Tag: CLD

Adult Achievement Awards

Adult Achievement Awards

Adult Achievement awards give learners the opportunity to gain a qualification for the learning they have undertaken in a variety of places:

  • In the community
  • At work
  • In the home
  • In college
  • Through volunteering

The awards are currently available on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) at Levels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. There are no entry requirements for the awards. There are a range of organisations delivering the awards including local authorities, colleges and third sector organisations. The Adult Achievement Awards have been developed during Covid-19 to be delivered and assessed online so learners can still complete qualifications in spite of restrictions.

Newbattle Abbey College is the national accreditation centre for the Adult Achievement awards. The college produces Learner Guides, Reflective Journals and Tutor Guides and organises training programmes for tutors. It also provides administrative support and quality assurance advice. We recently had Sandra Grieve from Newbattle present to our Adult learning webinar in March 2021 to highlight the relevance of Adult Achievement Awards through an online approach– see her slides here: https://share.wakelet.com/doc/vW1kFQZVX-8i_0MnzCOkQ

For more information on Newbattle Abbey College: Adult Achievement Awards | Newbattle Abbey College

Case Study

Recently we highlighted the work of The Adult Achievement Award Partnership in Dundee and Angus as they creatively adapted the learning to be delivered online. There have been a number of learners who have completed the qualification through distance learning supporting their Health and Wellbeing during lockdown as well as allowing them to complete a qualification. The partnership consists of a number of partner agencies who work together to support and develop the delivery of the award, including a tutor network. The organisations include Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action, Dundee Carers Centre, Dundee City Council CLD, Angus Council Planning and Communities, LEAD Scotland and Alexander Community Development.

See our national Improvement Hub for more information on how the delivery of Adult Achievement awards has been adapted through Covid-19 by Dundee Carers Centre and Brechin and Montrose Communities Team. Adult Achievement Awards – Covid-19 response, developed for online delivery | Practice exemplars | National Improvement Hub (education.gov.scot)

 

 

What Scotland Learned – Inspiring Stories from the South West Region CLD Sector

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the sudden closure of community venues, schools and other learning sites across Scotland. CLD practitioners responded by developing new and flexible ways to deliver key services with, by, and for vulnerable and marginalised learners in schools, colleges and communities. The Scottish Government recognises not only the role of the CLD sector across public and third sector in providing invaluable support to Scotland’s learners and communities during the pandemic, they also recognise that CLD approaches will be key to planning for a full recovery and renewal to active civil society across Scotland.

“The rapid shift in ways of working brought about new and strengthened relationships between school and local authority staff, CLD practitioners and allied professionals. The common goal and shared commitment to identify and target support to the more vulnerable children, young people and families in our communities ensured vital services were available to those who needed them most.”

John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

During the early days of the pandemic, there were many examples of the extraordinary work of CLD practitioners to support learners and communities. Practitioners and volunteers responded in a variety of creative and stimulating ways and What Scotland Learned aims to capture, and celebrate, some of the stories of lockdown learning between March and August 2020.

This post highlights the stories of CLD Practitioners in the South West of Scotland (Dumfries & Galloway, North, South and East Ayrshire). The stories highlighted below have been curated from a selection submitted from practitioners, local authorities, establishments, leaders, parents, learners, partners, volunteers and others. The words are their own and unedited.

CLD ESOL, South Ayrshire

Find out how CLD, South Ayrshire changed their methodology to support learning and sustain learner engagement during lockdown.

Follow the team on Twitter to find out more @CLDSouthAyr

 

CLD Literacy, South Ayrshire

Find out how CLD, South Ayrshire, delivered literacies support for learners during lockdown.

Follow the team on Twitter to find out more @CLDSouthAyr

 

Community Learning and Adult Education, North Ayrshire Council

Community Learning and Adult Education delivered 7 Gaelic Language Classes, a Clarsach and a Fiddle class for adult learners during lockdown.

Follow North Ayrshire’s Adult Learning Team on Twitter to find out more @NAAdultLearning

 

North Ayrshire Council’s Youth Work Team

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, North Ayrshire Councils Youth Work Team were fast in creating a full interactive digital programme under the branding of #DigiDReam. The programme gave the team and partners a platform to engage and work with young people and families throughout lockdown.

Follow them on Twitter to find out more @NAYouthServices

 

Redburn Community Centre, North Ayrshire

Redburn Community Centre encouraged many of Irvine’s older residents to learn how to use video-meeting technology to help address loneliness and social isolation.

Follow North Ayrshire’s Adult Learning Team on Twitter to find out more @NAAdultLearning

 

The Usual Place, Dumfries and Galloway

The Usual Place in Dumfries and Galloway enabled trainees to develop their I.T. literacy skills to reduce individual digital exclusion, promote competency and confidence in online learning and reduce social isolation.

Follow them on Twitter to find out more @TheUsual_Place

 

Vibrant Communities, East Ayrshire

Vibrant Communities engaged learners in weekly music performance sessions on Zoom.

Follow them on Twitter to find out more @VibrantEAC

 

Vibrant Communities, East Ayrshire

Vibrant Communities distributed learning resources and made weekly phone calls to ensure learning continued throughout lockdown.

Follow them on Twitter to find out more @VibrantEAC

 

Vibrant Communities, Lifeskills & Inclusion Team, East Ayrshire

Vibrant Communities, Lifeskills & Inclusion Team continued teaching and learning digitally, which has allowed Community ESOL learners to go for their accreditation assessments.

Follow them on Twitter to find out more @VibrantEAC

 

Youth Work Dumfries and Galloway

Find out how the youth work team in Dumfries and Galloway developed a wide-ranging, creative response to meet the diverse needs of young people through lockdown and the summer.

Follow them on Twitter to find out more @YOUTHWORKDG

 

Do you have a story to share from the South West Region? Please contact Dehra Macdonald if you do – Dehra.Macdonald@educationscotland.gov.scot

Big CLD Blether

John Galt, CLD Education Officer reflects on the Big CLD Blether

Note: This is a post from back in the summer which we have transferred from our old CLD blog.

I’ve been absolutely blown away by the amazing response of the community learning and development (CLD) sector to the Covid-19 crisis. While the lockdown obviously led to the abrupt suspension of most face to face CLD activities, from the start we’ve been hearing examples of how community workers, youth workers, adult educators and family learning workers in both the public and third sectors have continued to support learners and communities with dedication, creativity and kindness. Across Scotland, CLD practitioners have been supporting community initiatives to deliver food, medicine or provide vital social contact to vulnerable families and isolated people; engaging with young people through imaginative digital youth work; adapting learning activities to be accessible online, by phone or through resources to use at home; and helping to extend the reach of school and community hubs for children of key workers and vulnerable families. Many CLD providers are now playing a key role in helping to develop local and national recovery plans.

So I was delighted to help to facilitate The Big CLD Blether  – a virtual discussion with over 90 CLD practitioners and managers across Scotland which was jointly hosted by Education Scotland and The CLD Standards Council for Scotland on 28th May. The session was one of a series held throughout May to support practitioners from across the education system. (#ESBigBlether)

One of the challenges in our diverse sector is finding common digital platforms to use. We went for Google Meet for The Big CLD Blether which seemed to work well for most people.

The discussions were based around four themes and participants chose which ones to take part in. We were lucky to have 3 or 4 experienced practitioners in each themed discussion who shared their experiences and addressed questions from other participants. There were a lot of issues raised in each of the four discussions. Notes from the session will be available on iDevelop but here are some of the points raised:

Theme one: Operational challenges for CLD providers

Participants recognised the good work being done to support the changing needs of learners and communities. CLD organisations are also dealing with significant challenges though. Many 3rd sector organisations are facing extreme financial pressures and some staff had been furloughed. In some areas, local authority CLD staff had been redeployed. Many have been realigning what they do to engage learners and communities remotely while trying to address the clear digital inequalities that exist in our communities. The move to digital is a steep learning curve for many and so effective professional learning for staff is key. There is a strong recognition of the need to support the health and wellbeing of learners and staff.

Theme two: Engagement and learning – what’s working well?

Examples of what is working well were threaded through each of the discussion groups.  We heard about the wide range of digital platforms being used by CLD providers to engage young people, adult learners and community groups. We heard lots of examples of practitioners being flexible and endeavouring to start where learners are at online and we were reminded of the Digitally Agile CLD principles and the great resources out there, such as those on digital youth work from YouthLink. There were frustrations at the limitations that some organisations placed on using some platforms, although there was a recognition of the increased importance of digital safety. We heard that Youth Awards like Hi-5 and Saltire are being widely used to recognise young people’s volunteering during the crisis and that as lockdown eases, there is an increasing focus on supporting young people through street work.

 Theme 3: Supporting the health and wellbeing of CLD participants and staff

CLD practitioners can help participants to address the impacts of staying at home and feelings of grief, worry, stress or loneliness. We heard some of the feedback from the Lockdown Lowdown study which led to discussions on how can we best support the mental wellbeing of young people now and as lockdown continues to ease. Meanwhile feedback from the CLD Standards Council practitioner survey highlighted that many workers were dealing with stress themselves. Effective CPD and peer support are increasingly important priorities for practitioners.

Theme 4: Looking forward – the role of CLD in the recovery phase.

CLD practitioners have important roles to play – in education recovery plans and in wider community renewal. There are many opportunities for CLD to contribute including outdoor learning, blended learning with schools, supporting parents and families, youth awards etc. broad range of services, showcase ourselves. CLD workers will also have key roles to support community groups and organisations to rebuild and help to rebuild partnership working and collaboration to ensure that resources are deployed to best effect. Much of the focus for recovery planning will be at the local level and it is important that CLD partners are involved. There will also be an increasing need for CLD to support wider regional and national collaboration to support ‘building back better’ efforts. Participants were keen to maintain some of the new processes that have been put in place during lockdown.

Feedback about The Big CLD Blether was positive. Participants told us that they enjoyed re-connecting with CLD colleagues and discussing experiences and  pieces of work going well.

Both Education Scotland and the CLD Standards Council are keen to keep the discussions going with further CLD ‘blethers’ so please watch this space!

 

CLD Response to Covid-19: South Lanarkshire Council

Community Learning and Development (CLD) response during COVID -19 lockdown

We have been absolutely blown away by the amazing response of the community learning and development (CLD) sector to the Covid-19 crisis. Whilst the lockdown led to the abrupt suspension of most face to face CLD activities, from the start we’ve heard examples of how community workers, youth workers, adult educators and family learning workers in both the public and third sectors have continued to support learners and communities with dedication, creativity and kindness. Across Scotland, CLD practitioners have been supporting community initiatives to deliver food, medicine or provide vital social contact to vulnerable families and isolated people. They have been engaging with young people through imaginative digital youth work; adapting learning activities to be accessible online, by phone or through resources to use at home; and helping to extend the reach of school and community hubs for children of key workers and vulnerable families. Many CLD providers are now playing a key role in helping to develop local and national recovery plans.

We have collected some case studies from the West region that we are going to highlight over the next couple of weeks.

Education Scotland is aware that there is more amazing work out across Scotland. We plan to capture more so that we can keep sharing the fantastic work that CLD has delivered and continues to deliver in the recovery phase and into the future.

South Lanarkshire Council – CLD – Youth, Family and Community Learning Service  Activity Packs

Across South Lanarkshire, Youth, Family and Community Learning Teams have been busy creating activity packs to support children, families and young people of all ages, including ASN, during the period of lockdown. These packs are designed to engage with new learners and to maintain well established relationships with our communities. They can help alleviate boredom and improve the mental health of young people by giving them activities that they can carry out on their own and with their families.

The packs are bespoke, learner centred, and are prioritised for young people and families who have limited access to technology or printing facilities. Packs are delivered directly to the homes of young people and families. This allows invaluable face-to-face contact (from a 2m distance) with the community and the opportunity for staff to offer support if required. Over 1000 packs have been delivered to households since the end of March. The activity packs have a diverse content and include resources to enable young people and families to carry out the activities. Themes for packs have included: Health and Wellbeing; STEM; Family Learning; Cooking on a Budget; Music activity; Baking; Gardening and many other fun and educational activities for people of all ages.

Examples of 2 activity pack initiatives below:

After School Club Busy Bag

The After-School Club Busy Bag was developed as a way of engaging remotely with the vulnerable families and young people who would normally access the clubs each week within Glenlee Primary and Loch Primary. The bags are made up weekly by CLD staff and delivered to young people on their doorstep.

The Busy Bags began as large activity packs which included colouring-in sheets, pens, paper and skipping ropes, and have been followed by weekly themed top-ups. These top-ups have included “Make your own Crispy-cakes” and “Grow your own Sunflower” kits. All of the resources and ingredients required to complete the activities are contained within each pack, to ensure there is no additional cost to families.

3 of the After-School Club volunteers have also been a fantastic help developing and researching resources for our packs. One of the volunteers has piloted her first Busy Bag unboxing video this week. This has allowed her to engage remotely with the After-School Club young people and has also given her tasks to complete whilst she is self-isolating due to her being a young carer.

Quotes from Learners:

“ My son is really enjoying the Busy Bags, it’s keeping him off the ipad and Playstation and it’s giving us time to sit together. There is a wide variety of activities for him to pick and instead of playing Fortnite on the computer, he loved filling out the Fortnite word search and activity sheets” –Mum of P5 St Cuthbert’s pupil

“Due to the Busy Bags, my daughter now has something to look forward to each week, she looks out for staff arriving every Thursday. Thank you so much” –Mum of Loch Primary pupil

 “I loved making the crispy cakes, please can we have more baking busy bags it’s so much fun!” –P5 Glenlee Primary pupil

Cambuslang Universal Connections (UC) CLD Family Activity Packs

Cambuslang UC CLD have been maintaining links with the families they work with on their family learning programme through the delivery of over 60 Family Learning Packs to these families during the lockdown period.

The packs contain a range of fun activities for families to complete together and links directly to a weekly family craft activity that is uploaded to Facebook (the resources for undertaking this activity are contained in the pack)!

Parents have indicated that using the packs has been fun, has allowed families to do things together, has reduced boredom and that they have enjoyed participating on the linked the activities on Cambuslang UC Facebook!

Some quotes from Learners:

‘The packs are excellent, a good time filler and a good mixture for the different age groups. We are enjoying doing the activities together as a family, my daughter really liked the Covid 19 time capsule booklet.’

 ‘The packs are amazing. I feel very happy watching my son enjoy using the pack. I also enjoyed getting involved in the rainbow scavenger hunt.’

 ‘Thank you for the great packs we have received, loved the video

 ‘They were great, fantastic! The kids enjoyed doing the activities, particularly the dot to dot and the colouring. There was a good variety for different ages’.

 

‘The activity packs are fun and very good. They provide something different for the children to do other than school work. They are still learning and the variety of activities holds their interest longer. This gives us as parents a much needed time to relax and do other things. My child likes the dot to dots and colour by number using addition as this helps her number work.’

CLD Response to Covid-19: East Renfrewshire Council

Community Learning and Development (CLD) response during COVID -19 lockdown

 East Renfrewshire Adult Learning & Adult Literacies Services

Continuing our case studies from the West Region on the amazing response of CLD during COVID-19 lockdown, we now want to highlight work from East Renfrewshire Adult Learning & Adult Literacies Services.

During lockdown, East Renfrewshire Council transformed their service to meet the needs of adult learners during the COVID-19 lockdown crisis.  Staff created online learning provision for those who had digital access, whilst recognising that many of the adult learners only had phones, with and without internet access, and that had to be taken into account to ensure the support remained inclusive.  The work that was carried out is a great testament to the CLD staff who have been creative, resourceful and enthusiastic about maintaining links with the community.  East Renfrewshire CLD have positive partnerships and these have been important throughout. In particular, for people in receipt of benefits as some were worried that their money would be affected if they weren’t online and seeking work.  Learning has been a lifeline for almost all adult learners in relation to their wellbeing.  Some people didn’t want to continue with learning but wanted an opportunity to stay connected with the team and/or their group.  CLD staff have been able to provide this support through phone calls and online forums.

There has been a strong focus on wellbeing during this difficult time. Over the past year or so, CLD Adult Learning and Adult Literacies staff had been evaluating the wellbeing provision and had implemented changes including the creation of wellbeing hour and development days for staff. All of the resources and activities developed for staff could be tailored for adult learners throughout our provision.  Wellbeing is at the heart of everything that East Renfrewshire CLD offer whether it’s a wellbeing group or an IT group. From the initial meeting through to the guidance and exit processes a learner centred approach is taken. Staff have benefitted from CLPL opportunities through partnerships within the authority and through membership of the West CLD Alliance, including the NHSGG&C Healthy Minds partnership.

 SQA Wellbeing units

Working in partnership with West College Scotland, CLD staff began looking at the course content and descriptors of the SQA Wellbeing units and were very keen to deliver these.The courses would be beneficial for individuals in relation to their own wellbeing but also transferrable to work related goals. In August 2019, we advertised the first unit, Exploring Wellbeing; SCQF: level 4. Referrals for this course came from within the service, Family First, RAMH and other partners. The course was popular and successful with adult learners positively evaluating the course and successfully achieving accreditation.  The group progressed to the next unit, Improving Wellbeing SCQF: level 4 in January 2020. When we were informed of lockdown the group were genuinely disappointed and hoping for a quick return. This group had already created a WhatsApp group to stay connected out with the course times.  This allowed staff to connect with the group during lockdown to make sure they had all of the information and support they required.

Some people chose not to continue learning during lockdown for various reasons, however, staff kept in contact with them at their request, as they were feeling isolated. For the online learning we found a platform that would work for everyone and provided digital support to ensure everyone could participate.

Working towards achieving accreditation provided a valuable focus for learners during this time. The assessment had been introduced a few weeks into the course and this helped the learners to know what was expected and allowed them to continue with their project from home. They received support from the Adult Learning Services CLD worker and the West College Scotland lecturer; including phone calls, emails and text messages, as well as the online video meetings. In addition to achieving a qualification, the main benefit for the group has been keeping people connected. Three of the group members live by themselves and keeping in touch with others has been a huge help throughout this difficult time. Positive quotes posted on the group chat, comments from other peers and just being able to chat to others has been a huge motivator for the learners and staff.  Working in partnership with West College Scotland, we have submitted our proposal for the Group Award: Mental Health and Wellbeing at SCQF level 4, due to start in September 2020 based on evaluations and consultations with adult learners.

 Staff Feedback

It was such a privilege as a CLD Worker to be working with this group. They were so unique in many ways, not only because of the pandemic. They were such a caring group and so enthusiastic, right from the very start. They were also very appreciative of anything I helped them with. They genuinely cared for each other and formed a bond, with not a single person left out. They were such an inspiration to me.  It reminded me of the reason why I enjoy my job!

 Learner Quotes

  • It helped me gain confidence and be more relaxed to be myself.
  • It was very easy to contribute in class but also during lockdown through emails and the WhatsApp group.
  • It has made me think about the way I was living my life. It was too complicated and too fast. Now I stop and think before I do anything.
  • I get lots more exercise now. I didn’t used to do as much but now I feel better for getting out and walking.

 

CLD Response to Covid-19: North Lanarkshire Council

Community Learning and Development (CLD) response during COVID -19 lockdown

North Lanarkshire Council – Adult Learning Delivery

Continuing our series of case studies from the West Region on the amazing response of CLD during COVID-19 lockdown we now want to highlight work from North Lanarkshire Council CLD Adult Learning Team.

Across North Lanarkshire Council the CLD Adult Learning Team has continued delivering their CLD service throughout the COVID lockdown period. Initially the CLD staff kept the lines of communication open and established the best way to keep in touch with all learners considering the range of devices being used and the level of learners’ digital involvement. The CLD – Communities and Adult Learning Team looked to ensure that fundamental needs were covered such as information on what was going on, access to food and prescriptions and support for those in isolation.

The speed of response by CLD staff was most impressive and all learners had established contact very early on. The flexible approach took into consideration the position of each individual learner. e.g. WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages, Zoom – all mediums were utilised depending on what learners were best able to engage with reflecting the social practice approach. There also had to be consideration of learners that did not access social media or were not online in anyway. Some learners were contacted by phone and door step drops of learning packs and resources if required. The focus was prioritised around learning and health and well-being.

Highlights:

  • Learning Packs – ALN & ESOL

(Measuring, puzzle books, writing activities, Summer Reading Program)

(ESOL- photo dictionaries, SQA materials, Worksheets)

  • Pivot Garden – Updates posted on progress of newly completed garden and seedlings. Learners were able to access the garden individually and do some upkeep and gardening. Seedlings ‘adopted’ by Community Worker and when established delivered to learners for individual planting.

  • Wednesday Walk – Digital Health Walk – regular timetabled walking activity with theme, promoted via text and social media. Encourages learners to be more physically active and raises awareness of their mental wellbeing. Participants take photos on a positive theme – recent topics have included trees and bees and encouraging mindfulness. Participants then share their photos on social media, increasing their sense of connection. Nature themed topics have been extended with links to materials and activities from Cumbernauld Living Landscapes to encourage further learning.
  • Facebook pages for groups – Motherwell has 3 private Facebook groups set up: Gaelic Culture, Northern Lights Discovery and COLTS Discovery Group.  The learners are able to be in contact with one another and share photographs of their current activities and trips from last term. The Gaelic Culture Group have now set up Facebook Room within their private group; every Tuesday from 1-3pm they meet up for a video chat, practise their language skills together and do a short quiz. One group member who had been housebound over the last term has enjoyed being able to re-join her group online.  The Discovery learners have all kept on track with their activities during lockdown and one learner has just achieved her Silver Award. Wishaw Family History Group have a private Facebook Groups which allows the learners to keep in touch and share photographs of their current family tress and any progress made on their work. The group ‘meet’ weekly for a Facebook video chat: this allows them to socialise with one another, check in with the Support Worker for welfare purposes and share any new findings. Not only has the Facebook group decreased social isolation it has also allowed for learners to learn new IT Skills and explore avenues on social media platforms that they didn’t know existed!
  • ESOL Online -Aimed at ESOL learners and resettlement refugees. Delivered by Community workers, Support workers and Social Work. Ongoing WhatsApp groups where work is posted and a group for information sharing on Covid developments in Arabic & English. Weekly video calls and lessons for each learner. Difficulties were /are mainly which platform to use and longer term the need for a VLE set up for learners to submit work and track progress. Staff need for training in the use of digital online learning platforms and managing of social media.

CLD Response to Covid-19: South Lanarkshire Council

Community Learning and Development (CLD) response during COVID -19 lockdown

South Lanarkshire Council – CLD Youthwork – Vertigo Theatre for Young People

Continuing our series of case studies for the West Region on the amazing response of CLD during COVID-19 lockdown we now want to highlight work from South Lanarkshire Council CLD Youth work.

Vertigo Theatre for Youth, a group based at East Kilbride Universal Connections and supported by South Lanarkshire’s Youth, Family and Community Service, have been undertaking a range of initiatives over the lockdown period. One of these initiatives takes place every Thursday evening, where young people from  the senior group come together online to talk about how they are feeling and take part in an interactive drama session. The young people discuss and plan projects that they can undertake to keep themselves creatively engaged whilst entertaining other families and young people within South Lanarkshire. On average 22 young people have taken part every day.

These projects have included story-telling videos for children and families, including stories told in British Sign Language (BSL) and Makaton, that are published weekly. The young people have also been producing videos of themselves performing music from their homes. During one week alone the videos by the young people reached over 1,200 members of the public and had 395 engagements.

The Vertigo Committee of young people have been meeting online regularly and are making contact with the younger members of the group who do not use social media. Members of Vertigo are also currently working on writing poetry and monologues that represent their experience of lockdown, often concentrating on the positive aspects of the experience. These initiatives all aim to encourage young people to help support each other’s mental health, and to create a support network for young people during the current crisis.

Facebook link   https://www.facebook.com/Vertigo360TY/ or search Vertigo 360 on Facebook to see the stories and music videos.

Wee Blether reflections: The Power of Communities in Education Recovery

John Galt, Education Officer CLD, reflects on a recent wee blether hosted by Education Scotland and the CLD Standards Council

The Power of Communities in Education Recovery: Wednesday 5th August

One of our recent ‘Wee Blethers’ focused on what we’re learning about our communities across Scotland during the Covid-19 crisis and what messages that gives us for education recovery. The session was co-facilitated by the CLD Standards Council for Scotland and attracted an interesting mix of practitioners from education establishments, local authorities, community learning and development, third sector organisations and the Scottish Government.

The picture is a complex one. We heard that there is clear evidence that existing inequalities in communities across Scotland are being exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis. We also heard though about the many examples of positive community-led responses to the crisis, often based on a strong understanding of what is needed locally, and organised around the knowledge and skills in the community to meet those needs.

We discussed the ‘power of communities’ and what a ‘resilient community’ looks like; how engaging with local communities can help to shape the curriculum – e.g. through approaches like Participatory Budgeting or by strengthening youth work and school partnerships; and the key role that community learning and development can play in supporting community-led activities and education recovery. Check out this link for more details https://share.wakelet.com/doc/2AvJL8-Gczc88TAJFyBEK

 

CLD Response to Covid-19: Dumfries & Galloway

Dumfries & Galloway Youth Work Service

Continuing our case studies on the amazing response of CLD during COVID-19 lockdown, we now want to highlight work from Dumfries & Galloway’s Youth Work Service.

Dumfries and Galloway (D&G) council youth work service identified several challenges as lockdown was introduced. These included the need to: provide young people with the latest information; establish a way to maintain contact with more vulnerable young people (previously engaged through the ‘youth work in secondary schools mental health initiative’); develop a new method of delivering youth engagement through digital platforms; and, consider a method of engaging young people with little or no access to the internet.

Youth workers responded swiftly to these challenges and: created digital information clips, and introduced a youth information line available 6 days a week, 12 hours a day; contacted vulnerable young people on an individual basis to provide on-going support; worked with young people to secure grant funding and co-produce 1000 ‘isolation packs’ containing activities and access to the ‘Hi5 STEM award’ for young people with no digital access; and, developed #HomeFest, a 4 day programme (10am-9pm) during the Easter holidays with a new activity available every hour.

Further to this, examples of targeted support include: provision of activity books for young parents to support their learning and care for their children; and assist young people to access funding for essentials like food, heating, and ‘top-ups’.

Local authority officers advise the geography in Dumfries and Galloway is recognised to cause a sense of isolation and disconnect for some young people. Therefore, youth work services and education staff are now jointly hosting a weekly webinar (also supported by the D&G youth council and school captains) where young people can ask questions of hosts with a collective range of expertise.

Local authority officers shared insight to some of the impacts to date. Examples of positive impacts include; 35 young people supported to gain their Hi5 STEM award since lockdown began; young people and parents seeking support from the youth work service for the first time, maintaining contact with young people previously registered with youth services to support them with challenges they’ve encountered in lockdown; youth workers temporarily deployed to social services experiencing strengthened relationships with social work colleagues; and, the opportunity to shift some service delivery online – with the success of #HomeFest influencing current service delivery

However it is important to note online engagement methods are viewed as most effective in the current circumstances – but not a replacement for face to face practice.

Negative impacts are reported to include: evidence of increased numbers of young people struggling with mental health issues, to be considered as part of any post-covid response; and, the digital deficit experienced by young people with a lack of access to technology at home.

D&G council youth work service identify a number of areas for consideration looking forward: Investment in staff training to facilitate delivery of high quality youth work online; Investment in local broadband infrastructure to ensure equal access for all young people; Funding for local authority youth work to support young people in the recovery from COVID such as managing loss, and reintroduction to social situations; and finally, reinstating youth work staff teams temporarily diminished in size (due to deployment of staff to other business critical council services), once restrictions are lifted.

For more information check out @YOUTHWORKDG on twitter and this short video: https://twitter.com/YOUTHWORKDG/status/1298307452446924801?s=20

 

Online Learning Opportunities

Education Scotland CLD officers have collated a range of websites and specific online courses that may be relevant to those working in the Community Learning and Development sector. We hope you find these useful – please get in touch with Susan.Epsworth@educationscotland.gov.scot if you know of an opportunity worth sharing

Thinking Digitally Course Lead Scotland will be delivering the Thinking Digitally course, free for disabled people, carers, and those who provide services for disabled people and carers. This course provides a supportive environment for learners to improve their digital skills, earn a qualification (12 credits at SCQF level 6), and create an accessible ‘digital artefact’, such as a website or blog. You may benefit from this course if you are looking to: improve your digital confidence and competence, learn about different online tools for communication and collaboration, and discover how to produce accessible online content.

The course will involve 13 one-hour tutor-led sessions delivered over Zoom, with 10 weeks of supported group learning and 3 weeks to finalise your digital artefact and e-portfolio. To take part, learners will need to have basic digital skills, access to a computer that supports videoconferencing, and a stable internet connection. Learners will also need to be able to complete a course at SCQF level 6. This requires learners to have the time and capability to study independently for a few hours a week, and to reflect upon their learning, with support.

Please visit Lead Scotland’s website for more information about the course or email BuildBackDigital@Lead.org.uk for enquiries or further information.

Dumfries & Galloway College is offering an Introduction to Working with Communities. This course is specifically designed for those who are already working or volunteering in the community.  Successful completion will see you gain a Professional Development Award in Community Involvement as well as a range of units, contextualised to your role, in working in the wider community. The programme is designed to introduce you to Community Learning and Development (CLD) theory and practice, with particular focus on involvement in community capacity building, which is one of the three main strands of CLD. This level 6 award will prepare learners for possible progression to other programmes at an equal or increased SCQF level in the field of Community Learning and Development.    The award is suitable for learners who may have some understanding and experience of Community Learning and Development -but have no formal qualifications in the field. Those employed in the field of CLD, and who achieve a recognised qualification such as this award, may qualify for membership of the Scottish CLD Standards Council. This course will start on the 24th January 2022 and finish on the 17th June 2022. https://bit.ly/3lKGOqT

Scottish Centre Conflict Resolution are offering a free programme of sessions ‘Untangling the knots’ The course is aimed at practitioners who have a role working directly with young
people and their families within the Third, Health, Criminal Justice, Parenting, Family, Education, Social and Housing, Mediation or Conflict Resolution sectors, either as a practitioner/volunteer. You must be able to attend all 4 online sessions. Details: https://bit.ly/3epjB93

#CLDTalks Podcast Have you caught up with the new CLD Podcast yet?  Created by CLDSC Registered Member Conor Maxwell, CLD Worker in South Lanarkshire, the podcasts have been established to raise the profile of CLD across Scotland.  You can find the podcasts on all the usual podcast sites like Anchor.fm or Spotify and follow @CLDTalks on Twitter – make sure you use the #CLDTalks hashtag! There are two podcasts to listen to so far: Jim Sweeney MBE and Adele Martin.  You’re guaranteed insights, information, learning and laughs!

You can also see more podcasts relevant for CLD collated in this wakelet: https://wakelet.com/wake/v7TUKzcIiOzMo5GDRA-xO

ASH Scotland has produced a range of e-learning courses including Understanding Tobacco and Smoking and money advice. https://www.ashscotland.org.uk/training-and-services/

College Development Network Virtual Bridge webinars run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday’s 11 – 11.30am. All previous webinars available to view on CDN’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSLdC4tqYFWpsSAwTQTa5zQ details for 2021: Virtual Bridge Webinars – Choose Registration (cdn.ac.uk)

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Digishift series: We have been hosting big Zoom calls called DigiShift, in collaboration with Third Sector Lab, attended by hundred of charities.  These calls began as a space for everyone to discuss the challenges of moving quickly to digital service delivery.  They have become a collaborative networking space where we work together, with experts in their field, to formulate best practice. Past sessions are available on their YouTube channel and details of future sessions here: DigiShift – SCVO

Promoting Children and Young People’s Mental Health and preventing Self Harm and Suicide Animations have been co-produced by NHS Education for Scotland and Public Health Scotland to support the implementation of Scotland’s Public Health Priorities for Mental Health, Scotland’s Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027; and Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Action Plan – Every Life Matters
These new resources will help workers to understand the factors that influence mental health and resilience
in children and young people; engage proactively with children and young people about mental health, self-harm and suicide; and recognise when to seek help to support those in their care: https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/17099/mental-health-improvement-and-prevention-of-self-harm-and-suicide

LEAD Scotland collected together websites, apps and information about how you can continue to learn online during this time. These are suitable for everyone, with lots of different options, from improving your English and Maths skills, to specialist courses designed by leading universities. https://www.lead.org.uk/free-online-learning-options-during-the-coronavirus/

LEAD Scotland have designed a new, free course in partnership with the Open University: Everyday computer skills: a beginner’s guide to computers, tablets, mobile phones and accessibility https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=5538

YouthLink Scotland have compiled all their digital youth work online sessions on their YouTube channel for you to watch when it suits – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqXvZw9UDJQtUFQaf1O6O2QoiGDhVKqWl

Education Scotland’s DYW officers have put together a programme of ‘end of the day blethers‘ over the next few months covering a range of subjects including ‘personal learning & achievement’, post-16 transitions’ and ‘equalities & inclusion’  https://www.youthlinkscotland.org/media/4866/dyw-end-of-day-dyw-blether-2020.pdf

Learn 100% online with world-class universities and industry experts – Browse Future Learn’s free online courses in subjects ranging from Psychology and Mental Health to Creative Arts and Media https://www.futurelearn.com/courses

Black Lives Matter – Explore resources from petitions to books and courses – to help you get involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, and educated about the history of black oppression https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/black-lives-matter-resources

SALTO-YOUTH training opportunities: including ‘An intro on how to use Erasmus+ for international youth work, Erasmus+ opportunities for youth https://www.salto-youth.net/

Abertay University has four free credit-bearing courses to help individuals develop their digital marketing abilities, and support businesses. They are delivered online and include live teaching sessions. https://www.abertay.ac.uk/courses/digital-marketing-micro-courses

Professional Development Resources for College Staff  on CDN LearnOnline https://professionallearning.collegedevelopmentnetwork.ac.uk/

Free online learning in a range of subjects from the Open University    https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses

Find training, tutorials, templates, quick starts, and cheat sheets for Microsoft 365, including Excel, Outlook, Word, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, OneNote and more https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/training

The Microsoft Certified Educator Program is a professional development program that bridges the gap between technology skills and innovative teaching, learn more: https://education.microsoft.com/en-us

Trend Micro https://internetsafety.trendmicro.com/webinars

Digi Learn Scot – a range of pre-recorded webinars to learn online at a time that suits you https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzFsp7PF70TMlqVM4nCsxSg?view_as=subscriber

Free courses from Volunteer Scotland exploring everything you need to know about involving, supporting and leading volunteers. Working with the Open University (Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership at The Open University Business School) this is a space for you to learn at your own pace, at a venue of your choice and with time built in for you to reflection https://www.volunteerscotland.net/for-organisations/training-courses/volunteer-practice-training/online-learning/

Generations Working Together provides information, delivers support and encourages involvement to benefit all of Scotland’s generations, by working, learning, volunteering and living together. Membership is free for anyone living in Scotland and some of the training courses are free too https://generationsworkingtogether.org/

Supporting Learning Outdoors This course is for anyone who has a role in supporting the delivery of curricular based outdoor learning. The course is aimed at instructors, third sector and private organisations, classroom assistants, volunteers, or indeed anyone who wants to work in partnerships with schools to deliver meaningful outdoor learning experiences.   The course will help participants to gain an understanding of the Curriculum for Excellence, and the framework for delivering this to pupils, as well as providing resources and ideas to assist good partnership working https://www.sapoe.org.uk/courses/supporting-learning-outdoors/

EIS PACT programme offers research-based professional learning opportunities for all teachers and schools focused on policy, practice and pedagogy.  PACT is rooted in social justice principles, takes a human rights approach to poverty, and is designed to further support and deepen the development of a whole-school anti-poverty culture. We also recognise that this PL opportunity may also of interest/ benefit to others within the education sector, so while the PACT online programme has been designed with a clear focus on teachers and schools, we welcome the involvement of other education professionals such as college lecturers who work with school-aged children and QIOs, who are happy to participate on that basis, and with that definite focus. It is also not necessary to be an EIS member to sign up – this offer is for all in the profession https://www.eis.org.uk/PACT/AboutPACT

Public Health Scotland provides free online course in a wide range of subjects including Challenging Poverty Stigma: Course: Challenging poverty stigma – learning hub (publichealthscotland.scot)