Continuing Professional Development (CPD)Present: Barnett Donna, Clark George, Leece Duncan, Peden Bob, Rennie Joan, Simpson Alison Apologies: McKenzie Alison We began by considering some old saws:
We live in an age where many people value ‘rationality’ as the key to ‘progress’. There is some sense in this but too much rationality and bureaucracy can take the fun out of life. An immaculately planned project (SATURN) might fizzle to nothing because people lose interest whereas a sprawling mess of a project (URANUS) might succeed because people enjoy being involved. As in most things there is merit in the middle way. The CPD philosophy requires people to be rational and systematic in how they make a life and a living. The idea is to figure both your long term career goals and your short term, immediate learning needs and convert these into SMART objectives which can be entered on a project framework as indicated below:
We reviewed the following handouts:
The first three handouts had tick boxes for people to figure their present situation but we used only the first one in this way. This led to suggestions for future topics for Friday afternoon sessions:
None of the hand outs were specifically designed for use in CED support organisations and there was some thought of devising one which could be so used. Was the list of learning codes the beginnings of such a system? Hmm … session of reflection on practice … The space for CED is increasing Policy statements (and therefore funding rules) from Brussels, Westminster and the Scottish Executive now recognize the need for support to Civil Society organisations. With cut backs in government spending and a changing pattern of private enterprise (superstores drive out the small businessmen) there is an increasing amount of social space which has to be filled by community organisations. Use the strength of your own arm, For example public toilets are necessary but Local Government can no longer afford to run them - and they are not viable as private businesses. It has already been shown in Aberdeenshire, however, that communities can manage them.
Funding these days comes with strings attached. It requires a considerable degree of professionalism in preparing grant applications and in reporting on how the money was spent and the objectives achieved. To acquire and hold on to these funds community groups have to become professional and systematic! Making ends meet in CED The idea is for Community Organisations (businesses) to meet community needs without relying on charity from outside. In this way they will be sustainable. When the river flows through your own yard, how can you die of thirst? As in any successful enterprise this will involve cutting costs to match income levels. How might community groups manage such canny thriftiness? The Boyndie Trust is paid by Aberdeenshire Council to engage staff to provide training courses. This is not a grant (gift), it is payment for a professional service delivered by a community group (the Trust). The Board of Directors is made up of local volunteers. The Trust is also developing other activities and therefore paying customers. The Whitehills Marina is owned by the Whitehills Harbour Commissioners (a community group). It provides a service to boat owners and employs a full time member of staff. It pays for itself from fees and because it exists it brings many people, and therefore, business to the village. It will in due course develop other income streams. The shore side building is already being hired as a training venue for Yachtsman’s courses. The Foggie Pavilion is owned by the Community Association and provides changing rooms and gym facilities to local people. Maintenance costs and the salary of the part time manager comes from members fees which are modest compared with what it would cost if it was privately owned. Because the facility exists in Foggie the locals do not have to travel to the big towns to get the facilities, this saves them money. Also, because they do not go to the big towns so often, they do more of their shopping in the village. Use it or lose it. These three CED organisations had grant funding to get going but this was ‘pump-priming’ assistance along the lines of ‘venture capital’ in the private sector. All the grants had to be matched with locally generated funds. The external input was a one-off donation of development assistance not a permanent drip feed of charity. The three groups are legally constituted as not-for-private-profit organisations. Obviously they have to cover their running costs if they are to be sustainable but they are not called upon to make a profit, which would be siphoned off to swell the pockets of shareholders. They are successful if they do not make a loss – they do not have to make a profit. This distinguishes them from private sector organisations. Given that they are not-for-private-profit and that they are owned and directed by volunteers from the community there is also the possibility of calling on contributions in kind (materials or labour) in running the organisations and/or in helping out with fund raising events should the need arise. This distinguishes them from the attitude towards many Council owned buildings and services. Getting Started The welfare state came into formal existence in 1945. Since then people have given up doing things for themselves. There is now a culture of dependence on ‘them’ to do it. This involves a double bind – ordinary people wait for the experts to do it for them and the experts (the ‘officials’ in suits) have come to believe that the ordinary people are incapable of doing it for themselves. If CED is to take off then both groups will have to change their attitudes towards the type of jobs which will exist and the means whereby decisions are made. But the situation is not as bleak as that. There are many people involved in community groups which have been very active and successful in making a difference in their communities. On the whole, however, these groups have attempted fairly small and low-budget projects financed through coffee mornings and other local fund raising events. The challenge is to have community groups take on much bigger projects and to create sustainable CED organisations. The Banffshire Partnership is a community-owned and led organisation which exists to provide information, training and support to local, community groups so that they can build sustainable CED organisations. Its challenge reflects the double bind mentioned above. On the one hand members of community groups must come to realise the types of attitudes, knowledge and skills they will need to enlist or acquire and therefore the type of information, training and/or support they will need. On the other hand the experts must come to accept that community groups are both able and willing to service their own needs and manage their own organisations. The Banffshire Partnership and Portsoy & District Ltd between them now have a track record in CED work which is being increasingly recognised locally, regionally and nationally. Many members of partnership groups, and the paid staff in particular, now have high levels of expertise. They, the local people, are being contracted by funders as ‘consultants’ rather than bringing in experts from the Central Belt. Go home, doctor. Kabir (1398-1448) The road ahead will be rough. CED is a new concept which will involve new ways of working in our new Scottish democracy. There will be those in both high and low places who will resist changing their attitudes and ways. The challenge for the BPL is to engage with existing community groups and partner organisations or stimulate the creation of new ones and convince them that collectively they can grasp the thistle of history and make a difference - a BIG difference. Here’s tae us
Notes by George Clark 09 February 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||