BPL ACCESS staff learning support session – 24 August 2001 – Prepared by George G Clark

Helping to make changes

It is only our own community which we can change
without the risk of destroying it.

Aims:

By the end of this session participants should be more consciously aware of:

the type of role(s) they might collectively play in helping CED groups to be more effective
the types of role that they individually could play now, or possibly in the future
changes needed in their own ASK if they are to play a wider range of roles

Partnership staff help community groups to make changes by providing information, training and support. This involves helping group members alter their attitudes, skills and knowledge (ASK) so as to better plan for and manage their common projects. This might mean that a staff member is a:

advisor
analyst
animateur
cat-to-kick
change agent
coach
consultant

counselor
critical-friend
demonstrator
educator
expert
facilitator
guide

guru
instructor
learning-supporter
mentor
networker
process-facilitator
psychoanalyst

punch-bag
shoulder-to-cry-on
teacher
therapist
trainer
tutor

So what roles should staff play when helping others to make changes in their ASK so as to have better community projects?

The first handout suggests that groups often need some outside support to get started and that this had best be participatory, meaningful and jargon-free.

Involving the community in devising community indicators

980923e

The next set of handouts looks at a range of different ways of thinking about the role of support staff. There are many possibilities and the sequence moves from change agent, through facilitator to adviser and on to mentor.

Types of tutor/ facilitator/ adviser authority	g9801016d
The project agent	941209b
External agents in PTD	941215c
Facilitator roles for intervention	g951201
Facilitating Change – keys to advisory success of failure	g971215a
Advisers as external agents of change	g951214e
The 7Ds of a successful adviser	g971215b
The role of the external mentor	g970626

The next set of handouts draws on the long-term, hands-on experience of CED in Sri Lanka. The hard hitting author, Siresena Tilakaratna, is an associate member of the Caledonia Centre for Social Development of which George is presently Convenor. Great stress is laid on sustainability demanding that CED should be done BY people rather than FOR them – and even then …

Stimulation of self-reliant initiatives	941107
For commitment to survive	941114
Sensitization of those who would intervene	941107b
Coping with oralcy – being the scribe	941009

Give each man thine ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgement …

Of the best leaders when they are gone, the people say, "We did it ourselves"

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