LEARNING WITH RAPAR

The Sligo LEADER Partnership Co- Social Inclusion Good Practice Fund 2010.
The Sligo LEADER Partnership Company recently secured funding to develop and demonstrate a good practice methodology in Social Inclusion as part of the celebration of the European Year for Social Inclusion 2010.

This good practice model is based on the development of key tools and methodologies which support Community Development Practitioners in the C&V Sector as well as Clinicians and Proffessionals from key service provider organisations as they attempt to support and meet the needs of vulnerable groups in Sligo, Ireland, in particular; the refugee and asylum seeker community and other ethnic minority groups including travellers.

The company has secured the services of Dr Rhetta Moran and Ms. Zeinab Monhamed of RAPAR who will facilitate this series of workshops over two weekends (2nd & 3rd October and 16th & 17th October). The training is targeted at professional staff, training and development officers and clinicians of service provider organisations and professional community development workers supporting ethnic minority groups in Sligo including: Asylum Seekers, Refugees, Travellers and other very disadvantaged and marginalised groups and individuals.
Expected Outcomes:
  • Community Development Practitioners, Community Facilitators and Training & Development Officers of key service providers will learn and be able to use a range of PRA tools and methodologies and have recieved step-by-step guidance in how to apply them.
  • Practitioners and Facilitators will be able to conduct research which works with people, not on them.
  • Practitioners will be able to explore the concerns of groups that are marginalised, powerless, disadvantaged and voiceless.
  • Practitioners will be able to respond appopriately to literacy/cultural literacy issues and for those where English is not their first language or who may not have any English.
  • Practitioners will be able to engage with stakeholders and service providers in a positive manner.
  • Practitioners will be able to move forward towards this action, sustainable development and positive change.
  • Practitioners will be able to gain insights into how PRA can enable a group or community to democratically share knowledge and identify creative responses and solutions to commonly-shared problems.
  • Practitioners will learn the skills to operate confidently in situations where knowledge of the core principles and practices of participatory research is necessary.
  • RAPAR will facilitate those who wish to conduct, foster, commission or supervise PRA approaches.
  • RAPAR will develop the required skills for those considering adopting a PLA approach in their work.
  • RAPAR will instill the belief in Practitioners that there are simple practical tools for enabling the least powerful to fully participate in decisions that affect their wellbeing.
Links:

Information on the European Year for Social Inclusion 2010:
http://www.dsfa.ie/EN/eu2010/pages/eu2010.aspx

The Sligo LEADER Partnership Company:
www.sligoleader.com