Category Archives: Community Capacity Building

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Young people, children & families

Working with Scotland’s Communities ‐ A survey of who does community learning and development (CLD) in Scotland – online survey now open

February 23, 2015 User deactivated Leave a comment

Working with Scotland’s communities is a national study to find out more about the diverse range of paid workers and volunteers that provide community learning and development across Scotland. The online survey aimed at the organisations that employ these workers and volunteers is now open until Friday 10 April.

We know that community learning and development approaches are used by workers and volunteers with a variety of job titles in a range of different organisations in the community, voluntary and public sectors.

We want to hear from as many of these organisations as possible to build a current national picture of how many workers and volunteers there are, what they do, and what their training and development issues are. Please be aware that we’re only looking for one response on behalf of each organisation or service.

The findings from the survey will be used to inform national community learning and development policy and planning.

Working with Scotland’s communities is being carried out by Education Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, with help and support from the following national partners – Youthlink Scotland; The Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC); The Workers Educational Association (WEA); The CLD Standards Council for Scotland; and CLD Managers Scotland.

For more information and to access the survey, please go to the Working with Scotland’s communities page on the Education Scotland website.

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Uncategorised

Adult Learning Statement of Ambition – Dundee Discussion

February 4, 2015 User deactivated Leave a comment

Adult Learning Statement of Ambition Implementation Planning

Education Scotland will be holding a stakeholder event as part of the National Conversation on the implementation of the Adult Learning Statement of Ambition. The event will consider priorities for implementation and how best to engage with learners on taking the Statement forward.

This event will be held in The Shore, Shore Terrace, Dundee DD1 3DN from 1.30 p.m.-3.30 p.m. on Wednesday 25^th February 2015.

If you would like to attend please complete this Survey Monkey

CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Primary, Professional Learning, Sciences, Skills, Social studies, Supporting Learners, Teacher Education, Young people, children & families

Scottish Learning Festival 2015 – Learning for Sustainability

February 3, 2015 User deactivated Leave a comment

The Scottish Learning Festival (SLF) 2015 will address the theme of raising attainment and achievement for all, with a focus on maximising educational outcomes through:

* local partnerships and collaboration – to share approaches that lead to better outcomes

* self-evaluation – to ensure creative and innovative approaches to sustained improvement

* work-related learning – to improve transitions into sustainable, productive employment.

Is your establishment delivering Learning for Sustainability (LfS) that you would like to showcase? Are you able to share your approaches to promoting local partnerships and collaboration? Would you be willing to help others make the connections between the different aspects of LfS; including global citizenship, sustainable development education, outdoor learning, international education, children’s rights and play?

If the answer to any (or all) of these questions is “Yes”, we would love to hear from you. Please consider submitting your seminar proposal by Friday 27^th February 2015.

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Young people, children & families

CLD conversation event – 30 January 2015

December 18, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Education Scotland and CLD Managers Scotland are hosting a CLD conversation event on passing power to people and communities.

Education Scotland has been hosting a series of conversation days over recent months looking at current areas of community learning and development (CLD) policy and practice. This conversation will discuss the increasing emphasis being placed on community empowerment by the Scottish Government and focus on the contributions that CLD can make to empowering communities. The day will be co-hosted with North Lanarkshire Council.

The aims of the conversation will be to:
• Share examples of CLD practice that contribute to community empowerment;
• Provide an opportunity for CLD providers to consider their own contributions to community
empowerment;
• Help to identify national priorities for workforce development and inform future policy
development on building stronger communities through CLD, and;
• Influence the agenda for future conversation sessions.

The day will consist of several short inputs from practitioners and plenty of time for discussions. This event is open to practitioners and managers from the voluntary and public sector who work in community learning and development. It is free of charge and a light lunch will be available.

There will be a limit on numbers so please reserve your place by registering online no later than Monday January 19th 2015.

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Uncategorised, Young people, children & families

The search is on for Scotland’s Youth Worker of the Year

November 6, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Youth workers and volunteers are being encouraged to nominate entries for YouthLink Scotland’s National Youth Worker of the Year Awards 2015. The awards will showcase the remarkable work that is being done across Scotland.

Nominations for each of the ten award categories are open now until Thursday 18 December. The winners will be announced and celebrated at the awards dinner in March 2015.

To find out more information about the National Youth Worker of the Year Awards 2015 and to download a nomination form, visit the YouthLink Scotland website

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Uncategorised

Launch of the Digitally Agile National Principles

November 6, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Launched on 5th November, the Digitally Agile National Principles, are a national framework of guiding principles for the use of digital technology and social media in Community Learning and Development (CLD).

These are a key output of the third phase of the Digitally Agile CLD project delivered by YouthLink Scotland, Scottish Community Development Centre and Learning Link Scotland, supported by Education Scotland.

They are intended to support CLD teams and organisations to create an empowering environment to use digital technologies and social media as part of their practice; effectively, safely and creatively. For more information visit, www.digitallyagilecld.org @DigitallyAgile

Community Capacity Building, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Professional Learning, Responsibility of All, Supporting Learners, Universal Support, Young people, children & families

Restorative Approaches National Conference

October 30, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Glasgow City Council would like to invite you to our first Restorative Approaches National Conference. This conference is for everyone working with children, young people and/or families. It will be of interest to those who are involved in relationship-based interventions, working with young people and adults to help resolve conflict, repair emotional harm and utilise reflective practice within schools and communities.

margaret1-273x300 — Click for Margs' Profile

We are delighted to bring Marg Thorsborne, a leading expert from Australia in the area of Restorative Approaches, to Glasgow. Marg will deliver keynote speeches over the course of three days. These will incorporate an overview and implementation of Restorative Approaches. She will also facilitate, through a series of workshops, how this practice can help promote and maintain positive relationships in our daily interactions with adults, children and young people.

We are delighted that Marg is spending most of her time in Scotland at this conference, in addition to her further training events with Education Scotland and other local authorities.

The conference in Glasgow will take place over three days, with each day having a particular focus.

Click here for the Conference flyer and booking form.

CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Mathematics, Outdoor Learning, Primary, Professional Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Skills, Social studies, Technologies, Young people, children & families

Free Community Resilience Conversation and Networking Event – Inverness October 7th

September 15, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Community Resilience Education – Free Conversation Day and Networking Event

09:30 (for 10:00 start) – 15:00, Tuesday 7th October 2014

Venue: Thistle Hotel, Millburn Road, Inverness, IV2 3TR

Education Scotland is excited to be hosting a second community resilience conversation and networking event with a view to developing a shared, partnership approach to provide 3-18 resilience education opportunities.

The day aims to bring together members of the Scottish Government, emergency planning and civil contingencies teams from local councils, representatives from local education authorities, and members of other key organisations to consider the potential of community resilience as a rich and exciting context for teaching and learning. Key contexts for focus include flooding, severe weather and pandemic flu and the impact they can have on communities and how we can take steps to mitigate against their impact through educating learners.

We would also like to extend this event invite to school representatives (members of management teams, or teachers who have been, or are interested in engaging in community resilience education) to explore how we can take forward resilience education. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Conversation activities will provide delegates with opportunities to network and engage in professional dialogue in relation to developing more resilient individuals, families and communities. Selected examples of good practice will be shared through engaging presentations delivered by Education Scotland, Scottish Government, local councils and schools.

All interested delegates should register online at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N2F3TWC to confirm attendance and inform us of any special dietary or access requirements you may have.

If you have any further questions or your school is/has been involved in community resilience projects or initiatives and you would be interested in presenting at the event to share your practice with others, please contact Jennifer Moore at: Jennifer.Moore@educationscotland.gov.uk

Adult Learning, CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Uncategorised, Young people, children & families

CLD regulations – 1 year to go

August 28, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

It is now one year to go until each local authority publishes a three year plan for community learning and development in its area, setting out how the local authority and its partners will:

• improve life chances for people of all ages through learning, personal development and active citizenship;
• develop stronger, more resilient, supportive, influential and inclusive communities.

As a hub of the community, schools have a key part to play in the lives of both young people and their families. You may already be involved in work locally with your community learning and development partners around The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013, which came into force last September. If not, we’d like to make you aware what is happening and encourage you to contact your local CLD partners for more information.
The CLD Regulations consist of two parts:

• a process to audit CLD needs, strengths and opportunities with communities and partners;
• a three year plan setting out what local authorities and their partners will do to meet needs, how they will co-ordinate their provision, and any CLD needs which will not be met during this period.

The first of these plans must be published by 1st September 2015. If you would like more information on the CLD Regulations, please go to the CLD pages of Education Scotland’s website or talk to your local CLD partners.

CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Skills, Social studies, Young people, children & families

Free Community Resilience Conversation and Networking Event

August 20, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Community Resilience Education – Free Conversation Day and Networking Event

09:30 (for 10:00 start) – 15:00, Tuesday 7^th October 2014

Venue: Thistle Hotel, Millburn Road, Inverness, IV2 3TR

We would also like to extend this event invite to school representatives (members of management teams, or teachers who have been, or are interested in engaging in community resilience education) to explore how we can take forward resilience education. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

All interested delegates should register online by Friday 29^th August 2014 at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N2F3TWC to confirm attendance and inform us of any special dietary or access requirements you may have.

Adult Learning, CfE, Community Capacity Building, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Literacy, Professional Learning, Research, Responsibility of All, Supporting Learners, Young people, children & families

Bookbug in the Home-Evaluation

August 18, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Blake Stevenson and consultant Dr Suzanne Zeedyk recently undertook a year- long evaluation of the Bookbug for the Home training, which aims to expand the reach of the Bookbug programme (this encourages families to read with their children from a young age) to vulnerable families and those living in deprived areas. Professionals who work in families’ homes, such as social workers, are provided with the knowledge and resources to introduce the principles of Bookbug Sessions – talking, singing, cuddling and book sharing. 1,145 professionals have been trained over the last two years and 800 more from 8 local authorities in Scotland are signed up to take part this year.There was a noted impact on professionals who undertook the training, with 99% saying it was relevant to their role and a good use of their time and 71% stating that it had positively impacted on their professional practice.

Researchers found that parents who took part in Bookbug for the Home had developed closer bonds with their children, and felt more equipped to play, interact and read with them, with the number of people reading daily with their children increasing from 41% to 78%, and the number of people singing or rhyming daily with their children increasing from 53% to 78%. This in turn has had a beneficial effect on children’s confidence, social skills, speech and language development and positively impacted on parent and child attachment, with 98% of the professionals who undertook the training noticing a positive impact on the families involved in the programme. To read more about this positive evaluation and to learn more about the Bookbug for the Home programme please see link below.

http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/learning/early-years-professionals/assertive-outreach-evaluation

Bookbug is run by Scottish Book Trust and funded by the Scottish Government.

Adult Learning, CfE, Classical languages, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Expressive Arts, Gaelic Learners, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Literacy and English, Literacy and Gàidhlig, Mathematics, Modern Languages, National Qualifications, Professional Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Social studies, Technologies, Young people, children & families

Become an inspection volunteer today

July 24, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Passionate about good care?

The Care Inspectorate is looking for people to help them carry out their work. They would like people with first-hand experience of care to help make sure care in Scotland continues to improve, by becoming an inspection volunteer. Inspection volunteers are members of the public who use a care service, have used a care service in the past or care for someone like a family member or friend who has used a care service.

Volunteers help the Care Inspectorate get the views of people using care services. They work closely with the Care Inspectorate’s teams of specialist inspectors and together they help spot where things need to improve, help keep people safe and ensure that the rights of people receiving care are respected and their needs met.

Interested?

To find out more please click the link below

http://www.scswis.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7731&Itemid=757

CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Health and wellbeing, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Senior Phase, Skills, Social studies, Young people, children & families

Learning for Sustainability – Professional Development Course (Friday 26th September 2014)

June 12, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

LfS Scotland, in partnership with the Moray House School of Education, is now taking bookings for our new Leadership for Sustainability professional development course – a one-day course for Head Teachers, Depute Head Teachers and Principal Teachers in primary or secondary schools, and local authority officers with a key role in supporting Learning for Sustainability.

This highly interactive programme will highlight simple steps that school leaders can take to develop an effective whole school approach to Learning for Sustainability. It will enable you to effectively plan for and implement Learning for Sustainability requirements in your school in ways that will significantly enhance the educational experience of your pupils. A free follow-up twilight course is available to provide the opportunity for continuing collaboration with colleagues and for sharing insights from critical self-evaluation, reflection and enquiry.

More information is available here and to book a place, please contact Morag Watson

CfE, Community Capacity Building, Mathematics, Research, Sciences, Skills

Welcome to ‘Clean Energy from the Sea’

March 26, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Welcome to ‘Clean Energy from the Sea’

The Sustainable Learning Partnership, in association with our partners The Crown Estate, welcomes teachers, school leaders, educational professionals and learners to this progressive, interdisciplinary learning and teaching resource – the first in a planned series – founded upon the principles and practices of 21st Century Learning and designed to help young learners prepare for life and active participation in a global society that is safe, just and sustainable.

CfE, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Senior Phase, Skills, Social studies, Technologies, Young people, children & families

Last Chance: Community Resilience Conversation and Networking event – Monday 17th March 2014 at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel. (09:30 for 10:00 start – 15:00)

March 12, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

There are still places available at Education Scotland’s Community Resilience Conversation and Networking Event on Monday 17^th March.

The day is aimed at members of the Scottish Government, emergency planning and civil contingencies teams from local councils, representatives from local education authorities, and members of other key organisations to consider community resilience as a rich and exciting context for teaching and learning.

Conversation activities will provide delegates with opportunities to network with one another and engage in professional dialogue in relation to preparing for emergencies and developing resilient communities. Selected examples of good practice will also be shared through engaging presentations delivered by government, local council and school representatives.

We would like to invite you to take part in the event at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel on the 17^th March 2014 to explore how we might take forward resilience education in schools and consider important developments in teaching and learning.

We would be grateful if you could register online at http://svy.mk/Mb8ZM7 by end of day Thursday 13^th March 2014 to confirm your attendance and inform us of any special dietary or access requirements you may have.

Adult Learning, CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Sciences, Young people, children & families

Small Steps-Big Changes- the Learning for Sustainability dimension of Community learning and Development

March 5, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

The Small Steps-Big Changes? Seminar on 27 February 2014, organised jointly by Education Scotland and Learning for Sustainability Scotland attracted over 60 participants from across Scotland interested in how those working in Community Learning and Development and those with sustainable development experience and expertise could work more closely together.

The seminar heard about learning for sustainability through Scottish Government policies, Education Scotland initiatives and local projects.

Aileen Campbell MSP, Minister for Children and Young People set out the policy context for this work. Ms Campbell highlighted the opportunities offered by the Children and Young People’s Bill, the National Youthwork Strategy, the CLD (Scotland) Regulations, the Community Empowerment Bill and the recent Adult Learning Statement of Ambition. She said that ‘Learning for Sustainability is a Scottish Government and international priority for every type of learning’.

Professor Pete Higgins, Professor of Outdoor and Environmental Education at the University of Edinburgh and Director of Learning for Sustainability Scotland said, ‘Through learning together we’ll ensure that people and communities in Scotland have opportunities to understand more about the sustainable development issues that concern them, and to use their learning to help them shape their future as members of a nation that takes these responsibilities and opportunities seriously’.

Learning for sustainability is not just about One Planet schools but also involves the wider community. The links with Curriculum for Excellence and communities were ably illustrated as were empowerment approaches in partnership with Malawi and through community development in Scotland.

The showcase sessions provided eight examples of learning for sustainability in action and stimulated lots of discussion. The presentations and filmed clips of the seminar will be made available through i-develop.

CfE, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Senior Phase, Skills, Social studies, Technologies, Young people, children & families

Community Resilience Education – Conversation Day and Networking Event – Mon 17th March 2014

March 4, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Time: 09:30 (for 10:00 start) – 15:00

Venue: Glasgow Hilton Hotel, William Street, Glasgow, G3 8HT

Education Scotland is excited to be hosting its first community resilience conversation and networking event with a view to developing a shared, partnership approach to provide 3-18 resilience education opportunities.

The day aims to bring together members of the Scottish Government, emergency planning and civil contingencies teams from local councils, representatives from local education authorities, and members of other key organisations to consider community resilience as a rich and exciting context for teaching and learning focusing on a range of contexts such as flooding and other forms of extreme weather and their impact on our lives.

We would like to invite you to take part in the event at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel on the 17^th March 2014 to explore how we might take forward resilience education and consider important developments in teaching and learning. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. There is no cost to attend.

We would be grateful if you could register online at http://svy.mk/Mb8ZM7 by Monday 10^th March 2014 to confirm your attendance and inform us of any special dietary or access requirements you may have.

Community Capacity Building, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning

Supporting Outdoor Learning in Secondary Schools

January 22, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

Supporting Outdoor Learning in Secondary Schools

When:            Saturday 1^st March
Where:           St Joseph’s Academy, Kilmarnock
Time:              9.30am – 4pm

In the revised GTCS Standards for Career Long Professional Learning teachers are required to “understand and develop the most appropriate contexts for learning including outdoor learning and be able to apply appropriate pedagogies for these environments”. This event aims to support this and build confidence and capacity in the delivery of outdoor learning in secondary schools in particular within Broad General Education (S1-S3).

Throughout the day participants will have the opportunity to attend a variety of practical outdoor workshops delivered by teachers and outdoor partners. These workshops will showcase outdoor learning approaches and will demonstrate how these have been incorporated into practice.

A market place at the event will allow practitioners to meet with outdoor partners and find out more about the range of resources available to further support outdoor learning.

This is a free event open to secondary teachers in Scotland – in particular those who are starting out on their outdoor learning journey and wish to develop their confidence in taking the curriculum outdoors. There is an expectation that those who attend this event will be willing to share their learning with colleagues in their establishment.

Registering for this event:

If you wish to attend this event please register online by Wednesday 19^th February @ https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VSCB9NP

Early registration is advised as this event is likely to be very popular. Workshop choices will be sent out mid-February.

If you would like further information about this event please contact:

Fiona Cruickshanks, Development Officer, Outdoor Learning Fiona.Cruickshanks@educationscotland.gov.uk

CfE, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Social studies, Young people, children & families

Climate Week 2014 – Countdown!

January 8, 2014 User deactivated Leave a comment

It’s time to start planning for Climate Week – eight weeks from now on 3-9 March 2014. It is Britain’s largest climate change campaign, with half a million people attending over 3,000 events each year.

Climate Week is about how people can live and work more sustainably, and you can run any kind of event or activity you wish. Here are some ideas:

Enter the Climate Week Challenge, a competition for small teams in schools and workplaces. It needs no preparation, is free and helps develop innovation and teamwork. There are one-hour and one-day versions – register here.

Enter the Climate Week Awards for professional achievement that is helping to create a more sustainable society – click here to find out more. Deadline – February 14th 2014.

Run a Climate Week Swap event at which people can exchange clothes, books or children’s toys they don’t want any more – find out more here.

Please remember to register your events and activities with Climate Week – they will then be listed as an official part of Climate Week, encouraging others to take part and so growing the movement for environmental change.

Power cuts and flooding after gales hit west coast. Are you Ready for Emergencies?

December 19, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

Severe weather has caused disruption through utility failures and signifiant flooding in various areas throughout Scotland.

Winds of up to 90 mph hit parts of the country last night causing power cuts, rough seas and heavy swells. Those regions partcularly badly affected include Glasgow, Aberdeen, the Western Isles, Shetland, Orkney and Dumfries and Galloway among others.

For further details go to: http://bbc.in/1klW9Yb

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has been issuing regular flood warnings urging the public to take immediate action against the predicted flooding.

The ‘Ready for Emergencies’ website contains free teaching resources to help young people and their local commuitites to prepare and cope in extreme weather situations like these. For severe weather learning journeys go to: http://bit.ly/1gmTEml

Make sure you are signed up for SEPA’s free flood alert service. Register at: http://bit.ly/1cCJ2uB

Scottish Water – Play safe around water this winter!

November 27, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

Scottish Water is reminding teachers and learners of the importance of playing safe this winter.

In recent years Scotland has witnessed some of the coldest winters for generations, so there’s no telling what the coming weeks may bring. Scottish Water is advising customers that they should remain vigilant and should not take any risks around freezing cold watercourses.

While it’s important that youngsters enjoy their school holidays and that people across Scotland take pleasure in the country’s beautiful lochs, rivers and reservoirs, it is also vital that they stay safe. Latest figures show 22 people died accidentally or from natural causes around water in Scotland last winter, but there are easy ways to prevent tragedies, and equipping yourself with the knowledge of what to do in an emergency can save a life.

For further details of Scottish Water’s recent release and advice on how to stay safe around water this winter, go to: http://bit.ly/1b4agsG

Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Sciences, Social studies, Young people, children & families

Climate Change in Scotland – Reflecting on Typhoon Haiyan and the impact of global climate change

November 25, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

The number of people confirmed dead in the Philippines from Typhoon Haiyan now stands at in excess of 4000, and a further 4 million people have been forced to leave their homes since the storm hit.

At a recent conference at the Royal Society in central London, the Prince of Wales claimed that the typhoon is a ‘direct result’ of climate change and that ‘the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events has increased, and is set to increase even further’.

In the face of global warming and it’s possible impact closer to home, Scotland has set world-leading greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, and has plans in place for how to reduce further by 42% by 2020.

Adaptation Scotland provides advice and support to help ensure that Scotland is prepared for, and resilient to, the impacts of climate change. Find details of key messages, climate information and adaptation suggestions in light of climate change in Scotland.

Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Social studies, Technologies, Young people, children & families

Reminder – Make your booking today! Free interactive urban flood model visits and workshops.

November 18, 2013 User deactivated 1 Comment

Not to be missed! Heriot Watt University still have availability for schools interested in receiving a visit from the interactive flood model and flood experts.

For a flavour of what you can expect, see the flood model in action at: http://bit.ly/1dNfNIa

What is it?

An interactive, free workshop has been developed to explain the processes involved with urban flooding and flood prevention. It also introduces the concept of community resilience and the role that individuals can play in protecting themselves and their neighbours.

The main element of the workshop is an interactive physical model, representing a typical town with a river, houses, shops, industrial units, roads and parks. The model simulates rainfall, with water being fed to sprinklers and the river via a system of pumps. Workshop participants are able to change certain elements of the urban fabric to help reduce the severity of flooding.

Is it any good?

Since 2009, over 5000 people have participated in the workshop, most of whom were young people. Independent evaluation of the workshop “…yielded strong evidence for the learning that took place during audiences’ interaction with the project”.

Work with the Scottish Government and SEPA has supported on-going flood risk awareness raising, and again the feedback has been very positive.

Can it come to my school?

Sure. The Scottish Government have commissioned Heriot-Watt University to take the workshop to Scottish schools in 2013/14.

We can visit you to run our interactive workshop for your pupils for free; all you have to do is provide us with some space to run the workshop and some interested children. We will also leave you with a follow up lesson plan to reinforce some of the key workshop messages

Contact Grant Wright to arrange a visit (Tel: 0131 4518261, Email: g.b.wright@Hw.ac.uk)

For more information go to http://urbanfloodmodel.wordpress.com/

Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Outdoor Learning, Technologies

Free SEPA flood alerts to your phone.

November 14, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

SEPA can provide free flood alerts to your home or school.

To sign up to the Floodline direct warning service you will need to have the postcode for the property that you wish to receive flood messages for.

SEPA can provide two different types of warning messages depending on your property location. When you enter your postcode, the system will check and confirm which warning service is available for your area.

If your school/property is within an area covered by a SEPA flood monitoring system, you will be able to sign up to receive a targeted Flood Warning message for your local area;
If your school/property is not within a Warning target area, you can sign up to receive a more general Flood Alert message for the wider geographical area, usually representing Local Authority boundaries.

For more information on Flood Alert and Flood Warning areas please click here.

To register your post code for flood alerts go to: http://bit.ly/1hIkOHK

If you would like to register more than one property address, or you require any further assistance in registering, please call Floodline on 0845 988 1188 for more information.

CfE, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Social studies, Technologies

FREE to your school!! Urban Flooding Model Workshops

November 13, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

What is it?

Is it any good?

Work with the Scottish Government and SEPA has supported on-going flood risk awareness raising, and again the feedback has been very positive.

Can it come to my school?

Sure. The Scottish Government have commissioned Heriot-Watt University to take the workshop to Scottish schools in 2013/14.

Contact Grant Wright to arrange a visit (Tel: 0131 4518261, Email: g.b.wright@Hw.ac.uk)

For more information go to http://urbanfloodmodel.wordpress.com/

CfE, Community Capacity Building, Sciences

Sciences Conversation Day 3

November 5, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

Delegates attending our third conversation day at Millburn Academy were asked to reflect on the findings of Education Scotland’s Sciences 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report and, through group discussion, identify what they saw as the key priorities for action.

Priority areas for action

The priorities below are listed in order of prevalence. Those mentioned more frequently in group responses appear closest to the top of the list.

Cluster approach – Local cluster science improvement plans should be developed – early years/primary/secondary school links, including links with further and higher education institutions, should be further developed to allow staff access to specialist equipment and expertise and to facilitate dialogue between practitioners.
Primary science – There is a lack of specialist knowledge in primary schools. There is a need to increase access to and quantity of science learning pre-secondary by building confidence of primary practitioners. Science should be made explicit in primary schools – not just taught through interdisciplinary learning. There is a role for science champions in primary.
Transitions between early years, primary and secondary and into work/FE/HE need to be improved. There should be planned progression through increased dialogue within and between centres and clear maps of learning and contexts.
Leadership for sciences within schools at every level, including learners, should be developed to ensure support is in place and to facilitate good communication.
Pupil voice should be strengthened at departmental and whole school level – the experiences of learners, and their involvement in decision-making, can be used to drive improvement. There is a need to develop a culture of talking to learners and including them in evaluation of learning. Facilitation of informal feedback should be encouraged and programmes of learning should be explained to learners.
Better and more accessible links with industry, including STEM ambassadors, are required – it is essential to secure the involvement of people with real experience of STEM subjects. A coherent approach, and mapping process, is required to pull together different agencies and employers to ensure support structures are in place and to make young people aware of job opportunities.
Learning and teaching in sciences needs to be dynamic and up to date so that learners understand the relevance and applications of their learning. More outdoor learning and interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary learning (IDL) should be encouraged to put science into context. There should be consistency in terms of the provision of high quality learning and teaching in sciences.
Increased opportunities for science related career-long professional development, including through initial teacher education, should be made available to develop enthusiastic, confident and skilled practitioners who employ effective teaching strategies.
Resources – Practitioners need to know about the resources out there. Funding to local authorities and partner agencies should be prioritised to ensure all centres are well equipped. Effective dissemination of available resources is required including online resources, outdoor spaces for learning etc. Education Scotland should consider developing a resource bank with download log and feedback.
Practitioners would benefit from increased sharing of good practice at all stages.
Skills – There is a need to improve knowledge and expectations in terms of wider skills development.
Science a priority – Raising the awareness of education leaders, directors of education, head teachers, councillors of the importance of science is necessary. They should all recognise that science and STEM is a priority.

Education Scotland is keen to hear your views. Click on the title of this blog post to leave a comment.

Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Young people, children & families

SUSTRANS in Scotland

October 30, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

SUSTRANS works with communities across Scotland to help people improve their local areas through a number of exciting and innovative projectshttp://bit.ly/Hpu9Um

Possible projects include:

Re-designing streets to create liveable spaces outside front doors.
Creating important links that connect people to the places they want to get to by car and bike.
A grant programme making Scottish Government funding available to local authorities for the creation of cycling infrastructure in Scotland – including links to schools.

Sustrans Scotland also has 120 expert officers working across Scotland to encourage young people to get active through cycling. Further details of their work with schools can be found at: http://bit.ly/16JKw9U

Further online resources are also available:

Bike to school week: http://bit.ly/1itpMmF
Suss it out – 10, 20 and 30 minute simple and snappy activities to inspire action and discussion on active travel: http://bit.ly/199Q24n
Big Street Survey – a curriculum resource where young people study the area around their school to identify the good and the bad, and draw up a manifesto for change and deliver it to local and national decision-makers:http://bit.ly/1adklmX
Moving up – A guide for those working with 11 – 18 year olds, setting out how best to promote active travel at secondary schools: http://bit.ly/1aH8xNW

Adult Learning, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Young people, children & families

Developing school play times to support the curriculum and nurture happy, healthy children: new Free CPD Resource launched

October 23, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

In recent years, a number of Scottish primary schools have developed innovative approaches to enabling child-led outdoor play in morning and lunchtime breaks.

This new training resource has been created with support from Education Scotland to share the learning from these schools. Its aim is to demonstrate how outdoor play in schools can support the curriculum and nurture happy, healthy children and to share practical, tested ideas and approaches to providing richer play experiences in primary schools.

This resource has 11 sections, each of which is based around a short film with accompanying discussion questions and links to useful online resources. It’s designed for anyone who is interested in pupil health and wellbeing but will be of particular relevance to playground support staff. In each film clip you’ll hear from support staff about why they have developed these new approaches and how they deal with the various practical issues that arise.

The films are on the Education Scotland website while further support is available at www.ltl.org.uk/playtimerevolution.

Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Social studies, Technologies, Young people, children & families

Ready for Winter 2013/2014 – Are You Ready?

October 10, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

The 2013/2014 ‘Ready for Winter’ campaign will be launched by the Scottish Government on the 21^st October. Key messages for this year include: ‘Thinking Ahead’ and ‘Taking an Hour’ to prepare for severe winter weather in the community, at home, on the move and in the workplace. With the clocks moving back one hour on the 27^th of October, let’s use this extra time pro-actively! Education Scotland are therefore working in partnership with the Scottish Government to ensure that Scottish schools are as ready as possible for winter.

To promote the launch of ‘Ready for Winter’ and its rich links to resilience education, teachers are being asked to run health and wellbeing sessions (21^st to 25^th October) ranging from simple class lessons to larger projects. Web links and free downloadable activities will soon be made available for schools to access from Education Scotland’s ‘Ready for Emergencies’ website http://bit.ly/GJ8CWz

Further details and links to activities will follow shortly. In the meantime, general information about ‘Ready for Winter’ and resilience education can be found at http://bit.ly/1gmTEml and http://bit.ly/1aiEZnp

CfE, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Social studies, Young people, children & families

Ready for Emergencies? – Resilience Education Web Resource

October 10, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

Have you ever been affected by difficulties such as severe winter weather, flooding, utilities failures or pandemics (amongst others)? What would you do if you were? Would you know how to cope in an emergency situation and what procedures to follow? How could you ensure that you and your community were fully prepared for times of crisis?

The ‘Ready for Emergencies’ website provides information on all of the above and is a valuable resilience education resource to help develop resilient attitudes and pro-active strategies among young people to prevent and deal with emergency situations.

The site contains a wide range of links to free downloadable teaching and learning materials http://bit.ly/1gmTEml including learning journeys, challenges and media files covering numerous real-life emergency contexts linked to the experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence.

For further details – visit: http://bit.ly/GJ8CWz

CfE, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Technologies

Scottish Water – Science/Resilience Education Resources and Volunteer Programme

October 10, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

The Scottish Water organisation provides a range of educational resources through their website http://bit.ly/GKSF1Z These include:

Scottish Water Volunteer Programme – Launched in Spring 2011, Scottish Water has a team of enthusiastic volunteers located across different locations in Scotland to deliver a range of talks and presentations to schools and organisations. http://bit.ly/1bGKYYB The programme is highly rated and praised by local communities who have benefited from its input to date.

Teaching and Learning Modules – Recently developed teachng ideas in relation to experiences and outcomes from Early to Fourth level of CfE, covering topics ranging from water safety to climate change and pollution. http://bit.ly/1gpAJaG

All About Water Factfiles – Teaching notes to help practitioners deliver learning around water themes. These contain useful links to other relevant websites, downloadable posters and other resources to enhance practice. http://bit.ly/18Otp4m

Discover More Section – Further edcuational resources including water films and links to the Water Ways exhibit at the Glasgow Science Centre.

Partnership Work with Go Safe Scotland

Scottish Water has also been recently working in partnership with Glasgow City Council and Go Safe Scotland to launch an education programme and resources in conjunction with members of the emergencies services. Find out more at http://bit.ly/1bYDRaH

Additional Support for Learning, Community Capacity Building, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Literacy, MCMC/16+LC, Outdoor Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Social studies, Universal Support, Young people, children & families

Royal Horticultural Society – The Edible School Garden

October 1, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

Royal Horticultural Society

The Edible School Garden
Dumfries House, KA18 2NJ – Tuesday 19th November 2013, 10 am – 3 pm

Kilbarchan Primary School, PA10 2LA Thursday 28th November 2013, 10 am – 3 pm
To give teachers of all age groups the skills to confidently grow and manage a simple productive garden throughout the year. To ensure that produce is used in tasting, cooking and enterprise activities. Every school should be a food growing school.
Objectives
At the end of this course you will:
a) Have the knowledge and skills to sow and grow the RHS top 14 fruits, vegetables and herbs for the school garden, to provide a range of fresh, healthy produce throughout the school year
b) Get hints and tips on tasting and cooking with the produce, outside in the garden and in the school canteen
c) Know how to add value to your produce through correct harvesting and storage, preserving and other simple enterprise ideas.
Experience: Suitable for beginners and those with some experience.
CPD Provider

Angela Smith
angelasmith@rhs.org.uk

RHS Development Officer for Scotland

Assessment, CfE, Community Capacity Building, Languages, Literacy, Literacy and English, Young people, children & families

Edinburgh International Book Festival / SottishPower – Calling All Writers Of The Future

September 20, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

A search is on to find the school with the most creative minds.

The annual Story Generator competition is a national writing competition which invites young people across Scotland to collaborate and create their own stories.

This year, budding young writers from S1 and S2 are being asked to create a digital picture book about what life might be like in the future, using the first line of the George Orwell classic, 1984, as their inspiration: ‘It was a bright, cold day in April…’

The school that has written the best book will win a collection of books from the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with a printed copy of their Storybird online book included. The Pupil who devises the best page wins a Kindle which will come loaded with their own online book.

To find out more and to register your school, visit www.storybird.com/scottishpower

Community Capacity Building, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Young people, children & families

Scotland’s Nature Festival

May 20, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

Scotland’s Nature Festival (formerly Biodiversity Week) is organised by Scottish Natural Heritage and other strong partners in environment and forestry, outdoor learning and play to highlight and celebrate Scotland’s natural landscape, areas of wild beauty and city greenspaces. This year’s theme is ‘Love Life, Love Nature’ and aims to inspire fun, adventurous and positive engagement with nature as a way to promote biodiversity, sustainability, enjoyment and well-being.

The .pdf below lists a collection of resources, with weblinks for celebration activities and nature based experiences suitable for all ages.

2020 Scotland’s Nature Festival

Also included below is a presentation on the top ten reasons why Scottish teachers say they love leading learning in the outdoors – why not choose one to explore in a nature-based action learning project? Love life, love nature and enjoy celebrating!

Dalkeith Top Ten Reasons to Love OL

CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Sciences, Social studies, Young people, children & families

Mission:Explore celebrates John Muir with launch of a new ebook

April 21, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

A partnership between the John Muir Trust and Mission:Explore – a group of teachers, artists, activists and adventurers – has launched a free ebook to introduce the great explorer, naturalist, writer, mountaineer and conservationist to a new audience.

Supported by Scottish Natural Heritage, Mission:Explore – John Muir, features a range of activities that reflect the adventures and ethos of the Victorian Scot, whose 175th birthday will be celebrated this month in his adopted homeland the USA as well as in the land of his birth.

It encourages people of all ages – including groups and families – to follow in the footsteps of Muir by taking part in an imaginative set of ‘missions’, which involve looking, touching, walking, exploring, thinking, and even dancing in wild nature wherever they find it.

Suggested activities range from observing how frogs swim to getting windswept, creating a mini-National Park, and staring at the stars.

The book launch ties in perfectly with Year of Natural Scotland 2013 and its theme of celebrating John Muir. There is already interest across the UK and in America.

Your ebook is free to download from Mission:Explore and John Muir Award web pages, and can be used on smart phones, laptops and tablets, or printed off and read in the old-fashioned way.

Link to John Muir Award launch page – http://www.jmt.org/jmaward-mission-explore-john-muir.asp
Link to Mission:Explore launch page – http://www.missionexplore.net/shop

Daniel Raven-Ellison, Guerilla Geographer at Mission:Explore, said: “Mission:Explore and the John Muir Award have much in common. We’re both all about discovering, exploring, conserving and sharing, so making this book together made perfect sense.

“We had a great time making it and we’re sure that our readers will have an even better time doing each of the quirky adventures inside. Good luck!”

“These missions are great, you can really see the spark they’ve generated with teachers.” Carol Walker, South Lanarkshire Outdoor Learning Development Officer

Featuring 20 activities that reflect the adventures and ethos of the Victorian Scot, you can access the free Mission:Explore John Muir eBook or PDF in a number of ways:

• eBook – on-line with Graphicly http://graphicly.com/mission-explore/mission-explore-john-muir/john-muir
• eBook for iPhone or iPad – via ‘Mission Explore John Muir’ in iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/mission-explore-john-muir/id627660952?mt=11
• eBook from Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=The%20Geography%20Collective&search-alias=books-uk&sort=relevancerank
• Printable PDF version (5.3MB) from http://www.jmt.org/jmaward-mission-explore-john-muir.asp

Find hundreds of other missions on the Mission:Explore website http://www.missionexplore.net

About Mission:Explore

• Mission:Explore is a collection of books created by the Geography Collective, a unique team of over 25 geographers, teachers, educators and artists who work together to help young people explore and see the world in new ways. It makes books full of illustrated challenges that aim to make children a little more confident, happy, empathetic and knowledgeable.They think that learning in the real world, in real places and about real issues are vital to any childhood.

• Mission:Explore has won awards including National Trust & Hay Festival Outdoor Book of the Year 2011, and a Pink Stinks approved stamp for being gender neutral.

About Year of Natural Scotland 2013

• The Year of Natural Scotland 2013 is the latest in a series of themed years for the Scottish Government. It aims to highlight Scotland’s stunning natural beauty and biodiversity, and promote opportunities for visitors and residents to enjoy our beautiful landscapes, wildlife and heritage responsibly. http://www.snh.gov.uk/enjoying-the-outdoors/year-of-natural-scotland-2013

About The John Muir Trust

The John Muir Trust is the leading wild land conservation charity in the United Kingdom, with a membership of around 10,000.

We seek to ensure that wild land is protected and enhanced, and that wild places are valued by and for everyone.

The Trust does this by:
• Owning and managing wild land for conservation
• Assisting others in wild land management
• Campaigning for the long-term legal protection of wild land
• Encouraging people to connect with and care for wild places through the John Muir Award and volunteer conservation programmes.

We take our name and inspiration from John Muir (1838-1914), the pioneering, influential Scots-born American conservationist who dedicated his life to protecting wild places and campaigned successfully for the establishment of National Parks to safeguard vast tracts of wild land, including Yosemite Valley in California.

CLD, Community Capacity Building, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Young people, children & families

The National Play Strategy – Consultation with Children & Young People

March 26, 2013 User deactivated Leave a comment

The Scottish Government want Scotland to be the best place in the world to grow up. Making sure that children and young people are able to take up their right to play is an important part of this. The Scottish Government is writing the strategy to make sure that people know about children and young people’s right to play and understand why it is important.
The views of children and young people are important and the Scottish Government would like to know what they think.

If you are a child or young person you can help by filling in an online survey, either as an individual or as a group. The group could be a group of friends, a class at school, a football or hockey team, your Scout or Girls Brigade Group – it is up to you.
If you are a parent or carer of a child or young person who is not able to complete the survey by themselves, you can help by recording their responses for them.
If you work with groups of children or young people, in whatever setting, please help by gathering their views with one of our group surveys.

Just choose the link that is right for you:
For individual 3-5 year olds
For groups of 3-5 year olds
For individual children and young people of primary school age
For groups of children and young people of primary school age
For individuals aged 12 – 18 years
For groups of 12-18 year olds

If you want to print out a PDF of the survey to take along to your group you can download the group surveys here:
NPS Group Survey – 3 to 5
NPS Group Survey – Primary
NPS Group Survey – 12 to 18

Printed copies should be returned to National Play Strategy Consultation, Education Scotland, The Optima, 58 Robertson Street, Glasgow, G2 8DU or emailed to enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk. Please note that the closing date has now been extended to the 23rd April.

Community Capacity Building, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Young people, children & families

Wise Up Wednesday: Go2Play Capacity Building Fund

February 20, 2013 User deactivated 2 Comments

Inspiring Scotland’s Go2Play Capacity Building fund is a small fund, looking to support innovative and exciting people within the play sector who, with tailored capacity building support, could turn great ideas from a concept into a reality, positively impacting upon the lives of children and supporting the development of play in Scotland.

The Capacity Building fund aims to support individuals within Scottish charities who are bursting with enthusiasm and potential, and who recognise the tremendous contribution play makes to children’s lives. The fund provides support to develop great ideas which utilise play, free play in particular, to enhance the wellbeing of Scotland’s children. Go2Play are particularly interested in looking at proposals which have ideas around the following areas:

supporting parents and young carers through the delivery of play;
using play as a health improvement tool and working within the health sector;
exploring how play can support children with additional support needs;
supporting children’s transitions through play; and
using play to enhance children’s physical activity.

The next deadline date is Friday 1st March 2013. You can find out more about Go2Play and the capacity building fund here.

CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Early Years, Expressive Arts, Health and wellbeing, Languages, Mathematics, National Qualifications, Outdoor Learning, Research, Responsibility of All, RME, Sciences, Senior Phase, Social studies, Supporting Learners, Technologies, Young people, children & families

Learning for Sustainability – report published

December 17, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

Learning for Sustainability – the report of the One Planet Schools Working Group, was published 17 December 2012.

The report includes strategic recommendations to support the development of coherent whole school approaches to ensure that learning for sustainability, global citizenship and outdoor learning are experienced in a transformative way by every learner in every school across Scotland. The report includes a number of recommendations relating to career-long professional learning and initial teacher education and advocates genuine partnerships with local communities and action to improve the sustainability of the school estate. A key ambition of the report is to provide an agenda for strategic change that will create an enabling framework, remove barriers, and build on existing excellent practice.

Dr Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages said:
“I welcome the publication of Learning for Sustainability and would like to thank the Working Group for their work and commitment to producing the report and recommendations. As we approach the Year of Natural Scotland in 2013, the report reminds us of the importance of learning which connects young people to local and global issues, an integral part of Curriculum for Excellence.

“A wide range of actions have been taken as part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and we welcome steps to encourage and support schools in their approach to sustainability and global citizenship, including through outdoor learning.

“We will take time to consider the report, to engage with partners on its recommendations and respond in full in March 2013.”

The report can be downloaded from:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/curriculum/ACE/OnePlanetSchools

See the associated Engage in Education blog from Professor Pete Higgins, Chair of the One Planet Schools Working Group: http://engageforeducation.org/news/learning-for-sustainability/

CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Literacy, National Qualifications, Religious and Moral Education, Religious Education in Roman Catholic schools, RME, Senior Phase, Social studies

Testimony (RME)

September 26, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

Testimony is Education Scotland’s new high quality resource to support learning and teaching in religious and moral education. It has been designed for use by both staff and senior phase pupils.

Testimony illustrates how faith, belief and values can influence how a person acts. It includes examples of religious and non-religious standpoints to show how people from around the world and in Scotland have been influenced by faith. The material includes the personal testimonies of some well-known individuals alongside the stories of ordinary members of faith communities.

It can be used to support learning within the new SQA award in Religion, Belief and Values and also supports the development of skills for learning, life and work.

Scott Duncan, Education Scotland’s RME Development Officer, was interviewed at this year’s Scottish Learning Festival about the Testimony resource – listen to a recording of the interview.

Find out more by visiting the Testimony web resource.

CLD, Community Capacity Building, Literacy, National Qualifications, Religious and Moral Education, Religious Education in Roman Catholic schools, RME, Senior Phase, Social studies

I Speak for Myself

September 26, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

At Amina MWRC we are passionate about empowering and inspiring women, spreading knowledge of women’s rights and promoting positive images of Muslim women. Last year 19 secondary schools across Scotland were visited to allow young people the opportunity to discuss Islam and Muslims. Staggeringly over 70% of secondary school young people associated words such as “Terrorist”, “Foreign”, “Oppressed” and “Uneducated” to Muslim women.

Responding to this, ‘I Speak for Myself’ was born.

From November 2011 until February 2012 we have engaged with over 300 Muslim women from Dumfries and Galloway to Elgin and all the major cities and towns in between. For more information about our Roadshow click here.

September 2012 will see the launch of our national campaign ‘I Speak for Myself’ at the Scottish Parliament. The campaign will exhibit over a hundred of the messages captured during our roadshow and aims to tackle misconceptions and common stereotypes about Muslim women, thus reducing inequality and sexual discrimination not only within the Muslim community but also in the wider society.

http://www.ispeakformyself.co.uk/

Additional Support for Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, MCMC/16+LC, Responsibility of All, Supporting Learners, Universal Support, Young people, children & families

Inquiry into decision-making on taking children into care

July 11, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

Education and Culture Committee of the Scottish Parliament is holding an inquiry into the decision-making processes involved in determining whether a child should be removed from the family home and taken into care; and whether these processes are delivering the best outcomes for children and their families.

The Committee is interested in undertaking informal fact-finding visits as part of the evidence-gathering process. Please contact ec.committee@scottish.parliament.uk if you are interested in hosting one of these visits.

Deadline for written evidence: 28 August 2012

Website

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, MCMC/16+LC, Young people, children & families

Community Learning and Development: Strategic Guidance for Community Planning Partnerships

June 21, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

The CLD strategic guidance was launched on Monday 11 June on the Engage for Education website. Watch the video blog by Michael Russell, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.

Throughout the week of the 11th June there was a series of themed blog discussions covering areas such as: the impact of CLD and how the Guidance will support this work, Curriculum for Excellence, community engagement and empowerment, young people’s transitions from school and the implementation phase of the Guidance.

Following the initial launch, further discussion about the Guidance will take place on our Strategic Guidance Blog on Connect.

Adult Learning, CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

Launch of Community Learning and Development: Strategic Guidance for Community Planning Partnerships

June 11, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

On Monday 11th June the above guidance was launched on the Engage for Education website.

Michael Russell, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, will kick-off a weeklong event via video blog – make sure you visit the Engage for Education website to join in the discussion.

Throughout the week of the 11th June there will be a series of themed blog discussions covering areas such as: the impact of CLD and how the Guidance will support this work, Curriculum for Excellence, community engagement & empowerment, young people’s transitions from school and the implementation phase of the Guidance

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

Community Empowerment

June 6, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

Local Government Minister Derek Mackay will launch a consultation on a proposed bill which will consider ideas to give more control to Scotland’s communities. Responses to the consultation will help shape the proposed Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill.

Ideas being considered include greater community involvement in making decisions on local budgets, helping public sector organisations identify the needs and priorities in an area and target budgets more effectively, an idea first piloted in Brazil and in a number of European cities.

The consultation also includes ideas on making it easier for community organisations to get involved in designing and delivering public services and challenging public authorities if they feel an area of public service delivery is not being run effectively and does not genuinely meet their needs.

The consultation also explores how existing legislation can be better used to let local authority and housing authority tenants take on management of their own housing, and whether existing allotments legislation should be amended to better support communities taking forward grow-your-own projects.

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

Understanding Social Enterprise Programme (Perth)

May 30, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

The CLD Standards Council, in partnership with the Scottish Social Enterprise Academy, is offering a free two day Understanding Social Enterprise programme to CLD practitioners who work directly with young people in Scotland. The event will take place in Perth on 20th and 21st June 2012. The programme will introduce the concept of social enterprise, the challenges faced by enterprises and assess the future for this dynamic and emerging business model.This learning programme also offers an opportunity for participants to gain an Institute of Leadership and Management Award in Understanding Social Enterprise qualification (6 credits at SCQF level 8). Participants who wish to opt in for the qualification will be required to complete an assessed written report and to meet an ILM Registration and Qualification Fee of £82.00.

The booking form and programme can be downloaded here

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

LEAP Online

May 30, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

SCDC is pleased to announce the launch of a brand new software package to support participatory, outcome focused planning and evaluation.

LEAP – Learning Evaluation and Planning is a values based approach to planning and evaluating work with communities and is now available as an online software application. The user friendly online version encourages users to ask critical questions about their project or programme, and it is designed to support joint working by allowing access to shared project aims and reports among various partners and stakeholders.

Download the LEAP online flyer for more information.

Contact: SCDC, phone: 0141 248 1924 [ e-mail | website ]

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

Credit Ratings of Programmes Within the Community Learning and Development Sector

May 30, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

Invitation to Submit Proposals

Over the last two years The SCQFP made funding available to a range of organisations that supported the wider achievement of young people. This resulted in seven programmes being credit rated onto the Framework. Now that these have been allocated an SCQF level and credit points it allows them to be compared with other Scottish qualifications.

This year the SCQFP, with funding from the Scottish Government, would like to start a project to run over three years to enable a number of CLD learning programmes to be credit rated onto the Framework. SCQFP is looking for organisations to submit bids to have their learning programmes credit rated, during this financial year.

In addition, a number of other CLD organisations could be supported to develop their learning programmes into the structure required for credit rating with a view to submitting them in the next stage of this project if funding is continued from Scottish Government during 2013-14.

The Closing date for receipt of submissions is Thursday 21 June 2012.

More information is available here.

Download the CLD Credit Rating Project application form here.

Adult Learning, CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

Live UnLtd – Summer of Social Action Campaign

May 1, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

Live UnLtd support young people to run inter-generational projects, start sports, arts, environmental and community projects; projects to address bullying, isolation and much more. Some of their award winners start their own sustainable social enterprises. All projects and enterprises are run by young people themselves (those under 18 need an adviser who can be a teacher, youth worker, parent or similar). For examples of projects please see here.

Individuals or small informal groups leading their own idea can apply. Applicants must be aged 11-21 and live in the UK. Applications cannot be made on behalf of organisations such as youth clubs or schools.

Applications must:

Show how the project will have a positive social impact on the applicant’s community;
Have identified a problem and show ho the project will tackle the problem;
Tell Live UnLtd what specific activities the project/enterprise includes and what it hopes to achieve;
Show how the project provides a learning experience for the applicant.

Receiving an award allows individuals to use their creativity and learning a hands-on way which may enhance their CVs. They can also help erase the negative stereotypes associated with ‘youth culture’ in the media today while making their world a better place.

What can they apply for? The costs of running projects. For example: venue hire, equipment costs, marketing materials, travel and volunteering expenses.

Eleven to 15 year olds can apply for up to £500 and 16-21 year olds can apply for up to £5,000. Award winners also receive the support of a Development Manager.

The deadline for applications is 31 May 2012.

Contact: Gina Headden at Live UnLtd in Scotland, Tel: 0131 220 0511 [ e-mail | website ]

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

New resource site launched for CLD practitioners

April 30, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

The CLD Standards Council has developed a web-based framework to support creative and innovative learning and development for CLD practitioners. i-develop is part of the Standards Council CPD Strategy, “A Learning Culture for the Community Learning and Development Sector in Scotland”, and is based on the values, principles, skills and competences they need as communities, individuals and employers.

The Framework integrates the theories and practices that help shape effective CPD for the CLD sector, such as peer sharing, communities of practice, learning journeys and reflection-in-action in order to shape a learning community of practitioners across CLD. i-develop is free to access and open to all CLD practitioners – full time staff, part time and sessional workers, volunteers, activists, students, managers, leaders, new hands and those more experienced.

The CLD Standards Council is now looking for local champions to promote i-develop to colleagues, partners and networks in their area. If you are interested in becoming a champion, please contact Alan Milson.

CLD, Community Capacity Building, Health and wellbeing

Community-led health case studies

April 30, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

3 new case studies of community-led health have been developed by CHEX. These outline the process by which community-led approaches to health lead to better health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals. They can be downloaded by clicking on the following links:

Read more about the Community-led health for all resource here.

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

National Training and Development Network for Community Learning and Development

April 24, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

The next network meeting event is on Thursday 3 May at the Stirling Management Centre .

The purpose of the network is to provide a platform whereby those who are responsible for developing CPD within the context of CLD in Scotland, can be actively involved in developing a sustainable learning culture. This will contribute to the CPD framework that is currently under development to support the CPD Strategy for the sector.

We would like to invite you to register your interest in this open network to:

Ensure we have a consistent representation from across partnerships and the 3^rd sector.
To gain an overview of the resource we develop through the network to encourage a culture of learning and sharing experience and resources.
To establish a picture of what members are looking for to support their role in developing CPD within their role in CLD

To register please click on the link also attached is a draft programme.

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

National Training and Development Network for CLD

April 3, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

We would like to invite you to the next National Training and Development network event at the Stirling Management Centre on Thursday 3 May. Up to this point a small group has been involved in planning the purpose and focus for the network. The purpose of the network is to provide a platform whereby those who are responsible for developing CPD within the context of CLD in Scotland, can be actively involved in developing a sustainable learning culture. This will contribute to the CPD framework that is currently under development to support the CPD Strategy for the sector.

We would like to invite you to register your interest in this open network to:

Ensure we have a consistent representation from across partnerships and the 3^rd sector.
To gain an overview of the resource we develop through the network to encourage a culture of learning and sharing experience and resources.
To establish a picture of what members are looking for to support their role in developing CPD within their role in CLD

For more information contact Mandy Toogood, Development Officer Upskilling mandy.toogood@educationscotland.gov.uk or Neil McIntosh, Development Officer Youth Work neil.mcintosh@educationscotland.gov.uk

To register please click on the link also attached is a draft programme.

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Young people, children & families

Training: What are my outcomes?

March 27, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

Everyone is talking about outcomes. But what exactly is an outcome?

What is the difference between an outcome and an output? This half-day workshop is for you if you have just started a new project or piece of work and want to set your outcomes. Or maybe you’ve been working for a while and thought you knew what your outcomes were but have got confused!

At this workshop you will:

Learn what an outcome is – and what it is not.
Set the right outcomes and outputs for your project.
Learn some simple methods to start you on the road to measuring outcomes.

Who is the event for?

Staff or volunteers from voluntary organisations

When?

Friday, June 01, 2012, 9.30am to 1pm

Where?

Edinburgh

How much does it cost?

£66.00

How do I find out more?

To enquire about this event please email: info@evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Technologies, Young people, children & families

Social media and community learning and development

March 19, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

Places are still available at the time of writing for the Digitally Agile Scotland seminars organised by The Scottish Community Development Centre, Youthlink Scotland and Learning Link Scotland. The project involves research and case studies of good and interesting practice in the use of social media and new technology in the community learning and development field. The programme is being supported by Education Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government.

The 3 seminars are in Aberdeen – 22 March 2012, Edinburgh – 27 March 2012 and Glasgow – 29 March 2012. The seminars are for people working in adult learning, youth development and community capacity building and are designed to allow participants to hear about interesting practice involving social media and new technology. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from others, share practice and exchange experience and knowledge. You will also have the opportunity to have your say about the challenges and the importance of guidance in being digitally agile for your personal and professional development.

The seminars are free of charge but places are limited. To book you place on the either one of the 3 seminars please click on the link below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DACLDseminar. If you require further information about the programme please contact Paul Nelis paul@scdc.org.uk

In addition, the following items might be of interest to anyone thinking about using social media in the contxt of community-led health or community development:

This link for news on a separate upcoming social media event organised by GCVS in partnership with Be Good Be Social
This article from the Guardian, on research by the Young Foundation which finds that social media is a useful way for communities to connect, but it is not a panacea for community empowerment.

CLD, Community Capacity Building

Community Toolkit Online Resource

March 19, 2012 User deactivated Leave a comment

Skye and Lochalsh Council for Voluntary Organisations have developed this online reference tool for community groups of all sizes – from small clubs to larger social enterprises. Containing information on a wide range of topics, the Community Toolkit guides you through consultations with your local community, setting up a group or project, managing and developing your activities and looking after the people that use your services. The Community Toolkit also includes a section on Generating Income and a funder’s database to help you find suitable funding sources. Find your local Community Toolkit at http://community-toolkit.org.uk/local-toolkit.htm.

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Welcome to ‘Clean Energy from the Sea’

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Everyone is talking about outcomes. But what exactly is an outcome?

Who is the event for?

When?

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A training blog for PLSuperheroes