Our Notebook

thelastingchange intends to offer this section of our site as a learning resource. It will include reflections on our work, case studies, stories and other resources, tools and techniques that we have found useful and inspirational. We will endeavour to update this section on a regular basis.

Our Notebook also contains links to sites that we think are of interest.

Summer 2009

CAPE UK Conference September 30th
National Media Museum, Bradford

Creativity: Luxury or Lifeline?
Survive and thrive in a changing educational landscape

thelastingchange has been invited to run two workshops at this conference:

"Involving people in decision making"
This is a practical workshop to demonstrate and share techniques that underpin successful partnership working. The emphasis will be on developing ways that ensure full and creative participation of all stakeholders.

This workshop is aimed at policy makers, education managers, school staff and creative practitioners.

"Appreciative Inquiry - ensuring positive change" This will consist of a short presentation followed by practical activity exploring a particular approach to enquiry that leads to creative processes being placed at the heart of enquiry.

This workshop is aimed at researchers, education managers, school staff and creative practitioners.

Further details and application forms for the conference van be found at: www.capeuk.org/news/capeuk_conference.html

This August, Elaine Appelbee returns to complete her postgraduate certificate study programme in Positive Business and Societal Change at Case Western University, Cleveland Ohio. The course is taught by David Cooperrider, who originated Appreciative Inquiry.

Spring 2009

Personal Learning and Thinking Skills

In order to equip young people for a rapidly changing world where they will need to be able to respond to new knowledge and develop new skills in the course of their lives, schools are beginning to focus on personal learning and thinking skills. These attributes can be developed in a range of contexts, and are being addressed alongside and within the National Curriculum. The QCA frame work diagram is offered here as a clear illustration which may stimulate thought as to its use in other contexts.

Download Personal Learning and Thinking Skills framework PDF here (232 KB)

Winter 2008

Appreciative Inquiry

'The task of leadership is to align all the strengths so that the weaknesses don't matter.' Peter Drucker in conversation with David Cooperrider

'People felt energised and positive about issues that had seemed impenetrable. The style is particularly effective with a group of partners who may have differing perspectives and experiences.' Eve Dewsnap, Norfolk County Council

thelastingchange has introduced Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as its principal approach to change management. The company is skilled in using whole systems techniques, of which AI is one.

In a nutshell, Appreciative Inquiry is a philosophy and methodology that solves problems by focusing on doing more of what works already and, by implication, doing less of that which is not working. AI recognises that whilst there are problems in any organisation, there are also examples of excellent ways of working in that same organisation, which overcome those problems. AI does not dismiss problems or difficulties, rather it focuses on the excellent practice that exists and asks 'how could we do more of this?' as a means to strengthen and develop the organisation.

AI is future focused - a future that is based on the reality of what is already good and possible. The highlighting of current positive action creates energy for change. The future focus enables people to uncover new possibilities as they answer the question: 'what would happen if we did more of this?'

Turning policy into action - North East Lincolnshire Neighbourhood Management Project Board

Identifying the best of 'what is'

Imagining the future, picturing results

Finding pride in the present and working with enjoyment creates the energy for change

thelastingchange is using AI in a range of settings in the public and voluntary sectors. One of our Directors is currently in receipt of a scholarship and undertaking a course of study with the originator of Appreciative Inquiry, Professor David Cooperrider at the Weatherhead Business School, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

West Norfolk Partnership

In responding to a quality of life survey which showed that residents had low satisfaction rates about living in a particular rural area, a Borough Council commissioned tlc to use Appreciative Inquiry to uncover the strengths of the area and its people. In five hours 80 residents, politicians, business people, public sector workers, volunteers and community organisations analysed the strengths of the area, identified actions that would improve the quality of life and created a vision for the future. From this work the major themes have been drawn out and these will be explored and turned into a formal Vision and action plans at an Appreciative Inquiry Summit involving 150 people in June 2009.

Autumn 2008

Tim Appelbee has been working for a number of years as a Creative Agent for the Creative Partnerships programme on behalf of thelastingchange

Here is some information about what is entailed in the role of Creative Agent. It is a role fit for a superhero, as you will see. The role fits very well with thelastingchange philosophy of partnership working. It is offered here as a model for acting as a catalyst for change and development in other contexts…………

What is a creative agent?

Background to the role
Creative Agents are the extended team of Creative Partnerships. The role has been established in acknowledgement of the unique and complex nature of partnership working, the value of an 'independent' perspective and the importance of sustained, supported relationships in ensuring effectiveness and reach.

Creative Agents need to be creative thinkers and ideas generators, able to successfully negotiate partnerships between schools, the wider creative and cultural sector and beyond through their proven understanding and sensitivity to the needs of these different sectors. Creative agents draw on their practical experience of 'creativity', and can act as a catalyst able to respond to a schools specific dynamic, rather than applying a pre-determined process.

Whether from arts, culture, education, science, or other sectors, their key skills will be their ability to challenge and support new practice in the field of creative learning.

Creative Agents support schools and creative practitioners through acting as a critical friend: this can mean asking challenging questions within a supportive context. They support schools and creative practitioners to work with young people as equal partners.

There are four key phases that a Creative Agent supports a school through on a Creative Partnerships process. Although presented sequentially, they can often happen simultaneously:

Diagnostic: Analysing where a school is at and how a Creative Partnerships process might be most effectively introduced and owned by a school. For Creative Partnerships to be most effective, it has to be done with and not to a school.
Planning and Brokering: Establishing a focus question, enquiry framework and action plan, with appropriate creative practitioners, to deliver a creative learning programme of work.
Change Management: Supporting the school and creative practitioners to introduce and implement changes, planned and incidental, that emerges through a Creative Partnerships programme;
Evaluation and Sustainability: Ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are involved in reflecting on the learning that has emerged from the Creative Partnerships process;

What do creative agents do?

Principal purpose:
The principal function of the Creative Agent is to act as the ambassador for creative learning with schools and creative partners. They need to model the Creative Partnerships values of questioning, connecting, imagining and reflecting as they develop and broker creative learning projects between schools and creative partners.

The role of the Creative Agent is to support the development of creative learning in schools through:

Articulating and sharing the vision of creative learning between all the partners;
Developing an enquiry based approach to Creative Partnerships work;
Brokering and supporting the partnerships between schools and creative practitioners to enable creative learning projects to take place.

Role purpose and responsibilities - key areas:

Developing and managing effective relationships with schools

To work in partnership with a school leadership team to identify a clear focussed area of work that has relevance and importance to the school
To explore creative, realistic and tailor made approaches to developing that area of work to produce an enquiry framework, unique and specific to that school and linked to the school development plan
To develop programmes in ways that maximise the active participation of a broad range of partners in a truly inclusive manner and supports schools to develop ownership of and responsibility for the programme
To bring their own creative expertise and networks to Creative Partnerships development of school programmes

Planning and Brokering

To work with schools and area delivery organisations to contribute to the recruitment of creative practitioners identified by Creative Partnerships
To broker partnerships with creative practitioners who can work with the school to turn this enquiry framework into an action plan for a creative learning programme of work
To work with young people, teachers and school staff, and where appropriate, parents and the wider community, to develop an inspirational long-term programme of activities in partnership with creative practitioners which reflects the aims and objectives of all partners
To link the school with other ideas, approaches, experiences and organisations that may support this work

Programme Management

To monitor and manage time effectively, to produce accurate timely records as required.
To apply Creative Partnerships values and policies of best practice; ensuring adequate provision is made for monitoring and evaluation and quality assurance

To ensure that project proposals and programmes of work are:

founded on clear understandings of roles and responsibilities and partnership between all partners
financially viable and sustainable
effective in gathering evidence and evaluation that is built in to all creative project work

Evaluation and Sustainability

To support the school to identify and embed the learning that has emerged into their planning in order to sustain the development of creative learning across relevant aspects of the school
To ensure the project is kept focused on the key question and supporting the school in evaluation and reflection
To share learning with all of the Creative Partnerships team so that it can inform future projects and approaches

Team activities

To work as a team with other Creative Agents and Creative Partnerships core staff , providing regular updates and attending regular planning, monitoring and evaluation meetings
To liaise effectively between the Creative Partnerships team within the area delivery organisation and the school
To raise profile of Creative Partnerships and act as ambassador for creative learning, representing Creative Partnerships at events in school and outside to share experiences and advocate for the work
To attend and participate in induction and professional learning sessions
To contribute to the development of a professional working and learning environment within the organisation feeding into the continual development and improvement of Creative Partnerships, locally, regionally and nationally
To contribute to the organisation's understanding of diversity and its implications for the creativity and creative learning and to ensure that this understanding informs all Creative Partnerships ' activities
To ensure adherence to Creative Partnerships policies and procedures with particular reference to Equal Opportunities and Health and Safety

Additional

Child Protection

Successful applicants will have to undergo the enhanced disclosure check required for working with children and vulnerable people through the Criminal Records Bureau and understand and adhere to the area delivery organisation's safeguarding and child protection and health and safety policies.

What knowledge, experience and skills do Creative agents need?

Person specification
The key competencies (knowledge, skills, experience, qualifications etc) the role is required to demonstrate:

	Essential	Desirable
Knowledge	Knowledge of creativity, the creative process and creative learning Knowledge and understanding of collaboration and effective partnership working Understanding of schools' organisational structures and the challenges facing schools Understanding of, and commitment to, the vision, values and objectives of Creative Partnerships Understands the importance of advocating for the wider use of creative learning methodologies with key partners of influence Understanding of reflective practice	Knowledge of current education context and initiatives impacting on the creative learning agenda and Creative Partnerships Understanding of curriculum and school needs Understanding of pupils as co-participants in learning and child-centred learning
Experience	Experience of establishing confident and productive relationships with a range of stakeholders Demonstrates a varied interest in cultural practice and networks proactively	Experience of building long-term, sustainable relationships with individuals and organisations
Skills	High level of creative expertise The ability to seek out collaboration and engage dynamically in partnerships with a range of partners Project planning, including strong budget management skills, attention to detail and ability to work to deadlines Ability to express ideas and theories about creativity using accessible language Ability to devise with colleagues, a broad range of needs-based programmes of activity that are aligned with the individual or group learning needs or broader development issues in the school High level of personal organisation and excellent time management Excellent facilitation and negotiation skills and understanding of contracts and partnerships Ability to work with children and young people as equal partners in an exploratory process

How should Creative Agents behave?

The distinctive behaviours that creative agents bring to the collaborative partnership are listed below:

Readiness to embrace risk and change
Ability to create an environment that fosters effective partnership working
The habit of thinking divergently and looking at things in unconventional ways from unusual perspectives
Ability to retain an independent perspective
A heightened imagination and sense of possibilities
A commitment to excellence in creative processes and production
A commitment to diversity and social inclusiony
Commitment to reflective practice and own professional learning

Summer 2008

Orlando Fals Borda - Sociologist and political activist

July 11th 1925- August 12th 2008

His four guidelines for sociology researchers.

"Do not monopolise your knowledge nor impose arrogantly your techniques, but respect and combine your skills with the knowledge of the researched or grassroots communities, taking them as full partners and co-researchers.

Do not trust elitist versions of history and science which respond to dominant interests, but be receptive to counter-narratives and try to recapture them.

Do not depend solely on your culture to interpret facts, but recover local values, traits, beliefs, and arts for action by and with the research organisations.

Do not impose your own ponderous scientific style for communicating results, but diffuse and share what you have learned together with the people, in a manner that is wholly understandable and even literary and pleasant, for science should not be necessarily a mystery nor a monopoly of experts and intellectuals."

Spring 2008

Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational quotations are extensively used as part of the working process for the personal development courses and programmes undertaken with thelastingchange

Participants are invited to click here and select what they find most useful!

August 2007

The Tale of the Sands

A stream, from its source in far off mountains, at last reached the sands of the desert. Just as it had crossed every other barrier, the stream tried to cross this one, but it found that as fast as it ran into the sand, its waters disappeared.

It was convinced, however, that its destiny was to cross this desert, and yet there was no way. Now a hidden voice, coming from the desert itself, whispered: “The wind crosses the desert, and so can the stream.”

The stream objected that it was dashing itself against the sand, and only getting absorbed: that the wind could fly and this was why it could cross a desert.

“By hurtling in your own accustomed way you cannot get across. You will either disappear or become a marsh. You must allow the wind to carry you over to your destination.”

But how could this happen?

“By allowing yourself to be absorbed in the wind”

This idea was not acceptable to the stream. After all, it had never been absorbed before. It did not want to lose its individuality. And, once having lost it, how was one to know that it could ever be regained?

“The wind”, said the sand “performs this function. It takes up water, carries it over the desert, and then lets it fall again. Falling as rain, the water again becomes a river.”

“How can I know that this is true?”

“It is so, and if you do not believe it, you cannot become more than a quagmire and even that could take many, many years; and it certainly is not the same as a stream”.

“But can I not remain the same stream that I am today?”

“You cannot in either case remain so,” the whisper said. “Your essential part is carried away and forms a stream again. You are called what you are even today because you do not know which part of you is the essential one”.

When he heard this, certain echoes began to arise in the thoughts of the stream. Dimly, he remembered the state in which he – or some part of him, was it? – had been held in the arms of a wind. He also remembered – or did he? - that this was the real thing, not necessarily the obvious thing, to do.

And the stream raised his vapour into the welcoming arms of the wind which gently and easily bore it upwards and along, letting it fall softly as soon as they reached the roof of a mountain, many, many miles away.
And because he had had his doubts, the stream was able to remember and record more strongly in his mind the details of the experience. He reflected, “Yes, now I have learned my true identity.”

The stream was learning. But the sands whispered: “We know because we see it happen day after day: and because we, the sands, extend from the riverside all the way to the mountain.”

And that is why it is said that the way in which the Stream of Life is to continue on its journey is written in the Sands.

Idries Shah, 1967, based on a version from Awa Afifi the Tunisian. On reflection, it did not seem so much of a coincidence when Elaine discovered that this story is one that both Pam and Tim had previously used in differing learning strategies and different circumstances. We offer it here as a key meditation on the nature of partnership for lasting change.

International Conference - Champions of Participation May 30th- June 4th 2007

This unique five-day international event brought together local government workers from around the world to share and learn from experiences of how democracy works in their countries. Forty-five local government and community engagement practitioners from the UK and fourteen other countries in Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and Latin America explored the challenges they face as officers and elected representatives working within local government trying to promote citizen engagement, and as citizens working from the outside to try to engage with local governments. This event was co-sponsored by the Institute of Development Studies, the UK Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), the UK Department for International Development (DFID), and Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA).

Two directors of thelastingchange were involved as participants and joint hosts of the site visit to Bradford. The invitation to be part of the conference and to host a visit was recognition of the pioneering work on participatory democracy which the directors have been responsible for leading and developing over the past thirteen years in Bradford.

Elaine Appelbee reporting back from one of the workshops

Participants spent two days in Lewes, East Sussex to discuss the challenges they face when championing participation in their own contexts and share practical strategies for dealing with these challenges. They then divided into four groups to visit Bradford, Somerset, Newcastle and London, places that are themselves promoting citizen action in their constituencies. The group reconvened in London to synthesize lessons and strategies that they have formulated throughout the workshop and site visits. These were presented in a debriefing session, to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State from Communities and Local Governments, Angela Smith MP, plus a panel of high level government officials, leading UK academics and activists in this field.

The Minister for Local Governance (Panchayati Raj) in India, Mani Shankar Aiyar, gave a fascinating key-note address at the opening of the event.

India, the world's largest democracy, has one of the most far reaching and visionary systems of democracy. There are an incredible 3.2 million elected representatives to allow people's voices and opinions to be heard. As many as 1.2 million of these representatives are women. The Minister said, 'There are more women elected representatives in India than there are in the rest of the world put together.'

The workshops on the first two days focused on questions such as:

What are the challenges and dilemmas facing those within local government who try to promote citizen engagement and empowerment?
What barriers have to be overcome by citizen representatives who seek to engage?
What are the strategies for making citizen engagement work and empower local people and communities despite these challenges?

The most striking feature of the discussions was how similar were the challenges and experiences of encouraging and supporting participation, despite the very different contexts from which we came. One clear message that came from the international participants was the importance of government's enshrining participation in legislation, making it a right not merely a permission.

That is not to minimise some of the real differences that exist between north and south. For example in some contexts encouraging participation is almost impossible because the dangers to individual citizens are too great. Olivio Dutra, the founder of participatory budgeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil highlighted another difference - the relative strength and stability of public institutions in the north.

Olivio Dutra from Porto Alegre, Brazil with the Lord Mayor of Bradford

Our visitors on the Bradford site visit came from Spain, Hungary, America and Brazil, London and nearer to home, Rotherham! The programme provided them with opportunities to meet the local heroes of Bradford Vision's action planning programme in neighbourhoods and with different communities of interest; political leaders and elected members who have become champions of participation themselves; and senior representatives from the public and voluntary sectors. A valued feature of the visit, from the visitor's perspective, was the use of participatory techniques to enable them to contribute to and to learn from the encounters with the Bradford team. This included a half day mini-conference where we shared our knowledge and experience to develop some agreed principles and values that we all believed are key to ensuring successful participation by citizens.

It was an inspiring few days. It re-emphasised for us that we are not alone in our passion for supporting and encouraging the participation of citizens, especially those living in the most disadvantaged circumstances. Friendships were born and alliances forged that will enrich our work over the coming years.

Links

CAPE UK: www.capeuk.org
Creative Partnerships: www.creative-partnerships.com
Appreciative Inquiry: appreciativeinquiry.case.edu
Communities in control - www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/summarycommunities
NLP training courses - www.nlpand.co.uk
www.nlpand.co.uk
businessballs - www.businessballs.com

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