Grundtvig

This is an archive page

Grundtvig - Network for Community development with marginalised social groups

This resource is one of the outputs of a partnership formed by four European organisations involved in community work and citizen participation with disadvantaged or marginalised social groups in numerous and diverse locations throughout Europe. The partnership includes Scottish Community Development Centre (UK), Cooperativa Estrategies de Transformacio Comunitaria Sostenible (Spain), Association of Local Democracy Agencies (France), Association of Community Developers (Hungary).  

his Guide describes the overall learning from the partnership visits to Strasbourg (France) 1-2 March 2012, Glasgow (Scotland) 13-15 June 2012, Barcelona (Spain) 25-24 October 2012 and Budapest (Hungary) 9-12 April 2013. Click here

Video of the discussion from the partnership visit to Scotland.  Click here

Video and pictures of the visits and discussion from the partnership visit to Hungary.  Click here

Poverty Issues in Hungary - A short Introductory film for the Grundtvig Study Tour.  Click here

In Favour of Local Action - A film about community action in Barcelona.  Click here

Rural Ayrshire 21

This is an archive page

SCDC is supporting a collaborative initiative which is aimed at providing targeted help, support and funding for rural areas across the three Ayrshire areas. Called ‘Ayrshire 21', it works with 21 local communities which have been least able to take advantage of development and funding opportunities in the past.

The initiative is the result of collaborative working between the three Ayrshire Councils, securing funding from the European LEADER project to create Ayrshire 21.

Working in partnership with local and Scotland-wide development organisations, Ayrshire 21 will support the communities to write community action plans that will help them build on the strengths they have and address the most important social and economic issues they face.

On these pages we post information about the programme, reports and papers, and presentations from events and seminars. Here you will find:

Reports

• Communications brief August 2013: provides information about the purpose of the programme, the 21 communities, and the expected activities, plus summaries of presentations at various events

• Action Research in the Community - a guide to community action research

• Skills for Rural Community Development - practice guide

• Ayrshire 21 Project Evaluation Report

Presentations

• An introduction to Rural Ayrshire 21

• Building Community Capacity

• Action research by, in and for communities

• Developing rural area: context, policy and funding

• Developing Rural Ayrshire: a new way forward

• West Kilbride Community Initiative / Craftown Scotland

• Developing Rural Ayrshire: Rural forums?

• Ayrshire 21 conference 26-11-13 report

• Engaging your community and planning your project

• Ayrshire 21 North Ayrshire Presentation Nov 13

• Ayrshire 21 Skerratt Woolvin for SCDC

• Community_Led_Action_Plans_Conference[1]

• South Ayrshire Communities Conference Presentation v2

 Community Action Plans

 East Ayrshire

• Darvel Community Action Plan

• Fenwick Community Action Plan

• Logan Community Action Plan

• Mauchline Community Action Plan

• New Cumnock Community Action Plan

• Newmilns Community Action Plan

North Ayrshire

• Dalry Community Action Plan

• Dreghorn Community Action Plan

• Fairlie Community Action Plan

• Kilbirnie Community Action Plan

• Skelmorlie Community Action Plan

• Springside Community Action Plan
  

Assets Based Approaches

Assets based approaches are an integral part of community development in the sense that they are concerned with facilitating people and communities to come together to achieve positive change using their own knowledge, skills and lived experience of the issues they encounter in their own lives.

They recognise that positive health and social outcomes will not be achieved by maintaining a 'doing to' culture and respect that meaningful social change will only occur when people and communities have the opportunities and facility to control and manage their own futures. In community development terms, assets based approaches recognise and build on a combination of the human, social and physical capital that exists within local communities.

Community development interventions are based on the fundamental principle of equality. In Scotland, gaps in health and social inequalities continue to widen. SCDC recognises that assets based approaches will not, in themselves, alleviate the effects of long term structural inequality and disadvantage but are nonetheless vitally important within the context of current changes in national policy and a redefinition of the relationship between the citizen and the state. SCDC prioritises its activities in favour of working to support communities whose characteristics are defined by long term disadvantage.

Community-led Action Research

SCDC has strongly supported Community-led Action Research for many years. We have substantial evidence that this form of research has built the capacity of individuals and communities to evidence the need for and achieve positive change in the services or support provided to their community.

Why Community-led?

By community-led we mean research defined, undertaken, analysed and evidenced by members of the community themselves. It is therefore research OF and BY the community and not, as is traditional, ON and TO the community. This distinction is fundamentally important because in the community-led approach it is the community who define and carry out the research to gather evidence and make recommendations for change.

Why Action Research?

Action research is about using research tools and methods appropriate to engaging with the community concerned. Example methodologies would include drawings, photography, video diaries; drop in sessions and story dialogue; these methods being used in conjunction with or instead of traditional methods such as questionnaires.

Emphasis is placed on ensuring the community is informed of the results of the research in ways that are appropriate to engaging them and showing the importance of their contribution.

Although support and training may be required for those undertaking the research, our evidence shows that, in addition to obtaining high quality research information, a community action research approach delivers:

• Increased capacity and confidence individually and in community groups

• Increased skills base which can be used again and which is transferable

• Groups have increased community support

• Evidence on which communities have been able to successfully argue the need for change in services and support for their community.

To find out more get in touch.

New!

Knowledge is Power is a new programme to support community-led action research in Scotland. Find out more here.

Knowledge
is Power
Supporting community-led action research

Community Resilience and Co-production: Getting to Grips with the Language

This briefing paper from 2011 examines the various terms and concepts associated with co-production, community resilience and building community capacity.

"SCDC would propose that as a community development or health improvement approach, community resilience and co-production can be understood as end points, with engagement and empowerment being the processes through which these endpoints can be reached."

Download it here.