CREATING YOUNG CITIZENSHIP AMBASSADORS THROUGH COMMUNITY COHESION LINKING PROJECTS A post 16 active

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CREATING YOUNG CITIZENSHIP AMBASSADORS THROUGH
COMMUNITY COHESION LINKING PROJECTS A post 16
active citizenship perspective

• Alan Wilkins

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Presentation outline

• Why do this action research?
• Intentions
• Who was involved?
• The post 16 citizenship context
• A bit about identity
• Techniques trialled
• Some visual illustrations
• Insights and outcomes
• Unfinished business - an ongoing story

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Reminder What is citizenship?

• Citizenship Education equips young people with
  the knowledge, understanding and skills to play
  an active, effective part in society as informed,
  critical citizens who are socially and morally
  responsible.
• It aims to give them confidence and conviction
  that they can act with others, have influence and
  make a difference in their communities (locally,
  nationally, globally)
• Play your part post-16 citizenship, QCA guidance
  (2004)

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• A framework for citizenship learning (p21)
• 3 essential opportunities - for young people
  to
• Identify, investigate and think critically about
  citizenship issues of concern to them
• Decide upon and take part in follow-up actions
• Reflect on, recognise and review their
  citizenship learning

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Project Intentions

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• To explore how citizenship learning can be
  delivered through a linking approach
• To understand the complexities of identity for
  young people
• To honour the principles of active citizenship at
  post 16
• To trial a range of techniques arising from the
  professional educators reaction and response to
  the evolving process
• To dual the action research approach with staff
  development
• Very tight budget driven time frame Sept to March
  (7 months)

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Project partners

• Bradford College and Kendal College
• Bishops Hatfield School and Onslow St Audrey's
  with the University of Hertfordshire 
• Ealing, Hammersmith and West London Colleges and
  Kingston College
• Emergent model initial work institutionally
  separate meet up, exchange impressions, attempt
  to agree a core project meet again to finalise
  do it separately/together final review meeting
  continue determine own context

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The concept of identity - a personal
perspective

• attention from academics and researchers
• all people have multiple roles, statuses, and
  identities
• acquisition of parts of that identity consequence
  of being in society with others
• all institutions encountered in daily life
  impinge on that combination that forms the self
  at that moment
• external representations of who you may be, are
  interpreted differently by others who are part of
  different neighbourhoods, cultures, even
  countries

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A fundamental aspect of being human

• Beneath it all we are all human, experiencing
  feelings, making conscious and unconscious
  understanding, re-enacting behaviours, in tandem
  with or in opposition to prevailing trends,
  popular imagery, modelling and experimentation
• The complexities of unconscious drives, mind sets
  and states alongside our and others behaviour in
  groups, families, schools or workplaces create
  the dynamic of human beings living, working and
  playing together

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The implications for bringing young people
together

• young people are constantly in a state of
  becoming (us older people are too)
• Who am I?, Why am I?, Who are you? and How
  can I connect, live beside or tolerate, befriend,
  help? are fundamental questions individuals ask
  as they find out more about who they are and what
  gives meaning to their lives
• when young people from different educational
  settings are brought into the same space together
  all this complexity is within it

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An initial thought

• Whilst linking across and between organisations
  is recognised for its potential value (for
  learners and cultural/community cohesive
  qualities), the approach is often avoided because
  of the time and the complexity of the planning
  and processes of interaction of everyone
  involved.

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But there is a duty ....

• Community safety and social cohesion needs this
  to happen as society becomes more diverse,
  communications more immediate and global,
  cultures collide and transmute
• It becomes a given that educationalists and
  educational institutions need to recognise and
  accept the duty to review its contribution and
  support , for both the construction of identities
  and social cohesion, within the immediate
  locality and beyond

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Facing up to that challenge

• genuine active citizenship to enable young people
  to explore and actively participate in their
  communities
• leave space for both the coordinators and the
  young people to find their own way within the
  parameters set related to active citizenship and
  community cohesion

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Techniques - Getting to know each other and
ourselves

•  
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• Love, hate, change What I like about myself,
  my community, my country, the world dislike
  about myself etc.
• Interests favourite then find another with
  same
• Play-dough represent your culture and
  identity
• Name-share origin and meaning or This is my
  name and/or This is something like to share
  with you/others.

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Baselining opinions - self, others and community

•  What we think about each other
• What we think of them (the others and their
  school)
• What we think they think of us
•   This is completed separately before the first
  meeting, then published in the first meeting, and
  then reviewed at the end of project
•  
• This is my community
• Whats wrong about it?
• Whats good about it?
• What can we change?
• What action should we take?

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Who are we?
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Who are we?
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Onslow think we are
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We think Onslow are ..
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Communities in Hatfield
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Pilot whole group focal activities/projects

• Presentations videos and PowerPoints -
  descriptions of community, self portraits,
  tourist profile of where we live, the real place
• Posters thematic such as ECM safety, health etc
• Websites and Blogs
• Sculptures
• Influence mapping, discussion carousels people
  bingo
• Final presentation events student led - both
  programme and facilitation

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Educators insights on YPs perspective

• 'stereotyping of the others' in all partner
  groups was a common feature
• difficulty in developing a meaningful concept of
  community local to them and that of the wider
  community
• concept of themselves in some instances was very
  egocentric
• initially they focussed on their own particular
  circumstances, neighbourhood, life experience,
• did not include a wider concept of other, and
  consequently not a wider understanding of the
  community.
•  

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Developing structured experiences

• These surprised the educators and tested their
  resolve to remain learner centred
• The young people in general required considerable
  support
• The professional facilitators introduced
  processes that assisted them to develop the
  self-esteem and confidence

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Positive outcomes

• young people have gained confidence, asserted
  their opinion, met and resolved issues, made
  recommendations.
• staff have discovered new ways of working whilst
  also recognising the need to develop these
  experiential processes further
• new connections have been made within and outside
  each participating partner
• all have gained a sense of direction into a realm
  of building cohesion in practical ways, relevant
  to their context, their college and their young
  people.

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Benefits to learners

• Greater sense of identity
• Understanding of own community positive feel and
  pride
• Changed perception of others and of selves
• Wanting to take on a more positive role in the
  community make a difference
• Buzz from being chosen
• Empowerment others (significant adults) taking
  a genuine interest in their views and work
• Ambassadors for the future
• Functional/key/PLT skills
• UCAS statement certification from LSN

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Outcomes for the project coordinators

• More passionate about how young people can take
  an active part in their community
• Knowledge of other institutions
• More aware of issues young people face in their
  community and what they dont know
• Built confidence to create and link networks
• Helping young people work out their identity and
  place in their community
• Feeling more motivated makes the job so much
  more interesting
• Helping young people become more confident to be
  an ambassador for citizenship
• Learn more student led activities in the
  classroom and use more effectively

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Programme complexities

• finding the time for professionals to meet, to
  arrange programme, share information and arrange
  transport
• finding time and curriculum space for young
  people to travel and share information with each
  other prior to the visit event taking place.
• traffic issues and late arrivals
• finding the appropriate facilities

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Bodes well for the future

• What needs to happen
• assist other post 16 active citizenship
  practitioners to explore these linking dynamics,
  building on the experiences of this small group
  of educationalists
• there is still much to explore, and a valuable
  first step has been taken on that journey.

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Thanks for listening!