Community engagement


Taking community learning to the European Parliament


Russell Hogarth, a director of the Design in Mental Health Network, and Nigel Farnworth, manager and coordinator of the Creative Communities Group UK (CCGUK), accompanied by two community members, both experts by mental health lived experience, were recently invited to attend the European Parliament and a series of further meetings in Brussels. The week-long visit’s aim was both to spread word of the work undertaken by CCG UK, and strengthen existing bonds with a number of key European community learning organisations based in the Belgian capital. Russell Hogarth, Honorary Fellow and Community Ambassador at the University of Central Lancashire, reports.


The CCGUK – of which I was a co-founder in 2012 – aims to empower people, locally, nationally, and internationally, for positive change through volunteering and community engagement. Supporting university and community partners in a variety of activities – including the arts, sciences, history, health, and social awareness – the CCGUK also supports creative teaching as a pathway to inclusion and accessible education. Many of the members are individuals with lived experience of mental ill health, for whom both volunteering and participating in a variety of arts and educational- based activities can be a major catalyst to recovery. A number have gone on to work in mental healthcare.


A ‘UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY’ When the invitation arrived in my ‘inbox’ to attend the European Parliament I did not hesitate to say ‘yes’. This was going to be a unique opportunity to travel to Brussels, to meet with my European colleagues, and to highlight the work of the Creative Communities Group and its members. The invitation came from Amy McDonnell and Julia Pouply (office administrators of the European Parliament) on behalf of Euro MP for North-West England, Julie Ward.


Julie Ward previously had a long career in the cultural sector, working with marginalised communities using arts as a tool for wellbeing, empowerment, and social change. Prior to


The European Parliament building in Brussels.


being elected as an MEP, she had worked with partners in the EU and beyond for more than a decade. She has been a member of the Creative Communities Group for a number of years, and is very supportive of its work in the UK. She has always wanted to introduce the work of the CCG to a greater audience across Europe, and thought our visit would be an excellent opportunity to do so.


She explained: “I invited Russell Hogarth and


Nigel Farnworth from the UK Creative Communities Group to the European Parliament so that they could share the excellent work they are doing in both education and the community in my North West England constituency. There is a strong network of community learning organisations based in Brussels, who help to inform decision-makers. Sharing best practice and being open to collaboration is a characteristic of EU projects.”


Members of the European Parliament are arranged in a hemicycle, according to their political groups.


INVOLVING COMMUNITY MEMBERS CCG manager and coordinator, Nigel Farnworth, set about the task of organising the visit and liaising with colleagues in Europe to set up a series of meetings in Brussels to coincide with the trip. He said: “In keeping with all of our CCG activities and visits, we always encourage community members to come along and share in the experience. For the trip, we asked two community members, who previously had experience of mental health disorders, if they would like to attend. I was delighted that both jumped at the opportunity, and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.” The Creative Communities Group network had the honour of attending the European Parliament, and a series of meetings in Brussels. Euro MP, Julie Ward, invited the CCG to attend a series of events including the forum, Moving


THE NETWORK OCTOBER 2018 25


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