Yo
Annual Review 09
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air h C l a n io g e R age from the
Mess
Lindy Gresswell
We are very fortunate in the strong, committed workforce that we have in our Region.. So many things happen within the space of a year that it is often difficult to recollect or reflect on them. In some way it has not been an easy year. We were all very concerned when our Regional Director Ann Walker was taken ill early in the year. Everyone was extremely happy to see her return to work recently on a phased basis and we hope that her health continues to improve. Ann’s illness highlights, again, a point that I made last year. We are very fortunate in the strong, committed workforce that we have in our Region, both volunteers and professionals. I must particularly pay tribute to the way in which Jenny Major, the Regional Educational Strategy Manager stepped into the breach in Ann’s absence and to the many other people who took on extra burdens to ensure that the Region continued to run smoothly. I give them my wholehearted thanks. You will see from our Director’s introduction that we have increased the number of enrolments on courses this year which is good educationally but has its drawbacks financially. We are actively seeking ways of finding alternative funding but it has to be pointed out that the WEA, as the UK’s largest adult educational charity, still offers very good value for money.
One aspect of our provision that has worried me slightly this year is the closure of some Branches in our Region. Usually the reason for this is a lack of people willing to serve as voluntary Branch officials. This is not necessarily a problem overall as our enrolments have increased during the year and some new Branches and officers have come on board. These are mentioned in the following Review. However, it does highlight the fact that we could engage with our members and learners even more effectively to encourage them to take an active part in the governance of a Branch or the Region. Thank you to all those people who have given great service over the years but have felt that they can no longer do so. Many of you will also be aware of the WEA’s active role in campaigning for continued government support of Adult Education. We must persevere with this especially as we run up to the next General Election. If you are reading this you are already a supporter of the WEA – we need you to actively lobby prospective candidates in this Region to make our voice heard. I would like to finish by thanking you all for your continued support this year. Lindy Gresswell
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The Workers’ Educational Association is the UK’s leading adult education charity and relies on hundreds of dedicated and hard working volunteers who work alongside paid staff to run courses in community venues. They are active in villages, towns and cities across the Yorkshire and Humber Region. We are a national charity that operates very locally by using buildings such as schools, community centres, church halls, mosques and village halls. We have very few of our own buildings so that we can respond flexibly as we work in partnership with many organisations.
The WEA runs three categories of courses: Second Chance to Learn: making it possible for adults with few or no educational qualifications to gain nationally recognised qualifications with friendly support and encouragement. Community Involvement: making it possible for students to learn a wider range of skills with a focus on the benefits of learning for groups and communities, as well as for individuals. People can improve confidence, health, and communication skills as well as the capacity to take part in community activity, support children’s learning, become an effective volunteer or an activist in communities, charities or trade unions. Cultural Studies: this strand is designed to attract any adult with a ‘love of learning’ who wants to develop an understanding of a subject for ‘its own sake’ and wishes to be involved in the planning and delivery of the provision. The strand offers opportunities for serious educational study, with a focus which is more academic than leisure. The Region exceeded its targets for enrolments required within its main contract with the Learning and Skills Council in 2008-09, and overall enrolment numbers in Yorkshire and Humber rose from 28,131 in the previous year to 29,110. Unfortunately, the increase in provision was not matched fully by an increase in funding and we are now finding that we do not have enough funding to meet the demand for our services from people who cannot afford to pay fees to cover the costs of provision. This is likely to lead to a reduction in services in 2009-10, with difficult decisions to be made about how to prioritise our use of the funding that we receive.
This has been a trend across the adult education sector nationally and does not only affect the WEA. We concentrate as much of our funding as possible on teaching and learning with comparatively low overhead costs and continue to diversify our sources of funding to support our educational priorities. As a result, we have developed new educational initiatives in 2008-09 including active citizenship projects funded by the Community Development Foundation on behalf of the Department of Communities and Local Government. The Annual Review includes details of some of these projects.
Analysis of enrolment statistics shows the WEA’s reach and the diversity of the Region’s learners: G 27.7% had a declared physical disability G 12.3% had a declared learning disability G 15.6% were from a declared ethnic minority G 45.3% generated additional funding because their postcodes indicated deprivation G 45.6% did not have to pay fees for economic reasons (as defined by funders) G 49% had qualifications below Level 2 when they joined their courses.
r o t c e ir D l a n Regio Ann Walker
Annual Review 09
Engaging people in learning is only part of the process. 90.2% of learners completed their courses, with as many reasons for non-completion as affect the complex lives of many adults. Overall there was an achievement rate of 96.4% and a success rate of 86.9%. The statistics are an important indicator of the WEA’s impact but adult education also changes lives in ways that are difficult to measure by numbers. Some of the changes go beyond the individual learners and have an effect on families and communities. The case for adult learning is as important now as it was when the WEA was founded in 1903. This is why the WEA is campaigning actively alongside trade unions, faith groups, voluntary organisations and charities to promote adult learning through the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning (CALL), which was launched in September 2008 and strongly supported by WEA learners, members and partner organisations from the Yorkshire & Humber Region. The number, variety and size of organisations who have joined CALL is a reflection of how embedded the WEA is in society and such partnerships exist at very local levels. Many WEA volunteers are also active members of other community, voluntary and special interest groups where they live and WEA staff work closely with statutory and voluntary organisations across sectors including health, education, political education, arts, humanities, environmental issues, archaeology and many more. The Region needs to attract more funding in future especially to support those people who cannot afford to pay fees or to take part in learning. We have strategies in place to diversify funding – but with a strong emphasis on our educational priorities. New partnerships are emerging that have strengthened the provision of education for active citizenship and we acknowledge with gratitude many organisations,
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including funders and partners, who have continued to work with us in well-established or newly evolving relationships to meet shared goals. As ever, specific thanks go to the Region’s stalwart volunteers, particularly Branch Officers, and members of the various Regional Committees and working groups. Members of the Regional Executive Committee have ensured that learners’ voices are represented at the heart of WEA governance. I am especially grateful for their scrutiny and guidance and for the immense work undertaken by Jenny Major, the Regional Educational Strategy Manager and colleagues in the Regional Management Team for undertaking additional work and responsibility during my lengthy absence during the year because of ill health. WEA Organisers, Co-ordinators, project workers, administrative and finance staff work as effective teams to make sure that courses run smoothly, and, of course remain central to all we do. We must also thank our tutors. Their combination of subject expertise and understanding of adult learning provide the core element of the WEA’s distinctive services.
in Wakefield WEA learner Marjorie Rowe, aged 37, was an Adult Learners’ Week Yorkshire and Humber Award Winner 2009. She was nominated by her tutor Chris Summers. At the age of 17 Marjorie started using drugs and this led to 17 years of struggle with addiction. Marjorie realised she had to change her life, stopped taking drugs and began a new chapter in her life. One year after stopping the drug misuse Marjorie was at the stage of wanting to seriously re-evaluate herself and her life and focus on what was important to her, her children, family and future career prospects. After taking advice, she enrolled on a WEA Self Help for Life course. As a result of her success on the course, Marjorie has progressed rapidly in several key areas of her life. She volunteers for an organisation assisting clients to recover from substance abuse, has completed a Community Development Certificate, started a Basic Counselling Skills course. She is also a parent governor. “Learning means everything to me”, says Marjorie. “I feel like I can do anything and learn anything. All I have to do is to believe in myself and put my mind to it.”
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Annual Review 09
across the Re
gion
in Calderdale and Kirklees Area
115 learners with learning difficulties, accompanied by support workers, attended a Celebration Event at Chesneys in Featherstone in July. The event was organsied in partnership with Millennium Care Services who funded the room and made a huge contribution towards refreshments. Millennium Care staff also contributed throughout the day to ensure the day ran smoothly. Support staff from Day Opportunities also attended and helped organise transport for learners from across the district so they could attend. The day started with tutors running 10 workshops including art, craft, aromatherapy / stress busters, gardening and ICT. After lunch a small group of learners who attended the creative dance and exercise class performed a short routine then encouraged everyone to stand up and join in. Certificates were presented by the Deputy Mayor of Wakefield who had arrived prior to lunch so that he could visit some of the groups in action. Before departing at 2.30pm groups posed for their photographs proudly holding their certificates.
The 2008-2009 programme in Kirklees has focussed on consolidating working links with existing partners, such as Kirklees Council, and making further contacts with schools and children's centres. The courses offered have centred around family learning and holistic health and confidence: Arts and Crafts for Families, Aromatherapy and Practical Parent Helpers have been the popular courses. We have also run Asian Dressmaking classes for beginners, and offered progression courses in two venues.
There is a broad mix of WEA activity with branch-run courses organised by volunteers and other partnership working. A group of people with learning disabilities completed a course training them to take an active part in all Bradford Care Trust job interviews that are concerned with learning disability. The group has also produced a DVD. Harvey Nichols head chef Richard Walton Allen cooked for the annual barbeque at Northcliffe Environmental Enterprises Team (NEET). The WEA runs several horticultural based courses at NEET. The event was a great success. Several Bradford Branch members attended and took the opportunity to find out more about the WEA’s Community Involvement programme Skills for Life accredited provision is offered within schools and community venues and the take-up for Literacy courses is encouraging. All activities are benchmarked against the National Adult Curriculum and Individual Learning Plan targets. Partnership working with Surestart (BHT) has enabled 4 fully funded 'Language for Life' classes during the year. Classes generally are running with good numbers and high retention. An English for Speakers of Other Languages class in Bradford 3 has demonstrated significant progression with Information and Communication Technology. Creative Crafts Level 1 has been successful with two cohorts of learners achieving the award via NCFE. These are learners who have not been involved in accredited learning before.
in Leeds The WEA is about to start an exciting initiative of subcontracted work with West North West homes in Leeds, an ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation) council-owned company set-up to manage the council housing in the city. They have 22,000 tenants on their books. Impressed by the WEA's professionalism, sector knowledge, and capacity to deliver high quality educational opportunities, the first of a series of WEA day schools offered to their 'customers' has been planned. The courses will be all about empowerment, giving tenants the skills and confidence to represent themselves within the company and set-up forums, committees, and even equip tenants with the skills to fund raise and make bids. This initiative is designed to increase participation and representation in a very real situation, which all involved are hoping will make a positive impact on local communities.
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West Yorkshire
in Bradford and Ilkley Area
Annual Review 09
Ilkley Branch employed the local town crier, in full costume to shout about the courses on offer this year. He attracted attention to a stand on The Grove, where Branch members handed out area brochures.
Staff Training and Development Quality is at the heart of the Region’s activities and forty five separate training events were organised over the year for tutors, staff and volunteers, with a total of 445 individual sessional tutors engaged in some form of training offered by the region. This constitutes 79% of tutors employed in 08/09. Field staff and Admin / Finance staff also accessed a variety of training opportunities. The training events included induction days, first aid, mental health awareness, curriculum training events, a large Skills for Life training programme for tutors and publicity and marketing for volunteers and staff. Twenty three WEA tutors completed the City & Guilds 7303 teacher training qualification and 19 registered for the Certificate in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (CTLLS) Equality and Diversity unit. The region supported seven tutors on externally funded courses on the basis that specific criteria were met and staff are encouraged to use WEAVLE, the WEA’s online Virtual Learning Environment.
Information and Communications Technology The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Curriculum Team organised two training events in Sheffield and York for ICT tutors in September 2008. Both events were well attended and everyone enjoyed the events. New technologies were introduced, such as EzeeClick and E-beam. Ezee-Click went down a storm and all the tutors could see the benefit of using this system to deliver fun testing in the learning environment. The E-beam system can be used in venues where there is no interactive whiteboard, which got tutors talking of the difference it would make to their delivery in some of the less technologically advanced venues. Both training sessions were very successful. New equipment purchased which has been distributed around the region Interactive voting systems, digital voice recorders, digital visualiser and netbooks.
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Photographs here show families enjoying educational activities in Barnsley as part of a Big Lottery Funded Family Learning Project.
South Yorkshire 2008 - 2009 was a busy year for Skills for Life courses in South Rotherham. The demand was high and new courses were organised in partnership with many organisations including MENCAP, local primary schools and job centre plus key workers. The year concluded with an event to celebrate the achievements of Literacy students in the Maltby area and excellent feedback about the courses was given to the local press who came and did an article about the courses. Other popular subjects were ICT and Painting and Drawing.
ham in Rother
in Barn
sley
Doncaster WEA successfully secured funding from Doncaster PCT to run four 12 week Skilled for Health courses. Skilled for Health is a national programme that helps people of all ages and backgrounds to improve their health while at the same time giving participants the chance to boost their reading, writing and arithmetic skills. Students were then invited to attend a celebration event at the Doncaster Racecourse and were presented with attendance certificates by celebrity chef Aldo Zilli - a supporter of healthy eating.
in Doncaster A book called Earning a Living - Memories of Work in and around Sheffield was published by the WEA, Sheffield Branch, October 2008. It tells one hundred and twenty three stories and anecdotes of working life in and around Sheffield. Ann Udall, one of the contributors, comments, “They say ‘History is now, isn’t it?’ but we were living through a period a lot of people will never know about. All round Broad Lane, Solly Street, Garden Street, there were little forges and cutlery works. This was in the 1950s and 60s. I couldn’t imagine that one day none of them would be there.”Making sure these memories are preserved is the reason for this book. Sheffield, has gone through an extraordinary period of change since the 1940s, from being a major world centre of cutlery and hand tool manufacture, a city where thousands of men and women, many of them highly
skilled, if without paper qualifications, were employed by the steel and heavy engineering industry, to what? We’re not sure yet. There are stories from wages clerks, hammer drivers, dinner ladies, train drivers, drop stampers, hospital cleaners, post women, joiners, hod carriers, window dressers, crane drivers, electroplaters, teachers, library staff, and many more.
in Sheffield
A video film project at WEA Sheffield Learning Centre in June 2009 led to the production of The Mind Cleaners, a science fiction comedy adventure with a running time of 18 minutes. It was written filmed and edited by learners on the first Open College Network (OCN) Level 3, Video & Film Production course based at the WEA Sheffield Learning Centre. All of the learners who attended had previously completed WEA level 2 courses in Digital Media Production. There was a broad representation of ages 24-60 with a diverse ethnic mixture including people from white European, Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern backgrounds. The Level 3 course has been in part a pilot scheme to monitor the outcomes of building continuity and progression routes within WEA digital media provision working with vulnerable learners struggling with chaotic lifestyles; and partnership organisations in Further and Higher Education. WEA learners developed additional skills in film makeup design and application; they studied and applied Health and Safety regulations appointing a H&S Officer to oversee the production.
in Sheffield
Perhaps the most poignant achievement was when the group agreed that this was the first time that they had been respected as individual learners each with different skills and ideas. They were impressed that the WEA actually listened to what they had to say and helped them achieve a professional end product.
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in Richmond and Hambleton Areas
North Yorkshire As in other parts of the Region there has been strong partnership working around mental health work, including a new partnership with York & District MIND (with whom we are offering creative writing), and continuing partnership with Craven Carers' Resource. The Branch programme has remained strong, with York Branch in particular continuing to offer an impressively wide range of courses, including a very large Community Choir course with over 40 learners and a strong and effective voluntary members' Area Council, whose membership ensures that the voice of local branches is directly heard right up to the national level of WEA governance. Members of the WEA's York Branch featured on BBC Radio 4's 'You and Yours‘ programme to discuss their concerns about the future of adult education.
in York, Ryedale and Craven Areas A 3-year Aim Higher "Moving On Up" project began in partnership with the University of Hull and other partners to encourage adults and children to raise educational aspirations. WEA learners carried out a community research project and joined a “Learning Journeys” course, held in a Scarborough primary school. Year 6 children all took part in an official graduation ceremony during a special wholeschool assembly. They had caps, gowns and certificate scrolls. Other partnerships included work with the Open University, with WEA learners achieving success on the Open University Openings Programme, and with the Unison trade union with WEA learners completing a Unison Return to Learn course.
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Helping in Schools courses have continued to be popular and effective. Most learners progress on to a course focusing on Special Educational Needs and many are then successful in gaining employment in school or in the community. More than 60 learners in Scarborough and Whitby achieved Literacy and Numeracy level 1 & 2 passes during the year. 3 volunteers completed the Skills for Voluntary Education Advisers Supporting a Study Group module. All 3 volunteers are continuing to support WEA courses in autumn 2009.
A cross-generational Family Activity Day of taster activities was held at Spring Hill Court in Easingwold, on Saturday, 9th May. It was organised in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council Extended Schools Service, Easingwold and District Community Care Association and Scrapbox from Hull. Activities included a drawing and painting workshop, felt making, a computer workshop and an 'improve your mobility' exercise class. The event was well attended and attracted a cross-section of people spanning a wide age range, with the youngest participant being a tender 2 months and the oldest, an impressive 104 years. This event attracted interest both in the local branch programme and in the community courses which have been organised in the nearby village of Husthwaite. An article describing the event was published in the Easingwold Advertiser. Paddy Hodgkiss, a voluntary Officer from Riccall Branch reports that the Branch ran 8 courses in 2008/09. The Branch is typical in publicising activities widely in the area and attending a number of events to display their "wares". Class members have made a number of Powerpoint displays which they show, “anywhere that we can find an audience.” Branch members work hard as WEA volunteers but have increasing challenges to overcome, including the cost of newspaper advertising and rising course fees for learners.
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A community group developing the Washburn Heritage Project has launched a new Washburn Valley WEA Branch. They held their first day school on family history in the summer and planned a course in September 2009. The group has been allocated Stage 2 money from the Heritage Lottery Fund and they are developing activities to support their application for a new community venue on a site next to Fewston Church. This is a beautiful location on the side of the reservoir in the Valley. When the centre is complete they hope to provide an education programme through the WEA. The WEA runs courses and activities in partnership with Mind, the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. In Ripon, these include WEA courses in computing, music, felt making, crafts, cooking and flower arranging. This year everyone at Ripon Mind worked together with Sally Beausang, the tutor of a WEA Felt and Crafts course, to plan an entry for the Ripon Festival of Angels in May. This is an annual event organised by the churches of Ripon involving people from across the community including shops, schools and clubs. The groups wanted their angel to represent all that Ripon Mind Group does for its members. Felting was represented in the wings, small felt and fabric flowers were created for the halo and the body. The main structure was made using withies. The skirt was printed with computer signs and musical notation to indicate the other activities that are offered for Mind members. The angel project enabled students to participate in many ways, helping to make the structure, creating the felt panels, making the flowers and sewing them in place, printing, making the harp and installing the angel. It was very much a team effort from everyone at Ripon Mind and the groups was delighted when their angel won First Prize in the 3D category of the Festival of Angels.
e and t a g o r r a in H Ripon Areas
Visual and Performing Arts and Media Performing Arts and Media (VPAM) continues to be the largest curriculum area in the Region, constituting just under a third of total provision and appealing to learners across all our 3 educational strands and in a wide variety of circumstances and situations. Building on the work of the earlier Active Citizenship project in the Sheffield area, for example, the WEA has worked with groups of (often homeless) vulnerable learners with drug- and alcoholrelated problems, to give them the skills to make their own documentary pieces. The results offer a very moving demonstration of how the visual arts and media can be used to challenge stereotypes and perceptions, to foster more positive senses of individual identity and of community belonging, and to help disadvantaged learners work together to effect social change. VPAM also held two very successful Tutor Conferences (one at the Millennium gallery in Sheffield and one in the Art Gallery in Leeds), attended by over a quarter of all our active tutors, providing tutors with an opportunity to network with one another, and to share ideas and good practice within their particular subject areas. There is a very real need for such 'get-togethers' in a dispersed tutor team. They help to bridge the gap between the organisation and the ‘classroom’ and let tutors share ideas and concerns, compare notes and practice, and learn about new initiatives.
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Campaigning WEA learners, volunteers, staff and partner organisations are involved very actively in various local, regional and national campaigns. As one of five founding organisations of the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning (CALL), WEA members have taken a major role in campaigning for adult education. CALL was launched on 30 September 2008 and gained attention in the national media. Ann Walker, Yorkshire & Humber’s Regional Director represented the WEA as a speaker at the launch. CALL’s membership includes groups as diverse as Trade Unions, religious and faith groups, the Women’s Institute, national charities and many individual members. More details can be found at http://www.callcampaign.org.uk Learners and staff from across the Region travelled to Westminster in February 2009 for a very wellattended Parliamentary lobby co-ordinated by CALL. WEA Organiser Christine Sharman, reported that, “Everyone had different experiences of the day. Two learners from Wakefield went to Parliament - Marjorie
Rowe from a health course (who later won an Adult Learners’ Week Award) and Paul Milnes a Post Office worker on an OU Openings course. We spent the whole day together, including interviewing cabinet minister Ed Balls who is Marjorie's MP. A member of his team showed us an insider view of the House of Commons and its history. We then joined everyone else we had travelled with in an excellent campaign meeting which was inspirational. We returned to Yorkshire, tired but happy to have made our points.” 183 Members of Parliament signed the following Early Day Motion (EDM 533) proposed by Gordon Marsden, MP, with cross-party support.
Bradford
Bradford Branch writing to all their students to ask for support for the CALL campaign. Their Branch Chair Mary Kershaw visited local MP Terry Rooney to put forward the case. Local Community centres also took up the banner for the CALL campign, with Kirkgate Studios and Workshops collecting a petition which they delivered to their local councillor.
Ha
lifax WEA learners are also active in campaigns that complement adult learning such as the future of the Central Library in Halifax. Local feelings about the demolition or relocation of the library and archives ran high and more than 15,000 people signed petitions objecting to plans to bulldoze the Library after the plans were announced. In April a group of over 50 residents staged a protest outside the building in Northgate, Halifax. The protesters included members of the WEA, Halifax Antiquarian Society, Halifax Civic Trust and Calderdale Pensioners' Association.
Early Day Motion 533 That this House welcomes the launch of the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning (CALL) in September 2008; shares its concern that over 1.4 million places have been lost in the last two years in English adult education due to cuts and fee rises; notes that over 150 organisations are CALL supporters; believes that particularly at this time of recession, affordable access to the life-changing opportunities provided by education is the hallmark of a civilised society; considers that adult learning needs to be simultaneously expanded, resourced and promoted alongside work-based skills training in the Children, Skills and Learning Bill; and calls for immediate action to ensure a full range of learning opportunities for adults to adjust the Personal and Community Development Learning budget to increase with inflation, and redirect any underspend on the Train to Gain programme to meet individual learner demand. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37560
Many WEA branches work hard to promote adult learning in their local areas. Paddy Hodgkiss of Riccall Branch is representative in reporting that, “We offer a Powerpoint display and fixed board displays at any local event that will give us space. We also own six easily portable table top display boards and have a part share in a Ricca digital projector.” l
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Humber
WEA ‘Pitmen Painters’ meet Lee Hall
Hull and East Riding Area
Continuing success within the community in the Hull area depends largely on partnerships with established and new Children's Centres, Women’s Centres, Community Centres, Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and Hull Prison. One of the local WEA Organisers describes these relationships as, “good, sound, flexible and honest”.
Representing the range of activities that the WEA runs, there was a good balance of liberal studies, arts and crafts, ICT and personal development courses in Hull and East Yorkshire. A traditional fee paying programme ran alongside partnership working to offer targeted courses in the community and in the workplace. An NCFE Helping in Schools pilot course was run in North Cave. It was organised in partnership with the local extended schools co-ordinators.
development courses in Goole, Pocklington, Hessle, Beverley and Bridlington. Courses include three anger management courses (which are unique to the WEA in the East Riding), Singing, Floristry, Creative Stitching, Knitting and Crochet at the Old Parcels Office. The WEA is represented on a Volunteering group (a subgroup of the Holderness Health and Well-being group) and is working to develop volunteer recruitment and training in Holderness. Working with the local extended schools co-ordinator, we were asked to deliver two sessions at the staff training day at Driffield School and a 10-week Powerpoint for Staff course at Driffield school - the History of Howden group have started their own website.
A new partnership with Cherry Tree Centre in Beverley led to the introduction of a Computer Literacy and Information Technology course being offered as a follow up to Cherry Tree Centre members who had attended a basic Information Technology workshop. A Skills for Volunteers course was held at the Hornsea Children's Centre. This was a new development in the town. Our partnership with Hull and East Yorkshire Mind is going from strength to strength. We ran a very successful programme of personal
An annual Prepare for Retirement course at the University of Hull ran in April and the WEA linked the North and South banks of the Humber by offering another very successful Prepare for Retirement course to 17 employees of Fenner Dunlop from Hull and Millennium Inorganic Chemicals from Grimsby.
North and North East A successful 'Computing for Dads' course was run in e Area r i h s n l partnership with Surestart, in Scunthorpe and also two o Linc Practical Parent Helpers courses which will lead the learners into an accredited course in the next year. We have a very strong partnership with the Foresight Centre in Grimsby and work very well together providing courses for people with disabilities or learning difficulties. Courses include Watercolour Painting, T'ai Chi, Tactile Art and Card Design. Partnerships with the North East Lincolnshire Women’s Centre, Children’s Centres in Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Waltham have excelled with new recruitment. WEA Branches run by volunteers in Grimsby, Immingham, Waltham and Keelby all recruited well.
A group of students from former mining communities in South Yorkshire had the trip of a lifetime in February as they saw an acclaimed play about a WEA course and even got the chance to meet the playwright. The students, who live in Thurnscoe and Goldthorpe, all attend a WEA art course and went to London to watch The Pitmen Painters at the National Theatre and meet Lee Hall. The Pitmen Painters is based on the true story of a group of miners in the 1930s who attended a WEA arts appreciation course in Ashington, Northumberland. After they developed a passion and skill for painting their work became sought after by prestigious collectors and was exhibited in London and Beijing. Lee, who is also known for his play Billy Elliot, said: “The WEA is vital and unique in providing a place where people can extend themselves as well as extending the culture at the same time. We are all poorer for a culture where knowledge, education and creativity are reserved for only those that can afford it.” Lee is a long-time supporter of the WEA and added: “The right to an education, to access to the arts, to cultivating oneself beyond the immediate requirements for survival or the most basic diversions from this hard work, were won as a result of enormous struggle.” Before the play the students were taken on a backstage tour of the National Theatre and got to stand on the Pitmen Painters stage – where the actors would be performing later that evening. Their lives have been influenced by the mining industry and they found they had a strong emotional connection to the play, which they greatly enjoyed. The group also toured the nearby Tate Modern Gallery, where they saw some of the most influential paintings of our time. It was a first trip to London for one student, former miner Mervyn Shepherd, who
said that going down the tube escalators “made me dizzy and reminded me of going down the pits”. After their trip the students described the experience as “out of this world”, with the high point meeting Lee Hall. Learner Hazel Follows described Lee as “very friendly and down-to-earth.” “I felt that he really listened to us, and took a real interest in what we had to say”, she added. Lee also praised the group saying that they were “delightful”, and that he was very touched and proud to have been part of the event. Six WEA membership competition winners also won tickets to the play. First prize winner Liz Milway thanked the WEA for a “wonderful experience”. She found the play both “moving and amusing.” and said that the icing on the cake was meeting the inspiring art students.
Paintings by students: Hazel Follows (top left) Doreen Seward (top right), and Maureen Gill (bottom)
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The first years work covered a range of activities and events including: Active Citizenship – Training the Trainers Aimed at tutors who work in the voluntary and community sector. 20 participants took part in the event, which gave an opportunity to explore the Active Citizenship curriculum and gain an understanding of the Pathfinder and its agenda.
Making Your Mark – Democracy Today A two day course, aimed at community activists, campaigners and those in civic roles, explored: G The state of democracy today and how it could be improved. G Ways to engage with parliament, lobbying and campaigning.
Educational Projects
Curriculum Development Day on the new City and Guilds ‘Individual Portfolio in Active Citizenship’ Eleven practitioners with experience of developing an Active Citizenship curriculum worked together to develop session plans, schemes of work and units for the IPAC. It is now ready for delivery.
Take Part Pathfinder launch events in: G Barnsley (17 participants attended) G Doncaster (26 participants attended) G Rotherham (27 participants attended)
This was followed by a trip to London to visit the Taking Liberties exhibition at the British Library and to the Houses of Parliament to observe a lobby by CALL (Campaign for Lifelong Learning) - 28 participants took part (pictured below).
Active Citizenship Projects The WEA is working with several partners in the Yorkshire & Humber Region on various exciting and inter-linked Active Citizenship educational initiatives that continue to develop in the 2009-10 academic year. The Take Part Pathfinder Project is one of several that the Department of Communities & Local Government is funding across the country to encourage groups and individuals to work together to develop and promote effective ways to equip citizens with the knowledge, skills and confidence to increase engagement in civil, civic and democratic society. There are seven core partners in the South Yorkshire Pathfinder. The Workers’ Educational Association is the lead body with the three local authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham, Take Part Network, Novas Scarman Group and the Academy for Community Leadership (based at Northern College). All the work is focused upon participants in the local authority areas and the Pathfinder is supported by the Regional Empowerment Partnership.
The main priorities in the first phase of work included: G G G G
Active citizenship Citizen engagement Community leadership National Indicator 3 – Civic participation in the local area G National Indicator 4 – percentage of people who feel they can influence decisions in their locality G Strengthening partnerships
Civic volunteering offers an antidote to political disenchantment Amidst a background of scandals over MPs expense claims, resulting in record levels of mistrust in politicians and political parties, the Take Part Pathfinder in South Yorkshire held two events to promote the benefits of volunteering and show the role it can play in supporting political engagement. The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA), the lead organisation for the Pathfinder in the region, organised Getting Involved in Your Community – Volunteering events in Barnsley and Doncaster, bringing together local community groups, councillors and people with an interest in becoming volunteers. The events attracted nearly 50 people and included contributions from local councillors who talked about what motivated them to become active in their community. Participants also heard from long term volunteers about why they work in the community and the impact it has made on them and their communities. Trish Land, Take Part Pathfinder Project Manager, WEA said: “It is imperative that politics remains connected to everyday concerns and that we preserve the opportunity for local people to influence political decisions at both local and national levels. Our events have shown the wealth of experience and talent which people bring through getting involved in their own neighbourhoods and the difference becoming a volunteer can make to individual lives and to communities as a whole. ”
Annual Review 09
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A two-year WEA project to involve one thousand parents and children in learning together is well underway. The Family Learning for Social Cohesion project won ÂŁ500,000 funding from the Big Lottery Fund in 2007, following six months of research with parents as to their needs, and the development of 23 agreements for joint working with schools and other partners.
Provision began in May 2008 in various areas across England including Barnsley and Scarborough in this Region. The lottery funding allows the WEA to employ development workers in each location and try out innovative and fun family learning activities.
The project engages families, including men and grandparents, from disadvantaged communities in learning together to help parents become more able to support their children in learning, and more able to develop their own skills. Family learning can help parents interact positively with their children, and help them find relevant information and advice when they need it.
The Project has enabled us to do a variety of activities in Barnsley including French breakfasts in 3 schools, a 'Dads in the Picture' event, arts and crafts workshops and healthy cook and eat sessions, which they put into practice to make their packed lunches for the community picnic on Phoenix Park. We have also taken families on outings to the Wetlands in the Dearne Valley where they had a go at pond dipping, bird watching and building nests and to Castle Howard and Scarborough beach where they were able to meet up with families from the Scarborough project. Families are gaining confidence, making new friends and building up their own support networks outside of the activities.
Another aim is to improve social cohesion by giving families increased awareness of, and contact with, the cultures of other communities. This includes links between black and minority ethnic families and white families, and between different project areas. In some areas project workers have found that people from another estate (or even another part of the same estate) may be seen as ‘other’, so learning together for children and adults alike can help to break down these barriers.
Annual Review 09
Working with colleagues from Plymouth, Slough, Gt Yarmouth, Basildon, Bristol and Nottingham has been interesting and exciting and a valuable opportunity to share good practice. Work has already started on producing resources for a joint 'Families in Britain today' exhibition. In Scarborough, the Family Learning project has seen approx 50 families take part in an array of community activities and short courses which have included Beach sculpture, Kitemaking, Paint splatting, Den building, Pond dipping, Go kart making and much much more. Over 40 adults and children also took part in an exchange visit with the Barnsley project when many families experienced the wonders of Castle Howard for the first time. This was a wonderful yet hectic experience and one which is to be repeated in South Yorkshire in Spring 2010. More courses are being planned for the Autumn/ Winter including Christmas Crafts, Halloween Costume Making, "Families in Britain Today" and a movie-making course using a digital media suite. It has been good to see quite a few dads and male carers being involved in the activities.
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Annual Review 09
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Annual Review 09
Its aim was to encourage wider participation in practical archaeology by targeting non-representative groups of adults and working with partner agencies and organisations to overcome barriers and enable people to experience this exciting subject. 120 adults participated in the project, including over 40 people with learning difficulties and around 15 mental health service users. There was a wide range of educational experience and ability, and learning programmes were adapted to the needs of groups and individuals. Some people required learning support which was provided either by the WEA or by partners. This varied from basic skills support to providing reassurance and building confidence. Many courses were based at centres where participants felt comfortable and could be supported by familiar staff. Learning programmes were devised to be as practical as possible. Classroom activities ranged from finds analysis – looking at, handling, describing, classifying collections of artefacts such as pottery, bone or flint – to the more unusual, such as spinning nettle twine or exploring the archaeology of a litter bin! The enthusiasm and willingness of the tutors to adapt and innovate ensured that courses were interesting and motivated everyone to ‘have a go’.
Touching the Earth, the WEA South Yorkshire Community Archaeology Project was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and ran from March 2007 to February 2009.
Every effort was made to take advantage of the rich heritage of the local area. Groups visited a range of historic sites and venues, from great houses to archaeological sites. At one point it seemed that groups were out every week, whether at Creswell Crags or Cannon Hall, Castleton or York. All this, though, was a precursor to the main attraction – getting down and dirty and doing real archaeology. There were barriers to overcome. It was necessary to adapt our approach so that a wheelchair user could access the site at Attercliffe. Challenging assumptions was also important in some instances, as one group attested: ‘The Rotherham group were reluctant to touch the earth at first. By the end they were as mucky as the rest of us. They were disappointed when it was all over.’ Disappointed for lots of reasons. Whatever their background or ability, the experience demonstrated that people can learn at any stage in their lives, and make a real and valuable contribution. As Helen Fenwick from the University of Hull noted:
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‘archaeology is a subject with which people of all abilities can be engaged and have a part to play.’ The project benefited all involved in it: not only the learners themselves, but also those who worked on the project, partner organisations, university students (our learners worked alongside them on a major archaeological project at Brodsworth near Doncaster) and volunteers. There was a real sense of collective endeavour which emphasised ability rather than disability, achievement instead of limitation. As always, such success was only possible because of the WEA’s partnership with others and the willingness of partners to support in whatever way they could. These included university departments from Sheffield and Hull, social services from Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster, Sheffield Care Trust, museums services and the many enthusiastic and helpful staff and volunteers involved in heritage and archaeology up and down the region. Since the project ended the WEA has been developing further partnerships and is preparing to bid to HLF for support for a regional scale project so that the work can be expanded. HLF has cited the project as an example of good practice and we are hopeful that they will support us in developing the work next year. The project team have also produced a teaching pack, Touching the Earth, with lots of ideas and case studies for delivering community archaeology, particularly for people with additional needs. Tutors on the project were: Victoria Beauchamp, Nicola Thorpe, Sally Rodgers, Abi Hackett, Beatrice Greenfield, Lisa Staves. They were supported by Skills for Life support worker Barbara Firth and archaeologist Chris Sykes, and led by Project Coordinator Justin Hughes. Rob Hindle, Project Manager
Free copies of the Touching the Earth pack are available to WEA staff from David Pittaway at dpittaway@wea.org.uk An online version will be available soon via a link from the WEA Yorkshire and Humber page.
Annual Review 09
Obituaries We are sad to report that Lou Dale, Chair of the WEA Bedale Branch for 24 years, died on his 82nd birthday. Lou was a typical WEA branch volunteer who was very active in his local community. As well as his involvement with the WEA, Lou chaired the local history society and wrote a village history which he presented to the parish council. “I didn’t know a lot when I left school,” he once admitted. “Education came a bit later in life.” Lou had left school at 14. He began work as an errand boy then became a soldier before working for many years at the Vale of Mowbray pork pie factory at Leeming Bar between Bedale and Northallerton. “He taught himself about all sorts of things. No one ever had a bad word for him,” his son Bryan recalled. A local newspaper, the Northern Echo, described him as, “a thoroughly nice and remarkably knowledgeable man.” We must also sadly report the death of Mary Bradbury, who was the Treasurer of Halifax Branch for many years. Mary was greatly liked and respected by all who knew her.
Changes in volunteer-led Branches
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News from
the Region ‘Retirements’
the Barton upon Humber Geoff Bryant and the Officers of distinguished roles and long r afte ed retir e hav Branch Association as a the for ked wor ff Geo . within the WEA ire North District ksh Yor er form the Tutor Organiser with Barton upon the of ir Cha and, after retirement, as the together with the nch Bra the ran He . nch Bra Humber and fellow Officers stalwart support of his wife, Ro,Berridge. Over recent y hon Ant Ursula Vickerton and uced several highyears the Barton Branch had prod Courses in the area ory. hist l loca on ions licat pub quality s of the vitie acti the e gsid alon will now be run ber. We thank Hum n upo row Bar in neighbouring Branch tanding outs r thei for Geoff, Ro and all the Officers the future. in well them wish and s tion contribu Ripon Branch for many Arthur Longbottom, Secretary ofJuly 2009. Arthur always years also ‘retired’ from office in ging programme put on an interesting and challen based courses, finding including a number of science ld offer a wide variety cou who new and original tutors with the safe and of courses and not content to stay , attending most WEA the of t war stal a was familiar. He student. He stic usia enth an as self of the classes him Area Council at s tion tribu con made many useful and wise ’s Treasurer, nch Bra n meetings in North Yorkshire. Ripo end of the year. the at n dow d stoo also , liffe Mike Sutc a hard act to follow. They will be much missed and y Leitch, who retired as Our good wishes also go to Mar . nch Bra am ingh Treasurer of Imm
The profile of WEA Branches across the Region ebbs and flows with the availability of committed volunteers. The South Cave and Leven Branches closed during the year and thanks go to Don Pattison and Alan Chester from South Cave and Pat Baxter and Joyce Taft from Leven for their support in the past. Peter White, secretary of Riccall Branch, resigned in March due to ill health. The Branch is currently being very ably and enthusiastically run by its Chair, Paddy Hodgkiss. Judith Stansfield, of North Richmondshire branch also resigned in May which sadly resulted in the closure of the Branch. Daphne Carter, Secretary of Middleton Tyas Branch, has also recently decided to stand down, and has been replaced by Elizabeth Croft. We welcomed Christine Tidswell to the role of Secretary of the Bradford Branch and Sheila Cracknell who has taken on the role of Secretary of the Ilkley Branch. Ron Moreton has finally found someone to take over duties of Treasurer of the Bradford Branch after being the ‘temporary Treasurer’, with great good humour, for more than 30 years. He is to be succeeded by Mr Noel Waller. Ron will continue to be a member of the Regional Finance Committee. A new Branch has been established at Washburn, with one of the new Branch Officers, Robin Noakes, already joining in crossRegional activities as a member of the Marketing and Publicity Group. A new Grimsby Branch elected its Officers at its AGM in October 2008. David Egerton was elected as Chair, Linda Salkeld as Secretary, Tom Allen as Treasurer, Phil Pocklington as Assistant.Treasurer and Frances Rimmington as Publicity Officer: Thanks are also due to Edwina Shephard for her sterling work in supporting the Branch.
Staff Changes Justine Walker, the Regional Finance Manager has moved on to a new role within the WEA as the Association’s Finance Manager for Projects and Contracts, based in Sheffield Learning Centre. Justine’s expertise and commitment made a particular contribution to the establishment of the Yorkshire and Humber Region following the merger of the two former Yorkshire WEA Districts. We wish her well in her new role and are pleased that Karen Briggs, the Region’s Senior Finance Officer, is now filling Justine’s former post. Liz Puttrell, who was a valued colleague as a WEA Organiser in North Yorkshire, left the Association after several years of service. Julia Thompson was appointed as a new Organiser in the North Yorkshire team following Liz’s departure. Sue Taylor provided cover for Rose Farrar’s post while she took maternity leave from her post as WEA Organiser in the Kirklees area. Rose is now back at work following the birth of baby Robert. Justin Hughes completed his contract as the Coordinator of a successful community archaeology project in South Yorkshire, and we welcomed various other colleagues to new projects in the Region together with Matt Livingstone, who joined us in January as Educational Projects Co-ordinator