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Projects

Thinking Spaces

Thinking Spaces was based in the Erewash District of Derbyshire. Its aim was to inspire and develop self-organised learning in the workplace or community settings by creating resourced spaces and appropriate time for groups to explore and expand their interests through reading, activities and ICT.

The project was made up of a partnership across different sectors: Wash Arts, Erewash Partnership Ltd, Erewash CVS, Derbyshire Adult Community Education and Derbyshire Library Service. The purpose of the work was to create a new local culture of self-organised learning. Employers, community groups and public sector service providers would be supported in setting up "Thinking Spaces".

This work expanded the reach of informal adult education by encouraging people who are mainly non-participants to use this "space" to create small groups who want to explore a topic of their own choice. It did this by inviting people into taster sessions to initiate ideas, offer facilitation, advice on learning resources, and a visiting programme of speakers, poets, storytellers, or arts activities.

The partners aimed to sustain this non-directed approach to learning by identifying and training "learning leaders and buddies" and by creating support, through the re-modelling of services within existing infra-structures, to meet this different demand.

The cross sector partnerships, creating space and time for learning, aimed to open up demand from people who would thrive in groups but do not want to be "taught". It aimed to create a new customer group and make different demands on existing structures.

The Project Plan:

The initial phase of the project drew together the six partner organisations from the private, public and voluntary sectors as a basis for the activity which was to follow. Each partner was asked to join the steering group and sign an agreement which outlined the project and their role within it. The steering group planned to meet four times during the course of the project.

Through the partners' networks the project then held five roadshows to publicise the opportunities presented by the project and to seek information about what activities would meet the interests of individuals and groups in Erewash. The contacts made through the roadshows were followed up by the establishment of the ten Thinking Spaces, and the groups who wanted to use them. Eash space was planned with a view to hosting two groups of five people.

Erewash has large pockets of social and economic deprivation. Our main target groups were adults (people over 19 with no upper age limit) who were not active participants in adult education. These people may be described in one of the following ways: low aspirations, low levels of qualifications, unemployed or in low paid work, poor experience of education. In our experience these people benefit personally, socially and economically by extending their education but they are under represented in participation statistics.

Key Points:
What went well:

• The partners were keen to support the project and have been valuable in sharing their networks and expertise
• Partners gained increased understanding of each other's priorities
• Community venues were keen to host a Thinking Space
• Groups were clear what they wanted to do within a Thinking Space
• A wide range of learning opportunities have been created; one local library is offering a new service which is an opportunity for community cohesion and the sharing of skills.

What did not go well:

• Despite all efforts no employers agreed to host a Thinking Space
• The idea of learning for its own sake clashed with other priorities for young mums
• Building a culture of self-organised learning - this was difficuult to do in such a short timescale
• Difficult winter weather did not help! People stayed indoors more
• Bringing everyone together for meetings was also difficult to organise in such a short timescale

What lessons have we learned/What would we do differently next time?

• Avoid trying to do anything the day before Mothering Sunday
• There are a lot of demands which had to be prioritised and judged against the aims of the project
• There was no difficulty finding community venues who welcomed the opportunity to adopt a Thinking Space
• There was no difficulty in finding groups who were keen to identify activities which they could undertake as a group
• It would take a lot longer than six months of this project to recruit individuals and weave them into a group which could access self organised learning

Hints and Tips for Others

• Identify and link with partners as soon as possible - share vision and aims of project with them.
• Engage learning champions early on - ascertain any training needs they may have.
• Carry out research regarding what learning is already taking place in the area and check out existing local groups and organisations to establish who meets where, when and what for.
• Hold a number of roadshows to gauge local interest. Speak directly to local people to find out what they currently enjoy doing socially/for leisure and also what they would like to do in the future. Try to establish what is currently preventing them from fulfilling this desire.
• Become familiar with the neighbourhood, community and social venues and explore less obvious local venues that could double as a positive learning environment.
• Keep evidence of all activity ready for evaluation stage - minutes of meetings, photographs, questionnaires, publicity/display items etc.
• Project manager to visit all groups on start up and re-visit as many as possible in the time allowed to gauge take-up/interest and troubleshoot any concerns or problems.
• Communicate regularly with partners, hosts and learning champions!

Final evaluation report - Thinking Spaces (163 kb)