Countdown East End - Capacity Building
Agencies Involved:
Countdown East End/Parents of East End Primary Schools (PEEPS), Learning Connections
Technique Used:
Learning evaluation and planning (LEAP)
Relevant Publications:
Local community involvement: a handbook for good practice, Building community strengths: A resource book on capacity building
Background
In 2002 the Scottish Executive began its programme of adult literacies pathfinder projects with the aim of developing good practice in adult literacies provision. Projects were agreed upon which demonstrated innovation, sustainability and the potential for ideas to be scaled up to cover Scotland.
Under Learning Connections, the second phase of Pathfinder projects was launched in 2003 and saw the establishment of eight distinct literacies projects across Scotland. Countdown East End was developed by the community learning project, Parents of East End Primary Schools (PEEPS), and aims to increase literacies levels in the Glasgow East End SIP area and the number of people involved in local community activity.
The East End of Glasgow has some of the highest levels of deprivation and lowest levels of educational attainment in Scotland. Raising accepted standards of literacy is a key component in the regeneration of the area.
Involving Local Communities
Countdown East End is an adult literacies project which focuses on sustainable community development. It runs alongside the PEEPS project which provides a variety of adult learning courses for parents of local primary school children.
Countdown East End supports the PEEPS project by identifying unstated literacy and numeracy need and addressing this need through a system of peer educators.
Peer educators are recruited from current and past participants, and are trained to identify literacy need in others and support learning. Peer educators develop their ability to participate in community activity, help others with identified literacy needs and pass on their skills as peer educators to other members of the community. Courses run by PEEPS have included D.I.Y., cookery, computing, personal development and promoting positive behaviour in children.
The system of peer educators has had a ‘cascade’ effect on others – part of their role is to identify other potential educators and to encourage PEEPS course participants to become actively involved in wider social justice issues in their communities.
As part of the Countdown East End project peer educators and literacies learners have been encouraged to look at wider community activity in the area. Much of the literacy learning activity that takes place has focused on decision making in the East End of Glasgow and has seen visits to SIP board meetings and City Council area committee meetings. Participants have been looking at the work of other voluntary projects in the area and the funding issues that they face. They have also been researching Community Councils.
The projects aim to increase participation through publicising the core activities at PEEPS. Countdown East End, as a Pathfinder project is conducting a monitoring and evaluation programme based on the principles of LEAP – monitoring is ongoing and allows for the effective development of the project.
Achievements
The project is increasing the community’s ability to identify and tackle literacies problems where they exist and is doing it in a sustainable way. The peer educator system is also building the confidence and skills of individuals and bringing more local people into community activity.
Contact
Cecilia O’Lone Project Co-ordinator Countdown East End Telephone: 0141 554 7290 |
