Community Based Access College in the Community

1
Community Based AccessCollege in the
Community

• Ann OBrien
• Director of Access
• NUI Maynooth

2
Community Based AccessCollege in the Community

• Who am I?
• Policy Context
• Disadvantage
• Who is Community
• Current Models
• New Landscape
• Your turn

3
Policy ContextCommunity Sector

• Programme for Local Economic Development
  1989-1993
• ADM (Area Development Management Ltd)1992 now
  Pobal
• Partnership Companies(38) Community Groups(33)
• Operational Programme for Local Urban Rural
  Development 1994-1999

4
Policy ContextCommunity Sector

• The National Anti-Poverty Strategy 1997
• (2002 revised)
• The Taskforce Report on the Integration of Local
  Government Local Development Systems (1998)
• The National Childrens Strategy 2000
• The National Employment Action Plan (2004)
• National Development Plan 2000-2006 2007-2013
• The National Spatial Strategy (2002-2020)

5
Policy ContextCommunity

• The Taskforce Report on the Integration of Local
  Government Local Development Systems (1998)
• County Development Boards (CDB)
• Cohesion Process
• Proposal to integrate LDSIP CDP

6
Policy Context Education

• Education for a Changing World (1992)-Green Paper
• Charting Our Educational Future (1995)-White
  Paper
• Report of the National Education Convention
  (1995)
• Interim Report of the Technical Working Group on
  the Future Development of HE (1995)
• Abolition of Higher Education fees (1996)
• Adult Education in an Era of Lifelong Learning
  (1998) Green Paper
• Ready to Learn (1999) White Paper on Early
  Childhood Education

7
Policy Context Education

• Learning for Life (2000) White Paper on Adult
  Education
• Report of the Action Group on Access to Third
  Level Education. (2001)
• NCCRI (National Consultative Committee on Racism
  and Interculturalism) Progress Report 1998-2000
• National Framework of Qualifications (2003)
• Moving Beyond Educational Disadvantage-Report of
  the Educational Disadvantage Committee 2002-2005

8
Policy Context Higher Education

• National Office of Access to Higher Education
  established in August 2003
• Published Action Plan 2005-2007
• Towards the Best Education For All-An Evaluation
  of Access Programmes in Higher Education in
  Ireland 2006
• Advisory Group
• Action Plan 2008-2013

9
Policy Context Legislation

• Legislation included -
• Education Act 1998
• Qualifications (Education and Training) Act 1999
• Equality Act 2004
• Disability Act 2005

10
Community Development

• Community Development aims to encourage
  people to take control of their lives, to develop
  fully their human potential and to promote
  community empowerment. It involves people coming
  together in groups to identify their collective
  needs and to develop programmes to meet these
  needs.
• (Kelleher Whelan1992)

11
Educational Disadvantage

• . the impediments to education arising form
  social or economic disadvantage which prevents
  students from deriving appropriate benefit from
  education in schools.
• (The Education Act 1998)

12
Equality in Education Framework

• Equality in education is an outcome whereby
  economically socially excluded individuals,
  groups communities participate in, achieve in
  and benefit from education to equivalent levels
  to less excluded individuals, groups
  communities across all levels sectors in
  education without unnecessary hardship.
• (Equality in Education 2005 Pobal)

13
CommonalitiesLanguage

• Community
• Social Inclusion
• Capacity building
• Poverty
• Equality
• Integrated
• Sustainable
• Partnerships

• Education
• Widening participation
• Independent learner
• Under-represented
• Equality
• Access
• Strategic
• Partnerships

14
Commonalities Target groups

• Socially marginalised
• Under-represented groups
• Disadvantaged school-leavers
• Mature students (Long-Term Unemployed)
• Disability
• Travellers
• New Irish

15
Commonalities

• Vision
• Philosophy
• Shared values
• Committed
• Dedicated
• Action orientated
• Optimistic

16
Community

• Community of living-
• live, work, socialise, learn
• services supports
• Community of learning-
• learn, teach, research,
• services supports

17
Models

• HE Model
• outreach activities
• school linked
• focus on progression
• targeted at students

18
Models

• Community Model
• community based
• needs assessment
• capacity building
• parents

19
Models

• Other Models
• Community Access
• Offaly Outreach Clondalkin Access
• School based
• Home school liaison
• School Completion Programme
• Youth work
• Drugs Task Force

20
Activities

• HE On-campus days, Easter Revision, Higher Maths
  sessions, Shadowing days, Mentoring
• Community Guidance on courses funding, Parents
  in Education, Homework Clubs, MPF. Study skills,
  Courses in community setting
• Other Parenting, Breakfast homework clubs,
  Summer camps

21
What is shared?
22
Shared

• Values
• Vision
• Expertise
• Target groups
• Learning
• Activities

23
Issues

• Lack of understanding between sectors
• Demands of funding agencies (outcomes)
• Turf wars
• Language
• Vested interests
• Current environment

24
Solutions

• Talk
• Understand
• Trust
• Find common ground
• Collaborate
• Build good partnerships
• Become allies

25
WHY?

• Why not working
• Pathways to Ed
• Outcomes
• New climate
• Find synergy
• VFM

26
Transitions Transformation

• New Model
• Discussion forums
• Regional
• Drivers
• Action Plan-timed
• Implementation
• Engagement

27
Transitions Transformation
28
Questions for you

• What are the principal messages of the
  presentation (e.g. strategic focus, policy,
  practice, theory, models of good practice, social
  inclusion, equality, issues arising, etc.)?
• What do these messages tell or confirm for us
  about the opportunities for community based
  access approaches to widen participation in
  further and higher education?
• What do these messages tell us about the
  challenges we face in implementing community
  based access approaches?
• How might we best address these challenges?