community cohesion training

feedback

Sign-ups for the workshops and intensive training events was slow and five workshops had to be cancelled in the first half of the programme. One of these had 11 people booked with only 2 showing up (one arrived so late in the day that we cancelled, and then saw the person as we were leaving the building!). We have long recognised the unfortunate need to charge people something for workshops and training as it results in a greater 'buy-in' and fewer no-shows, but this wasn’t the case with Pathfinder training and we often had people feeling they could dip in and out of a workshop or training day as if it was a drop-in centre.

We gave participants evaluation forms at the end of every workshop and intensive training event. Some comments were inevitably negative – and we expect this. Our style, is not hard hitting, but it does encourage people to examine their own perceptions and many come to training workshops expecting only to receive a ‘chalk and talk’ presentation from a trainer. Our approach is highly interactive and experiential with a range of activities designed to gently assist people look at what they think, believe and hold dear. It’s not an approach for everyone.

We had feedback from some managers. For example, Paul Vaughan, the Lead Officer from Leicester Youth Service was keen to ensure his youth work staff participated in the training programme, and he had already decided this was the key thing he was hoping to get out of the Pathfinder programme. At first it proved to be difficult to enthuse youth workers to sign up. However, this organisation was a good example of sustained and ongoing marketing working; in the end 14 youth workers attended a 1-day workshop and some went on to attend the intensive training.

Listed below are some extracts of the feedback received, indicating what the participants themselves felt was useful:
- Learning about effective strategies to overcome conflict will help me in my work.
- It was excellent to have the involvement of young people on the delivery team.
- It has changed the way I look at things and the way I challenge - before the training I would have probably ignored the prejudicial comment.
- It’s given me ideas on how I can create a safe environment in my workplace and I’ve now got the ability to include people without putting them under pressure.
- The methods and materials were upbeat and supportive.
- I’ve learnt how to be less defensive and more supportive of people.
- I learnt a lot of skills and have done a lot of healing work. This is an excellent place, you create the time and space to learn about the issues in a safe environment and atmosphere.
- I’m really glad I came for the second day; I’ve now got a lot of ideas about how to resolve conflict situations before they get out of hand.
- Great training methods – it worked really well, but this was only the start and I want more. I would like to be able to deliver this training myself.
- The nature of the training is that you are given ideas to work with that can be developed outside of the day – the balance was just right. It was a refreshing approach to training and easy to be involved in sometimes quite intense work.
- It was great getting to see how everyone can be listened to and to learn that everyone has something to say – this doesn’t usually happen in our community.
- The best thing was being in a room of people committed to looking at all the issues of equality and diversity to build a better community.