CLD Partnership Annual Report 21-22 (003)
Argyll and Bute Council · 9 March 2023
Back to Community Services Committee — 9 March 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Appendix A Argyll and Bute Community Learning & Development (CLD) Partnership Annual Report September 2021 - August 2022
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Welcome from Chair ............................................................................................................3 Vision, Values and Role of the Partnership ..........................................................4 Education Scotland His Majesty’s Inspector’s Visit ......................................5 A Year in Numbers .................................................................................................................6 Case study 1 - The Power of Partnership Working ...................................7-8 Case study 2 - Oidhche Earra-Ghàidheal le ...............................................9-10 Case study 3 - Making Mindful Music ...................................................................11 Case study 4 - No Wrong Path ............................................................................12-13 Case study 5 - SAWA “New Scots” Project .................................................14-15 Priorities for 2022-2023.....................................................................................................16 Thanks to our Partners ......................................................................................................17 Contents CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 2
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Welcome to our annual report 2021-2022. As the chair of the newly formed Argyll and Bute Community Learning and Development Partnership, it is my pleasure to present our first annual report. Community Learning and Development (CLD) is a method of working with groups and individuals of all ages to engage in learning, personal development and active citizenship. Support is focused on disadvantaged or vulnerable individuals or groups with the aim of bringing about change in their lives and communities. I’m delighted to be able to outline some of our many successes during the year to realise our vision of “Working together to improve lives across Argyll and Bute by empowering individuals and communities to lead sustainable, fulfilling and happy lives through continuous learning, cooperative problem solving and removing barriers to engagement, health and wellbeing.” The Community Learning & Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013 place a statutory requirement on local authorities to publish a plan every 3 years’ outlining how it will co-ordinate and secure “adequate and efficient” Community Learning & Development (CLD) provision with other sector partners. Whilst Argyll and Bute Council are required by legislation to lead on meeting the requirements of the CLD Regulations, it is important to note that partners must also be meaningfully involved, taking collective ownership and responsibility to produce, implement and review the CLD Plan. During the last 12 months, the focus has very much been on partners working more closely together to plan and deliver services within our schools and communities to improve the learner offer. During our self- evaluation process to review year 1 of the plan aligned to How Good Is Our CLD, partners very much acknowledged the improvements in joint working. There are also clearer governance and reporting arrangements in place via the LiveArgyll board, Community Planning Partnership (CPP) and Community Services Committee. Our Strategic Plan covers the period September 2021- August 2024 and sets out our priorities under six key themes for the lifespan of the plan, namely “Digital Skills”, “Core Skills for Learning, Life and Work”, “Health and Wellbeing”, “Your Voice”, “The Learner Offer” and “Improving How We Work as a Partnership”. This report brings to life some great examples of the implementation of our key themes and then highlights our priorities the coming year. The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our children, young people and communities significantly, and we have focussed strongly on meeting the needs of our most vulnerable. Two new workstream groups have also been established to drive forward key areas of work. Firstly supporting learners to maximise the use of digital technology for essential digital skills for life and work and secondly to focus on workforce development across the sector within Argyll and Bute, building on the framework set out by the CLD Standards Council and supporting staff with their own development. During 2021, Argyll and Bute won the Scottish Government Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative Quality Improvement 2021 award for their Youth Advisory Panel. The Youth Advisory Panel is group of young people recruited to ensure young people’s voices are heard when creating the Children’s Service plan. This was a 3 year project lead by the Community Learning Service, Third Sector, Health and Education and supported by the Children and Young Persons Improvement Collaborative. Education Scotland visited Argyll and Bute in November 2021 as part of the His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIe) programme for CLD focusing on Covid-19 recovery. The overall outcome was very positive having been signed off with no further visit planned in the short term. Finally I’d like to express my sincere thanks to all partners and staff teams within the CLD sector across Argyll and Bute for their resilience during the last 12 months and their commitment to working smarter together. Nicola Hackett Chair CLD Partnership Welcome CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 3
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Our Vision “Working together to improve lives across Argyll and Bute by empowering individuals and communities to lead sustainable, fulfilling and happy lives through continuous learning, cooperative problem solving and removing barriers to engagement, health and wellbeing.” Values The CLD Partnership has adopted the principles, values, ethics and competencies set out by the CLD Standards Council for Scotland. The principles that underpin CLD practice are: Empowerment - increasing the ability of individuals and groups to influence matters affecting them and their communities; Participation - supporting people to take part in decision making; Inclusion, equality of opportunity and anti-discrimination - recognising some people need additional support to overcome the barriers they face; Self – determination - supporting the right of people to make their own choices Partnership - ensuring resources and the range of skills and capabilities available are used effectively Role of the CLD Partnership • Being responsible for the development implementation, monitoring and reporting of the Argyll and Bute CLD Plan. This will include the appropriate risk management and mitigations given manpower and resources available • Ensuring strategic priorities are aligned to key local and national plans and ensure there is no duplication of work • Sharing and analysing data and identifying gaps to inform planning and decision making • Fostering collaboration and where possible sharing resources across the partnership • Putting in place delivery/workstream group arrangements to ensure effective implementation at operational and local level, taking into account geographical variations/needs • Evaluating and reviewing the CLD plan on a regular basis, taking into account changing learner needs and ensure a culture of self-evaluation and improvement • Communicating the work of the partnership to key partners, raising the profile of the work of the partnership and sharing and celebrating key successes • Identifying and sharing examples of good practice • Contributing to Education Scotland CLD inspections and other appropriate CLD quality assurance measures Our Vision & Values CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 4
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Key Strengths Identified • There is increased confidence in the leadership across staff at all levels, both within the council, where responsibility remains for community development, and within LiveArgyll, who now has responsibility for community learning. CLD is now more outward looking, with leaders and staff engaging with and learning from other local authorities. They are better connected to other CLD networks such as the Northern Alliance. • A self-evaluation and consultation process informed the development of the CLD plan 2021-24 priorities. Where there are gaps, there are plans to revisit during year one. LiveArgyll and partners engage well in the stronger processes in place for self-evaluation. As a result, they know their strengths and areas where improvement is required. This provides confidence in the leadership of CLD. • The role of partners in the delivery of CLD is much improved. As a result, the CLD plan clearly outlines roles and responsibilities of partners. During the pandemic, partnership working increased and this helped to enable the rapid response to supporting communities and learners. As a result, there is increased shared knowledge of what each partner has to offer. Improvement Areas • Involvement of social work in the CLD Strategic Partnership • Representation of LiveArgyll on the Argyll and Bute Child Protection Committee • Milestones and a timeline for other areas of priority are clearly outlined in the CLD plan 2021-24. However, it is important that these areas are monitored by the CLD strategic partnership regularly to ensure they are progressed timeously. • The CLD partnership recognise that there is more to do to strengthen the adult learning offer, including building on opportunities for wider accreditation for learners. Education Scotland HMIe Visit – November 2021 CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 5
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A Year in Numbers CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 6 community groups supported to deliver adult learning programmes as part of the Community Based Adult Learning (CBAL) fund 10 multi agency community learning and employability hubs established 6 partners/services engaged in the CLD Partnership 16 community groups received community capacity building support 76 individuals completed CLD nationally recognised awards 99 young people engaged in CLD activities/ programmes 174 Local Youth Action Groups 7 adults engaged in formal CLD activities/ programmes 95 adults engaged in CLD events and informal engagement activities 1254
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Strategic Theme - Improve how we work as a Partnership Need for the project – why? The need for this project was identified by engagement with a range of community groups contributing to the Caring for People and Test and Protect responses. The engagement explored the challenges and learning arising from the pandemic, and looked to identify how collaborative working could strengthen communities post-Covid or in response to future public health crises. A strong theme of “Resilient Communities, Communication and Structures of Working Together” emerged, with agreement that meetings with Covid-19 community response groups facilitated by the Community Development team would provide a platform to share information, identify local needs and offer the opportunity for response groups to ask questions of CLD partners and other agencies. The online meetings were initially held within each of the 4 areas of Argyll and Bute to support local needs arising. Following common challenges identified and similar questions being asked in all areas, there was a move to support Argyll and Bute wide meetings from August 2021 to increase opportunities for wider networking and sharing of best practice. Description – what and how? The Community Development Team co-ordinated Argyll and Bute wide monthly meetings of the Covid-19 community response groups from August 2021 - April 2022. These meetings brought together groups who supported the emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic in their communities, and who have been active in supporting community recovery. Members swapped experiences (whether of tough times or heartening successes), networked and shared practice. The Community Development team provided support and updates, and responded to requests for information from the Council, CLD Partnership and Community Planning Partnership. For example: • The team was able to offer group members’ staff and volunteers access to the Council’s ‘My Healthy Advantage’ app, which offers access to counselling and wellbeing services. • During the emergence of the Omicron variant, groups reported difficulty in finding accurate information on the dates and locations of vaccination clinics. The team rapidly checked and circulated up to date data verified by NHS Highland, meaning that group members could help more vulnerable members of the community to attend clinics. • In response to concerns about how to re-start community activities safely, Community Development officers researched, collated and shared information on free training opportunities and resources on a range of relevant health and safety topics. They were also able to signpost groups to appropriate contacts in the Council’s Argyll and Bute Safety Advisory Group (SAG). Information and minutes were shared with around 40 organisations, with representatives attending meetings as and when it was helpful to them. Where information and resources discussed at the meetings was likely to be relevant to communities beyond the Covid-19 Community Response Group, these were also highlighted in the Community Development team’s fortnightly Information for Communities bulletin. Case Study 1 CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 7 The Power of Partnership Working
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Impact – the difference made The impact of this work is best expressed by the feedback offered by participants, who reported that the group helped them in various ways to continue the vital work they had been delivering to support their communities during and in recovery from the pandemic (see Evidence section, below). The way in which we created conditions for community groups to be supported, and to empower community groups within their communities in response to Covid-19, was recognised as an example of Best Practice within Audit Scotland’s Community Empowerment: Covid-19 report: Support for local networking: Garelochhead Station Trust’s experience during Covid-19 — Communities Channel Scotland (communityscot.org.uk) Evidence – how do we know? The case study above reflected feedback from our evaluation where 100% of respondents said that the effectiveness of their group had increased as a result of the support offered. Additional comments included: “The meetings and information shared by the team and other responders has helped us to guide our response to changing covid events. The meetings also helped us not to feel like we were working in isolation which was helpful in itself” Bute and Cowal Elderly Befrienders “I have appreciated opportunities to discuss my work in terms of maintaining resilient personal morale, and also to recognise its significance in the wider context of other Argyll communities responding to challenges of pandemic restrictions on community life. The group sessions mitigated my sense of personal isolation, and also resulted in helpful guidance in terms of risk assessments.” Ross of Mull and Iona Community Transport Scheme Lessons Learned Attendees of the group reported that they valued the support and signposting from the Community Development team, and also the structure of the group. This allowed them to share experiences and practice with peers, alleviating feelings of isolation and making them feel less like they were working alone. Feedback from those involved “As a small local charity operating an additional emergency response during lockdown and beyond, the Covid Response Group was vital for us! It connected us to other similar organisations and even more importantly to the ‘bigger picture’, ensuring we weren’t duplicating effort and limited resources. It was particularly helpful to have the Community Development Team’s very proactive help in accessing specific Covid funds. It might sound inconsequential but one of the most important aspects of the group, besides the practical support, was the feeling that we were appreciated further up the chain – the mainstream media focus was on the NHS and not all the formal and informal volunteering that was happening in charities and voluntary organisations around the country. While we were working flat out with very vulnerable people, many working folk relaxed to a different pace of working life during Covid, but not us! - so that recognition was an important motivating factor that I could share with my colleague and our community of volunteers. However the Covid cloud did have a silver lining - one of the enduring benefits of this group is the enhanced professional relationships I now have with the other organisations involved and in particular our Community Development Officer.” Jayne Burnett, Manager, Visiting Friends. CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 8 Case Study 1 The Power of Partnership Working
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Strategic Theme - Improve how we work as a Partnership Project Update Oidhche Earra-Ghàidheal le… was a project conceived by Argyll and Bute Council to provide an opportunity for the Gaelic community in Argyll and Bute to come together and celebrate the wealth of talent that Argyll has to offer. This was particularly important due to the pandemic and the increased isolation of our communities at the time the events began. The application was for six online Oidhche Earra-Ghàidheal le… events including artist’s fees and a small amount for technical support. Brief Resume Thanks to the Tasgadh fund six Oidhche Earra-Ghàidheal le… events took place between May and October 2021 on the Argyll Gaelic Forum Facebook page. They included a wide range of talented Argyll artists including: Ian Smith, Alasdair Whyte, Sìleas Sinclair, Màiri McGillivray, Joy Dunlop, Rona Wilkie and Marit Fält. Through the breadth of artists the events represented Argyll Gaelic songs and tunes from Tiree, Mull, Connel, Islay and Oban. The material ranged from traditional to new and original work created by the Argyll artists themselves. Over the course of the six events 202 people attended live. There was lots of Gaelic engagement in the comments. Whilst many of the attendees were from Argyll and Bute the online nature also enabled people from across the UK to attend as well as America and Australia. The recorded events continue to be live on the Facebook page and are a great resource. To date they have been collectively viewed 8700 times. Outcomes/Aims The project: • Fostered a sense of community and brought together Gaelic speakers and learners from across Argyll and Bute • Promoted the wealth of music, songs and poetry of Argyll and Bute Lasting legacies: • The recorded events are remaining on the Facebook page and will continue to be promoted via the Argyll Gaelic Gathering • There is now a collection of over 50 songs unique to Argyll, both traditional and new. They are now accessible to all in the one place • There is interest for the recorded events to be shared with those with dementia • Argyll and Bute Council have made links with some wonderful artists and these links are helping with other projects • There are plans for a series of Argyll song workshops at Furan Case Study 2 CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 9 Oidhche Earra-Ghàidheal le… Report Tasgadh grant awarded £955 Total project cost £1515 Tasgadh contribution as % of total 63% Number of beneficiaries 7 Gaelic artists 202 people attended the event live There have been 8700 views of the recordings to date
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Quotes from Participants “I thoroughly enjoyed the Oidhche Earra-Ghàidheal le sessions. For me, they were an excellent mix of performers I was familiar with and some that were new to me (same goes for the songs and tunes). Being able to attend online was great because I didn’t have to sort out childcare or use of the car, so it was easier for me to attend. They also felt really relaxed because the performers were in their own homes too – it felt like a kitchen cèilidh. The fact that they were delivered in Gaelic, and the chat stream was mainly in Gaelic was a real bonus too. I’m a Gaelic learner and the live chat felt much less formal than a conversation group.” Laura “I’d like say how much I have enjoyed your series of Oidhche Earra-Ghàidheal online events. It has been lovely to see how Argyll talent has been showcased. I have particularly enjoyed the mix of more seasoned performers, together with young upcoming talent. They used a delightful mix of Argyll songs, too which has inspired me to seek out and learn some of the Bàrdachd Earra-Ghàidhealach. Thanks for brightening up the “lockdown”!” Audrey Paterson, Taynuilt “I was having cancer treatment during the summer of these concerts so it was really nice to curl up on the sofa and listen to music from my favourite place in the world – Argyll. Now I want to explore these songs further and unlock their stories, and find out more about favourite places, so the resource on the facebook page is a brilliant starting point. I even got to practice my gaidhlig on the chat. Math fhein a h-uile duine!” Participant Quotes from Artists “Bha e na thlachd dhomhsa gun deach iarraidh orm òrain a ghabhail mun sgìreachd agam fèin aig fear de na tachartasan san t-sreath seo. Tha mise den bheachd gu bheil e riatanach gun tèid tachartasan a tha gan cumail tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig air fad a chur air dòigh gu cunbhalach ann an Earra-Ghàidheal: creathal na Gàidhlig ann an Alba. Tha feum air gach cuid tachartasan tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig, na Beurla agus dà-chànanach gun teagamh ach feumaidh sinn barrachd thachartasan a chur air dòigh tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig air fad gun leisgeul. Air uairean aig tachartasan dà-chànanach, tha mise a’ faireachdainn mar sheinneadair Gàidhlig gum feum mi leisgeul a thoirt seachad airson a’ Ghàidhlig a bhruidhinn ann agus cha bu chòir. Feumaidh sinn a’ Ghàidhlig àbhaisteachadh san dòigh seo ach am faic an òigridh gu h-àraid gun tig i beò às aonais na Beurla. Bu mhath leam taing mhòr a chur don luchd-eagrachaidh agus don Chomhairle.” Alasdair Whyte “Oidhche Earra-Ghàidheal was a great initiative by Argyll and Bute Council during a difficult time for musicians and music lovers alike. To have music and song from different areas of Argyll was of great interest to me and that interest was definitely shared by the audiences both here and abroad. It was a pleasure to be a part of and a great way for me to share both well and lesser known songs of Islay. I received some lovely feedback after the concert including from people who had not come across my music before which was incredibly humbling. I would like to again thank the Council for having me perform and hope this is something which can be explored again in the future, perhaps in person as well as online.” Gun robh math agaibh, Mairi McGillivray CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 10 Case Study 2 Oidhche Earra-Ghàidheal le… Report
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Strategic Theme - Health & Wellbeing The liveArgyll Community Learning (CL) Team in Kintyre worked in partnership with The Kintyre Link Club, a local mental health club run by members for members, with its main aim being to promote the welfare of those who suffer or have suffered from mental ill health. The group participated in the Community Learning and Development (CLD) Community Consultation Exercise, in which Health and Wellbeing came out as top in their main priorities within the Core Themes. The CL team then carried out further consultations with the group members who came up with the idea of writing and producing a song about the Link Club to promote it to the wider community. The Link Music Club Project introduced them to writing and producing music with the aim of improving the participants’ general wellbeing, reducing isolation and promoting wellness. Learner Evaluations/Feedback “Music and song craft is about people; before I had these classes I knew how to write songs but the social contact has made me more skilful, especially working as a team and using collaboration and other people’s ideas. Before I was on my own now I can work with others.” “Such a great opportunity to learn something I would never have had before. It was such fun working with others and also having the support of the Link Club, Dawn & Jamie” “The Link Club Music Project with Jamie and Dawn has been excellent. A lot of fun and great therapy. We would love more music activities. The whole Link Club felt more positive! Thank you!” Case Study 3 CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 11 Making mindful music
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Strategic Theme - Core Skills For Life, Learning and Work Need for the project – why? Young Person’s Guarantee (YPG) Pre-Employment Support (delivered by WorkingRite – member of the Argyll and Bute Employability Partnership). Sarah, age 16, lives in Argyll. She was referred to WorkingRite programme via Skills Development Scotland, a mentored programme of learning and work experience for young people who want to work. It comprises of one-to-one sessions to gain soft skills and personal development followed by mentored work placement in an industry of the young person’s choice. Sarah’s aim was to gain further work experience in the child care sector and begin an apprenticeship course. Description – what and how? Sarah had left school at earliest opportunity due to difficulties in attendance because of social anxiety, distress and mental health issues. She struggled academically due to dyslexia and dyspraxia which also caused her to experience bullying at school. Her self-esteem was very low. Sarah’s own assessment of her barriers included shyness; feeling awkward and not having many friends; uncertainty about what she wanted to do as career; mental health issues (including disclosure of self-harm when experiencing bullying at school); anxiety and a lack of life experience and emotional resilience. Sarah had low self-esteem and confidence in her capabilities, particularly in terms of literacy and so all induction sessions were on a one-to-one basis to focus on this rather than any group sessions. Impact – the difference made Bearing in mind the disrupted school attendance Sarah had, the placement was phased to build timekeeping and resilience and to introduce her to a structured timetable, allowing her to show commitment and progress. This was achieved with an initial two days per week and ending at four days per week. The mentorship of staff at the nursery led to her becoming chattier with colleagues and her self-confidence grew as a result. She was able to make contributions at staff meetings and make suggestions to the day-to-day plans and organising. Sarah initially wanted to begin an apprenticeship course with the nursery, but the manager felt she would not manage the SVQ level 3 (which would position her for the SQA level 6 in house apprenticeship) as it would require more support than she could provide. As an experienced mentor she suggested Sarah start at a course closer to Nat4 and encouraged her to speak to other apprentices who had started this way. The Nursery Manager and Project Coordinator, aware that this suggestion being different to Sarah’s initial goal may impact on her new found, but fragile, confidence and self-esteem ensured Sarah understood the positives she had achieved and how she could gain qualifications without causing her stress and anxiety. As a result Sarah changed her mind about the further education course and successfully applied for the Introduction to Child Care course. Her increased maturity and experience was demonstrated in considering and progressing with this option. Sarah was continually motivated and supported by her Mum throughout the programme, who disclosed when in contact with the Project Coordinator about the suggested progression to college that Sarah has stopped self-harming as a coping mechanism for her emotional distress. The WorkingRite Project Coordinator supported Sarah to complete the online Health & Safety Training (Atlas) as well as the range of modules and sessions which make up the induction phase of the YPG programme. Case Study 4 CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 12 No wrong path
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Evidence – how do we know? The phased placement and support of placement nursery enabled Sarah to progress from two days to four days a week on placement. Online health & safety training and preparation for work placement induction. Sarah will remain on an extended placement with the nursery until August and then progress to the Introduction to Child Care course at college – three days in college and one at other childcare providers. Whilst at college she has been invited to volunteer at the nursery to gain more experience and build on the learning. Lessons Learned This case study shows that there is more than one path for individuals to realise their ambitions to pursue a particular and successful career. Learner Feedback As noted above, Sarah’s Mum had disclosed that as a result of being on the YPG Pre-Employment Support Programme, Sarah has stopped self-harming as a coping mechanism for her emotional distress. CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 13 Case Study 4 No wrong path
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Strategic Theme - Health & Wellbeing Need for the project – why? Since the winter of 2015, Syrian refugees have been coming to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. Due to tragic worldwide developments an increasing number of refugees have been placed on the island initially predominantly from Muslim backgrounds but more recently a substantial number from Ukraine. The island is part of the council area of Argyll and Bute, the island resident population has been declining steadily over the last 20 years, according to the population census in 2000 – 7,230; 2010 – 6,500; 2020 – 5,990 – also the population is predominantly elderly, over sixty five per cent are over 65 years old. Therefore it seems an ideal place to place refugees so as well as other factors they can help address the population decline and because they are all under 65 they can bring new vitality to the island. Description –what and how? The island has a history of being welcoming but obviously incomers and local residents alike both experience cultural differences. SAWA means ‘together’ in Arabic, so the project was set up to provide a ‘cultural bridge’ so the participants are local volunteers and learners and ‘new Scots’ recent arrivals to the island. The main activities have been mentoring matching of volunteers directly one to one with refugees in order to facilitate English learning, integration and friendship. Joint away day activities, this year there have been trips to Benmore Gardens near Dunoon, Blair Safari Park as well as trips on the island itself for example the round Bute bus tour, a walk to Ardencraig gardens, etc. There has also been an excursion to see a travelling Scottish Opera performance at Mount Stuart in addition a modern dance performance there. We have also initiated the New Horizons women’s empowerment programme which has been very successful, so much so that the women of the two main communities Muslim and Ukrainian meet up in a different one of their houses, every week and pair off in different language groups in order to exclusively speak English. Other ongoing activities are every Tuesday morning there is book repair group at Mount Stuart library, it was particularly interesting for the Syrians to work on a 170 year old copy of the Koran and also a very old Arabic English dictionary –one of the oldest of these in existence. The video class happens on a Tuesday afternoon and the videos are uploaded onto the internet please see the youtube ‘Ameen N SAWA Bute’ channel. Every Saturday morning at the Bank of Ideas in the High Street there is an art class for 11 to 15 year olds which is taken by volunteers namely Larrainne Duquemen , a retired English artist now resident on Bute and Volodymyr Durytskyi , from Kiev, another artist who has recently arrived from the Ukraine. Case Study 5 CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 14 SAWA “New Scots” Project
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CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 15 Case Study 5 SAWA “New Scots” Project We have an ongoing relationship with Mount Stuart and the local University of Highlands and Islands College Argyll, we initially had a tree planting day subsequently five of the Muslim refugees have completed the level 3 SQA unit in horticulture the aim of the course is to help the refugees gain employment. An Arabic book section and Ukraine book section are being created in the libraries, in consultation with, regarding what books to order etc. members of both communities. Leisure passes, most of the refugees, from both communities and also the volunteers have registered and received one year free leisure passes this allows them to go swimming and attend keep fit classes for a year for free. We are presently setting up a bike repair class this has been done in conjunction with the local CLD men’s group and also the police, who allowed us to collect abandoned bikes around the island and gave us some of their unclaimed bikes. This class will be taught by Lucian, who is himself a new Scot, having arrived on the island from Poland and set up a bike hire shop. Impact – difference made The impact has been to create a solidarity amongst the two main sets of refugees who regularly meet as parts a mens group and womens group. Also we have a great volunteer network who regularly meet up and engage with the new Scots. There is a definite reduction in feelings of isolation as this is often reported in the groups. Evidence – how do we know? As evidenced by the fact we have helped people into employment at the local cheese factory and hotels. New businesses have opened, for example Brandane Barbers has been opened by a Syrian family, who we put in touch with Business Gateway, young people through engagement with us and the college and have gone on to take courses on the mainland and through of course word of mouth feedback. Lessons Learned There are ongoing lessons to be learned – mainly to continue the integration between what is effectively three communities, the refugee Muslims, the recently arrived Ukrainians and the local community. To build on what has already been achieved but to perhaps focus a bit more on creating self-reliance amongst the refugee communities, especially in the fields of pursuing further education and employment. Learner Feedback Olena the wife of Ukrainian artist Volodymyr who arrived in August in interview said “we are very grateful to SAWA, the local council and all the people of Bute for their help and support during this difficult time for us and our country” Wafa Murad from Syria – “I’m very happy to be on the board of SAWA and am grateful to them and all the people of Rothesay who have made us feel very welcome”.
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Following the self - evaluation process and further learner consultation at the end of year one, the following priorities have been identified for year 2. These priorities will be embedded into the six themes and form the action plan for 2022-2023. Health and Wellbeing Community engagement work and community empowerment Targeted family learning interventions Grow adult learning offering Identification of shared performance indicators across CLD Partnership All of our work will be underpinned by our commitment to equality and inclusion. Priorities for 2022-2023 CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 16
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Partners CLD Annual Report 2021-2022 17 With thanks to our partners within the Argyll and Bute CLD Partnership liveArgyll • HSCP - Public Health • Argyll and Bute Council Education Service • Argyll and Bute Council Economic Growth • Argyll and Bute Drugs and Alcohol Partnership • Argyll College UHI • Third Sector Interface • 3rd sector community organisations representative • Strategic Housing Forum • Skills Development Scotland • Department for Work and Pensions • Community Planning management team • Argyll and Bute Council Community Development team • Police Scotland • Scottish Fire and Rescue • Argyll and Bute Social Work