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Network for Community Development

Network for Community Development with Marginalised Social Groups

AT A GLANCE

The project “Network for Community Development with Marginalised Social Groups”, part of the “Lifelong Learning Programme – GRUNDTVIG – Learning Partnership” , aims to facilitate the mutual learning of innovative tools of community development that tackle the problems of marginalised social groups in different regions of Europe. The main aim of the project will be sharing knowledge and experiences of the partner organisations gained from experimental, innovative, interdisciplinary community based methods effective in combating poverty that can be adopted in other countries, in different local contexts.
The aim is to bring methodological innovation cutting across professional boundaries, combining elements of community development and social work, for introducing new approaches of development in seriously marginalized, deprived, often ghettoised localities. The goal of each partner is to facilitate progress that does not only bring anti-poverty measures but also support social integration of different excluded groups.
The present partnership brings together organisations that deal with similar social issues with different methodologies of community development. The cooperation can lead to long –term collaboration based on learning about the different national contexts, methodological approaches and adaptable, good practices.
The mutual learning puts emphasis on gaining practical insight of adaptable initiatives. The project will be based, in a large extent, on collecting valuable experiences by fieldwork, by visiting actual projects dealing with community development of marginalised groups. Experiences will also be shared in workshops with the participation of the partner organisation.

OBJECTIVES

The project will improve the quality and accessibility of mobility throughout Europe of people involved in adult education and to increase its volume, so as to support the mobility of at least 7.000 of such individuals per year by 2013. It will improve the quality and increase the volume of co-operation between organisations involved in adult education throughout Europe. We will assist people from vulnerable social groups and marginal social contexts, in particular older people and those who have left education without basic qualifications, in order to give them alternative opportunities to access adult education.
Moreover dissemination and adaptation will be facilitated by compiling a practical guide on community development with marginalized social groups and by creating short films in the localities and projects visited.

ACTIVITIES

  1. Initial logistics and planning meeting to work out a detailed plan of implementation in Budapest organised by the lead partner.
  2. Workshop on multilateral decentralized cooperation and community development, introducing participants to ALDA’s networking methodology, to the concrete experience of the Municipality of Strasbourg and including a visit to the Council of Europe.
  3. Workshop on methodologies of citizens empowerment, participatory methodologies and community work, with field visit at a project at Barcelona City’s district.
  4. Workshop and learning exchange events with the European partner organisations at three different localities with different problems, showing alternative approaches of community building.
  5. Workshop on community work with disadvantaged groups and field visits with the European Partners to projects introducing community social work with people living in deep poverty in the most disadvantaged regions of Hungary.

Read the guide describing 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.

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