community cohesion training
what worked
NCBI has found that the most powerful way to gain new information about others, and to build unity across group lines, involves sharing together personal stories of mistreatment. As the stories are shared (making sure to include stories from many different groups), participants gain new insight and become powerful allies on behalf of one another. The sharing of stories is followed by a series of skills training activities to ensure that participants back up their newly gained insights with concrete day-to-day leadership skills and actions. The model uses participatory activities which include: pair and small group activities, discussion and experience sharing in the large group; and demonstration of new techniques and skill practice. We create an upbeat tone that increases safety and participation: participants are always welcomed to share - but are never coerced or required to speak in the group.
The workshops and training are designed to be upbeat and fun. A set of ground rules drawn up at the start of each day ensures a framework that enables learning to take place, and can support a relaxed and informal atmosphere to develop where there is a lot of fun and laughter. The trainers have clarity about the difference of laughing at someone’s expense and generally having a good time. We have learnt that whilst prejudice, discrimination or mistreatment of any kind, and marginalisation and isolation are serious and heavy - getting rid of them doesn’t need to be. In fact the more fun people can have on a workshop, the faster the work goes, and the more they want to be involved in being pro-active in building community cohesion.
Although there can be a problem with much leadership training designed to empower people, in that their empowerment can dissipate in the face of tough inter or intra-group issues, we found that when faced with tough conflict, people are more likely to use, for example; conflict resolutions skills, if they have had the opportunity to teach those skills to others. Furthermore, the more people get the opportunity to examine their own experience of racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of mistreatment, the more likely they will be able to reach out to, and understand, the response of others who might also be experiencing mistreatment. Learning to recognise and value the diversity among the participants provided a powerful training experience, which was enhanced by opportunities to learn within small practice groups.
We knew there was a risk that organisational managers may have difficulty in convincing staff to attend workshops or training or that they themselves would be reluctant to attend. We were prepared for those who, though attending, did not want to be there because a line manager had sent them.
In addition to our marketing and re-branding strategies we decided to open the training on offer to anyone working or living in Leicester. Interestingly, this produced our biggest response. For example; we worked with the hospital school at the Royal Infirmary, the Centre for Fun and Families, the Street League, Barnardos, Leicester Action on Domestic Violence, the Children’s Fund, Connexions, Shama Women’s Centre, Resolution, Voluntary Action Leicester, Inter-Faith Network, New College, Caldecote School, Riverside Community School, Beauchamp Community College, Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Centre, Wildcall, Police Community Support Group, Black Environment Network, African Caribbean Centre, Community Initiatives, Advance Housing and Leicester AIDS Support Services. We had expected that the training would be front-loaded – most of it taking place between April 2003 and December 2003. However, the opposite happened and most was delivered between January and September 2004, which we think this is the result of our increased marketing and re-branding.
NCBI’s experience is that encouraging the development of peer leadership teams to conduct prejudice reduction workshops is not only an effective organisational strategy, but is also an effective teaching method for ensuring leadership on diversity issues within organisations. When participants come to a training programme with the assumption that they are preparing to lead prejudice reduction workshops, their learning is both more rapid and profound. Planning and leading the workshops reinforces the learning and personal development of the team members as they work through their own prejudices. It has often been observed that one learns best by teaching. The peer group leadership of prejudice reduction workshops operates on a similar principal: one learns best by leading.
