Community engagement
SOLIDAR is a European network of Civil
Society Organisations (CSOs) working to advance social justice in Europe and worldwide. With over 60 member organisations based in 27 countries (22 of them in the EU), member organisations are national CSOs in Europe, as well as some non-EU and EU-wide organisations. The organisation works on a large number of projects to reduce inequalities and promote jobs and social investment. The CCG representatives were very interested in the excellent ongoing collaborative approach of the SOLIDAR Foundation, which said of the former organisation: “The CCG is an inspiring initiative that is now a catalyst and model of best practice for community and university partnerships. Its work focuses on breaking the barriers between local communities and universities by channelling the knowledge that is accumulated in the university environment into the local communities that can directly benefit from it.”
HOW DOES THE CCG ‘BREAK DOWN BARRIERS’? One of the ways that the CCGUK raises awareness of the importance of good healthcare is in helping the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing to organise and facilitate public health events (Health ‘Melas’) each year across the north-west of England. The Health Melas (mela = fair or gathering) take place within the community, and within both universities and secondary schools. Approximately 2,000 community members attend each Health Mela, supported by, on average, 50 university medical students, working alongside community volunteers, NHS clinicians, doctors, and nurses. The aim is to carry out community health checks on the public, often the hardest to reach in society, and give them advice on healthy living and wellbeing. Local teaching hospital staff, including medical teams and members of the pathology department, are involved in the activities.
TOWARDS A BETTER TOMORROW For a number of years, the CCGUK ‘network’ has delivered, in both the community and higher education, dedicated ‘lived experience’
personal development within societies’. She said she believed CCG could achieve a European award based upon this work, adding: “It was a pleasure to meet Russell Hogarth and Nigel Farnworth from the UK Creative Communities Group in Brussels, and to hear about the excellent work they are doing in building communities together with universities and the non-formal sector while engaging hard-to-reach individuals. This has led to tremendous success stories in the UK and beyond, making what some would say is ‘impossible’ a reality. This achievement is fully in line with what the Lifelong Learning Platform has advocated since its creation in 2005 – cross-sector cooperation, lifelong learning, and inclusiveness. I will definitely promote their work among our network, and I hope we will collaborate on a number of community events in the future and share information and best practice.”
The invitation to CCGUK to visit Brussels came from Euro MP for North-West England, Julie Ward, seen here presenting during the trip to the Belgian capital.
conference workshops and classroom seminars titled ‘Towards a better tomorrow’. The workshops and related Diversity conferences inspire visitors by promoting and celebrating people who are successful despite perceived obstacles such as disability, mental health issues, poverty, gender, race, and sexual discrimination. SOLIDAR Foundation says it is looking
forward to further cooperation between the CCG and its members to learn about new ways of creative and inclusive education and work towards inclusive societies. Lucie Susova ended by saying that she is ‘looking forward to further cooperation on a number of community events’, and to sharing information and best practice.
A WIDE-RANGING REACH The Creative Communities Group also had a very productive meeting with Pauline Boivin, Project and Policy officer at the Lifelong Learning Platform, an ‘umbrella’ organisation that brings together over 40 organisations active in education, training, and youth, ‘from all over Europe and beyond’. Currently these networks represent more than 50,000 educational institutions and associations covering all sectors of formal, non-formal, and informal learning. Their members reach out to several millions of beneficiaries.
Laura de Bonfils, International Policy, Advocacy & Fundraising manager from Volunteering Matters, and CCGUK’s Nigel Farnworth.
Pauline Boivin said she enjoyed meeting the CCG. She still wants to learn more about its work in the UK and beyond, and the Lifelong Learning Platform has planned several activities connected to the CCG’s work. She also invited Nigel and I to the Platform’s Annual Conference, themed ‘Lifelong Learning Culture’, in Vienna in July. Pauline feels the CCG demonstrates holistic approaches to active citizenship through its commitment to education and culture. She argues that these ‘culture-based competences’ can contribute to create active citizens, ‘with a particular focus placed on cultural awareness, learning to learn, and social and civic competences fostering self-awareness and
ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP The Creative Communities Group members also met with Laura de Bonfils, International Policy, Advocacy & Fundraising manager from Volunteering Matters, and a further discussion took place around the notion of active citizenship. She said volunteering enabled people to play an active role in society, contributed to positive social change, broke down social barriers, and offered people an opportunity to socialise with different social and cultural groups. The 2016 World Happiness Report revealed that social support and generosity are the key determinants of national wellbeing, and Laura pointed out that the work of the CCG mirrors these elements through this active citizenship notion.
Active citizens enjoyed better mental and physical health, and higher levels of confidence and optimism about life, she added, and were more able to withstand the adversities they faced in different periods of their lives, as well as to seize opportunities. Laura said: “It was a pleasure to meet Russell and Nigel, and to hear more about the CCGUK’s work. We shared our experiences and found many similarities and possible synergies with the work of Volunteering Matters in the UK and the work of the Volonteurope network in Europe. It was fascinating to hear about the work they do, in particular to foster education and community building in the UK. I am sure our meeting will lead to future collaborations and partnership to promote the value of volunteering that supports the building and strengthening of communities.”
‘EXCELLENT AMBASSADORS’ On a final note, Euro MP, Julie Ward, added: “Russell and Nigel are excellent ambassadors for the CCG, and impressed all those who they met. I am sure that strong and sustainable new partnerships will result, demonstrating that there is hope for British change-makers in the field of community education beyond Brexit.” The CCG meetings in the European Parliament and Brussels add to an ever-growing list of high profile events that the CCG has attended, including at the Department of Health’s Richmond House offices in Whitehall, the House of Commons, and the House of Lords.
THE NETWORK
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