Birkbeck and London CVS Network: Community Development Course
Starts:
Finishes:
Venue:
Birkbeck Main Building, Malet Street
The 5 -Week programme provides learning, networking and capacity building opportunities for individuals based in London who want to improve their skills in developing and supporting community projects. The course will be delivered by Birkbeck’s Community Development teaching team in partnership with the London CVS network. Over the last 7 years, Birkbeck has delivered 15 community courses in London, reaching over 300 participants and has also delivered bespoke courses for the Trussell Trust and Southwark Borough Council.
The course is made up of 5 in-person sessions taking place weekly to:
- Provide opportunities to learn about and reflect on Community Development & Leadership
- Increase collaboration between Voluntary and Community Sector support workers, share resources and network
- Build participants’ skills, supporting them to make change
- Link participants to key resources and ideas to improve their practice.
Target audience
- People wishing to move into work supporting the development of voluntary and community sector groups.
- People newly recruited to a post involving the development of voluntary and community sector organisations.
- Groups underrepresented in the third sector, ideally widening participation into employment and upskilling and retaining existing staff who fulfil this criteria.
Eligibility
To fulfil the funder requirements, there must be a minimum of 10 participants without a UK undergraduate degree. All participants must be aged 21+. We will prioritise those who meet the requirements and the target audience criteria first, and offer places from a waiting list after this.
Support
Inclusion and accessibility support available. The team has extensive experience and training in supporting different needs and we aim to be a welcoming and friendly space.
Course Content
The sessions provide participants with the opportunity to learn about and apply key principles and practice of Community Leadership and Development. The course combines theoretical analysis, reflection on practice, case studies and the latest policy and research developments in the field. The sessions will also provide opportunities to share good practice and network.
Session 1: Introducing Community Development: Ideas and Case Studies
What does a “Community Development” approach entail and how does this link to issues of power and challenging inequality. Through key thinkers and case studies, we introduce core Community Development principles and approaches and explore applying these to professional practice.
Session 2: Project Development
This session will explore aspects of designing and delivering community projects, including identifying needs, engaging communities and volunteers, fundraising and being collaborative. We also explore accessing and sharing key resources, research and information including CVS support.
Session 3: Understanding the UK Voluntary and Community Sector
What makes the Voluntary and Community Sector unique and how has it emerged over time? We explore how the sector is governed and funded and place it within a historical context of social change in the UK.
Session 4: Community Leadership Styles and Skills
What does it mean to be a community leader or take on a leadership role in a community project? This session will focus on the different skills and styles of leadership, how these link to community and voluntary projects/ organisations and their ability to influence local decision making.
Session 5: Society and Policy: Key issues for the sector
We explore how social issues affect the Voluntary and Community Sector and also how the sector attempts to generate social change. We explore some of the current challenges including populism, cost of living and social inequality. We also consider how policy impacts communities.
Birkbeck certificate of participation available for attendees of 4+ sessions.
Contact name: Laura Bradnam
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