk Women Take Part is being offered as part of a community-led health improvement project which was was launched in April 2012. The project is funded by Dudley Public Health and delivered with Dudley CVS and local residents. (See page 6 for more information about the project). Women Take Part will be delivered by Lorna Prescott from Dudley CVS and Jill Bedford from changes. Women Take Part is a free 12 day learning programme which will begin in April 2013 and run until December 2013. It is a women only course.
Develop your ability to... Communicate assertively and give presentations Work with others, take on leadership roles and be effective in meetings Campaign for change and understand how power works In this course you can explore and learn about Citizenship Assertive communication Equalities, diversity, difference and citizenship How meetings work Decision-making in Dudley in relation to services and healthcare Leadership Power and powerlessness Democratic decision making Presentation skills Parliamentary process and how laws are made Human rights Consultation and engagement Campaigning and lobbying
What previous participants said about what they learnt “I will strongly recommend this course to others” “Taking part on this course has helped my confidence as before I suppose being a career mom you don't feel valued as an individual – you’re just someone's mom. Not that you don't value your role bit it's how society treats you as if you have nothing else to give or talk about. On this course you're valued for the skills you have as well as being a mom” “I feel that as a result of the course, I am much more prepared to articulate an opinion (even a different one to everyone else!) at the professional meetings I attend to work and the political meetings I attend in a voluntary capacity. I would not have had the confidence to do this previously.” “The whole course was very inspirational and informative” “Prior to joining the course my knowledge was limited regarding inequality, and discrimination, although I knew it existed all around, the attitude was more of ‘it doesn’t/ never affected me’ however learning from the course shows how it affects individuals or a group of people, how their lives are impacted.” “The group consisted of women from different backgrounds, ages and ethnicities. Finding out more about women from different cultures and with different ideas to me helped my understanding of the concerns and issues and improved my understanding of inclusion, equality and diversity and the different problems women may face.” “I know that at times I have excluded others and as I know how it feels I will try to make a concerted effort not to exclude others.” “An important part of this topic has been the recognition of how power and decisions can be exerted away from the public arena, so being aware can highlight and expose it.”
“Since the course, I have written to my MP and received a response based on her taking my enquiry to the foreign minister. I do not generally engage through such structures so this was a positive experience for me.” “I feel I have so much to learn but I do now listen and take more interest of what is going on in the political world.” “I am already a school governor and have had a desire to become a magistrate for many years. I now think this is something I will apply to do in the next couple of years.” “I believe the increase in confidence from the benefit of learning and studying undertaken has put me in a good position to take a more responsible role in my voluntary work.” “I feel I have overcome some barriers and can ask questions in public and this is a big step for me.” “I have learnt what are the restraints and barriers of people participating in trivial and more complex situations. Getting people on board and past the initial nervous and lack of confidence stage. It's important to get people open to get involved and be more proactive.” “I believe I have the ability and confidence to get involved in a debate or discussion and give my opinions about issues and decisions. I believe I have the belief and confidence to campaign on issues and concerns that are important to me and things that can make a change in a person's life.”
The practicalities Where? • Most sessions will take place at Wrens Nest Community Centre, Summer Road, Wrens Nest, Dudley. • A 2 night residential session will take place outside Dudley (location to be arranged accommodation and meals are provided free to participants). It is child free time for you. • Visits to observe meetings in Dudley where decisions are made about health and social care will be arranged, as well as opportunities to meet councillors and people who make decisions about services in Dudley. • A trip to the Houses of Parliament in London will be arranged on a day to suit participants, and hopefully opportunities to meet and talk to some MPs.
When? • Sessions will be held every 3 to 4 weeks, in school term times. • Sessions will start at 9.30am and finish at 3pm. (There will be a 45 minute lunch break, you can bring your own lunch or buy food from local shops.) • We will agree a good day of the week, we are currently looking at Mondays or Tuesdays, starting after the Easter holidays • A two night residential will be arranged for May or June probably over a weekend.
What do I need to wear or bring? • Hot and cold drinks and biscuits will be provided, and will be available when you arrive and during breaks in the morning and afternoon. • Please feel free to dress informally, in clothes you are comfortable in. • You don’t need to bring anything with you, we will provide you with a file, handouts, and pens. • During the sessions we’ll use flipchart and other resources, which are all provided.
What should I expect? A relaxed and friendly environment We believe that people learn most when they are enjoying themselves. We positively encourage discussion and sharing of ideas during the course, so that people can learn from each other. Learning tailored to your needs The sessions are facilitated, rather than taught, so the pace and content is continually adapted to the learners and the ideas and issues which arise through discussions.
Opportunities to apply learning in your own life and in your work Each session has lots of group discussions which you can bring your own experiences and knowledge to, which will help you to link learning to your own life. There are over 15 worksheets which you can fill in to help your learning. Some sessions involve trying things out there and then – for example the session on presentation skills. Learning resources At the first session you will be given a folder to keep your handouts, worksheets and other resources in. During the course you will be given over 40 handouts on the key ideas covered in the course and over 15 worksheets to help you to put your learning in to action and suggestions on further reading or good videos to watch online. Learning opportunities A free residential weekend (starts on a Friday dinner time and runs to Sunday afternoon) – accommodation and meals are all paid for. A trip to the Houses of Parliament in London - travel costs paid for. Trips to observe meetings in Dudley Chances to meet local and national decision makers, including councillors and hopefully MPs.
An insight into the programme - what we cover on the first day Introductions and starting off Information about the course What you want from the course Guidelines for working together Reasons for getting involved in community and public life Exploring barriers to participation and involvement What ‘citizenship’ means to us Thinking about our rights and responsibilities Reviewing the session
About the health improvement project in Wrens Nest Wellbeing is about how we are in ourselves – our emotions, judgements and experiences. Some things inside us affect our wellbeing and how we feel - such as our health, optimism and self-esteem. Also things around us affect our wellbeing - things such as income, housing, education and social networks. This project is taking a wellbeing approach and will: • look at what makes people’s lives go well, rather than focusing on what can go wrong • look at the positive things people bring to situations and communities – their assets, rather than looking only at what people lack or need • think about ways that people can feel confident to make improvements in their own lives • treat people’s emotional and social needs as being important (not just their economic circumstances).
When we understand what makes people’s lives go well, see the positive things people bring to situations, and understand people’s emotional and social needs, projects and services can be better designed... From a guide called Measuring Wellbeing by NEF.
Wrens Nest is the first area in Dudley where this asset approach to health improvement is being tried out. We’re working Wrens Nest because local residents Ann Aston and Myra Thompson from the Behind Closed Doors project volunteered to come on a day training course and then spent loads of their own time carrying out community research in Wrens Nest. Thanks to their ideas and dedication, we’ve allocated £40,000 of project funding to be spent by people in Wrens Nest who have great ideas of ways to improve people’s health using as asset approach. We’re also working with Lions Boxing Club, based in Brierley Hill, to find out how a community around a club can use their assets to increase health and wellbeing. In this project we want to find out more about, shout about and make the most of the passions, skills, knowledge and connections which people in Wrens Nest and wider commuities have. And we want to prove to decision-makers that we can make communities healthier using what people have already got. Women Take Part is an important part of the project becasue it helps women to make links with women from other communities, to get active in their own communities, and to get involved in and influence decision-making. And the people from communities who got involved and gave their time to this project from the beginning have been women.
Why women? There has been much research done on the barriers to women’s involvement and participation which has generated a great deal of knowledge, information and practical steps. However, looking at the statistics in terms of women’s involvement, it seems that the situation has not changed that much and that women are still sorely underrepresented in the places where decisions are made and priorities are set. It will take up to 200 years to ensure the equal representation of women in the British parliament, 20 years to achieve equality in civil service top management, and 40 years to achieve an equal number of senior women in the justice system. Whilst these are shocking statistics, it is clear that there just aren’t enough women in most areas of public life and for certain groups of women, including Black, Asian and minority ethnic women, their representation is even lower. There is clearly a power gap in our institutions and workplaces. Currently less than 20% of MPs are female. There seems to be a relationship between the position of women and the condition of women; the political status of women is mirrored in their relative economic status to men in terms of their pay. Undervaluation of women’s work, a persistent employment penalty for mothers, occupational gender segregation, and discriminatory treatment in the workplace continue to hamper efforts to further reduce the pay gap. Women are much less likely than men to reach the top of their professions. Only 10% of directorships of the largest 100 companies in the UK are held by women. In today’s workplace requesting flexible working can still spell career death for many women. Instead they often have to ‘trade down’ when they take on caring roles and then lose out on the top jobs. Centuries of systemic exclusion (both intended and unintended) mean that many of our organisations and systems of governance were built around the visions and needs of a small group of the population who had the right to vote – middle and upper class white men. It is only 80 years since all women won the right to vote in England and it takes a long time to change norms, cultures, expectations and attitudes. Notions of gender go right to the heart of any culture and society – the expectations, privileges and roles of men and women are different. Being a ‘woman’ affects your life differently to being a ‘man’ and this varies through time, space and culture. Women Take Part offers women an opportunity to explore these issues in a safe and comfortable environment.
Women Take Part facilitators Jill Bedford Jill has over 27 years experience of working within the not for profit and public sectors; from small self help groups and political and campaigning groups, through to larger organisations which deliver services to communities. She has extensive experience in writing training handbooks, publications, training courses and course materials, including the Take Part National Learning Framework for active citizenship learning, written with London Civic Forum. Jill and has been a Board member of several local and national charities. She has supported voluntary and community organisations in developing and improving their governance structures and has over 30 years experience of local voluntary/community activity and campaigning. Jill is also an Associate Lecturer for the Open University introduction to Health and Social Care course. Lorna Prescott Lorna has 15 years experience of working in the voluntary sector in Dudley both as a volunteer and in paid employment. Lorna’s job requires her to work both with representatives, staff and volunteers in the voluntary, community and faith sector and with operational and senior staff from public and voluntary sector agencies. Lorna regularly delivers training and facilitated workshops to a wide range of participants. She is currently supporting the East Coseley Community Forum with their Big Local work and collaboration projects between Dudley Council and community groups. Lorna participated in a Women Take Part Learning Programme in 2009 and has since been trained to facilitate the course and has delivered it to women from across the Black Country. Lorna has been chair of a national networking charity, Community Development Exchange, and a governor and volunteer at a local primary school. She runs Social Media Surgeries across Dudley and has set up monthly co-working events in Brierley Hill.
Our commitment to participants ‣ We will deliver 12 days of interesting, informative and fun learning which values your experiences and knowledge. ‣ Each session you will be given handouts with key information that we have covered and links to further information. ‣ We will create photographic records of each session, including things that are recorded in group discussions. ‣ We will provide expenses for childcare and respite care support. ‣ We will arrange a 2 night residential as part of the course.
‣ We will arrange for you to meet decision makers in Dudley and to observe at meetings where decisions are made about services and healthcare. ‣ We will arrange a visit to Parliament in London and ask MPs to meet with you. ‣ We will offer one-to-one tutorials to all participants. ‣ We can set up a buddying scheme if participants want to be part of one. ‣ We can support learning sets and/or a support network. ‣ We can support you to access and use the internet and social media to help your learning and activity.
Your commitment Each of these courses costs about £20,000 to put on and that’s a significant investment in people, in communities and in you…and we want to make best use of public money. You can benefit enormously as well as your community and family. ‣ We ask you to complete a Learner Contract where you confirm your interest and commitment to the course, to the other participants and trainers. The course is very participative and if only a few people regularly show up and continue through the course, the experience is diminished for everyone. ‣ We will ask participants to work together to develop and agree to shared guidelines about how we will all work together. This can sound all a bit rigid and strict – it’s not meant to be, and we recognise that in life things happen and sometimes we can’t always to do what we want…but it’s worth making the case for sticking with the course!
Requirements Participants must be able to speak and understand English, although not necessarily written English. Any questions…? Please feel free to put questions on your application form or call Lorna: 01384 267421 (you can call this number any day between 9am and 9pm).
Care Support Protocol There is a limited budget for care costs and access payments. It has, therefore, been necessary to work out a fair and equitable way to share these resources amongst those who want to attend events and courses. It is in the nature of the course that we wish to do everything we can to encourage all to attend who are interested in participating in public life. We recognise that women face particular barriers and we want to ensure that we break down as many as we can. This is the situation for care payments:
‣ We offer a contribution towards childcare costs for children and respite care for adults ‣ This contribution is based on the average amount for registered child minders, which is ‣ ‣ ‣ ‣ ‣
£3.50 per hour, per child. The contribution for respite care is more complex and will be decided through discussion. We cannot make payments to women who are attending as part of their work; we feel that employers should meet this cost. We cannot make payments to women who have a family member who can look after their children. If the budget is over-subscribed, we will prioritise women from the Wrens Nest Estate. We ask women to be as fair as possible when making their claims.
We hope that these protocols will help as many as possible to receive help towards their costs. If you have any other care costs, or if any of the above excludes you from attending the course, please speak to Lorna on an individual basis about your circumstances. If you have others costs that are not mentioned here and will either make it difficult for you to attend or exclude you from the course, please talk to us.