We also had a visit from a London MP who came, along with two local councillors, to look at some of our work in Tower Hamlets. Subsequently he wrote a most complimentary letter to Ruth Spellman thanking the Organisers and the tutor concerned. The visit was facilitated by one of our WEA Ambassadors, Paul Simpson, and is part of our efforts to raise our profile in the London political and policy community. I’m looking forward to the next meeting of the WEA Branches’ forum on February 18 th where, amongst other things, we’ll be discussing the 2014/15 brochure which we’re hoping to launch during Adult Learners’ Week, beginning June 14 th . The brochure will incorporate the WEA’s new ‘brand guidelines’ that quite a few London staff and volunteers have been involved in selecting. Hopefully this will help us generate lots of interest in next year’s courses. We are also planning a celebratory event with London region volunteers and there will be a report on this at the forum. Pete Caldwell WEA Regional Director, London WEA London News WEA London Region February 2014 Issue 4 Newsletter C ONTENTS Training Support at MOL 2 Community Outreach 3 All Our Stories 5 Safe at work? 8 Lift Off 10 Venue hire 12 Book Launch event 13 There’s plenty going on in London WEA! You will probably have heard the outcome of the December Ofsted inspection, here’s the link to the report: http:// www.wea.org.uk/ofsted I’d encourage you to read it; it’s very positive, rates us ‘good’ on all counts and there are some really pleasing comments about WEA tutors and volunteers. London played a big part in the inspection so credit is due to many of our tutors, students and staff. Pictured left to right: Cllr Helal Uddin, Tower Hamlets. Sue Nicholas, WEA London. Jim Fitzpatrick, MP, Poplar & Limehouse. Nita Karia, WEA London. Joanne Rowlands, Poplar HARCA. Danny Hassell, Labour Party Candidate, Tower Hamlets.
Transcript
We also had a visit from a London MP who came, along with two local councillors, to look at some of our work in Tower Hamlets. Subsequently he wrote a most complimentary letter to Ruth Spellman thanking the Organisers and the tutor concerned. The visit was facilitated by one of our WEA Ambassadors, Paul Simpson, and is part of our efforts to raise our profile in the London political and policy community.
I’m looking forward to the next meeting of the WEA Branches’ forum on February 18th where, amongst other things, we’ll be discussing the 2014/15 brochure which we’re hoping to launch during Adult Learners’ Week, beginning June 14th. The brochure will incorporate the WEA’s new ‘brand guidelines’ that quite a few London staff and volunteers have been involved in selecting. Hopefully this will help us generate lots of interest in next year’s courses. We are also planning a celebratory event with London region volunteers and there will be a report on this at the forum.
Pete Caldwell
WEA Regional Director, London
WEA London News
WEA London Region
February 2014 Issue 4
Newsletter
CONTENTS
Training Support at MOL 2
Community Outreach 3
All Our Stories 5
Safe at work? 8
Lift Off 10
Venue hire 12
Book Launch event 13
There’s plenty going on in London WEA! You will probably have heard the outcome of the December Ofsted inspection, here’s the link to the report: http://www.wea.org.uk/ofsted I’d encourage you to read it; it’s very positive, rates us ‘good’ on all counts and there are some really pleasing comments about WEA tutors and volunteers. London played a big part in the inspection so credit is due to many of our tutors, students and staff. Pictured left to right: Cllr Helal Uddin, Tower Hamlets. Sue Nicholas, WEA
London. Jim Fitzpatrick, MP, Poplar & Limehouse. Nita Karia, WEA London. Joanne Rowlands, Poplar HARCA. Danny Hassell, Labour Party Candidate, Tower Hamlets.
Nita Karia from WEA London teamed up with Julie Carr from the Museum of London to present a training day to a group of parents and school support staff around accompanying learners on educational visits to the Museum of London. The aim of the day was to introduce parents and school support staff to the museum and to help them develop an expressive vocabulary when visiting and talking about the exhibits in the museum. The session was themed around the Great Fire of London and discussion focused on various ways of using museum displays to support ESOL learners (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and their families in understanding London’s history. Attendees had an opportunity to visit the London’s Burning exhibition in the War, Plague & Fire gallery and to handle and discuss museum objects from the time of the Great Fire.
Training Support for Educational Visits at the Museum of London
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Model of Thomas Farriner’s bakery where the Great Fire of 1666 began. The London’s Burning exhibition
‘Everyone really enjoyed the session today. The Museum of London is an invaluable asset to London and equally important to people who want to know more about the history of the city where they live.’
Nita Karia
Julie Carr, Museum of London introduces ob‐ject handling to learners.
Learners had an opportunity to handle and discuss objects from the museum.
Nita Karia (centre) summing up the day
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Community Outreach with an American Flavour
During the 2013 Autumn term the WEA London Region piloted a successful community outreach project thanks to a collaboration with the University of Connecticut (UConn) in London and three WEA London branches who agreed to be part of this adventure and provided their unfailing support: Finchley and Golders Green, Ruislip & Uxbridge, and Bexley. Central to the success of this project was the extraordinary enthusiasm and hard work of two remarkable US exchange students, Kayla Laprise and Leah Head, pictured left & centre above.
The University of Connecticut in London runs a Global Citizenship programme which provides volunteering opportunities for exchange students from the Unites States. Students apply to live and study in London for a full academic term and they commit to volunteering for up to two full days a week alongside their studies. This is ‘global citizenship’ in practice: whilst
They researched local demographics and compiled detailed databases of local organizations and community groups. In the second stage they made contact with these organizations via email or telephone, and whenever possible they set up meetings with them to illustrate the WEA work in the local area and discuss potential collaborations.
The outcomes of this project were very positive. Kayla and Leah and staff from the London office attended meetings with organisations such as the Uxbridge community centre, Relate in Ruislip, Advocacy for All in Bexley, and Community in Barnet. Additional meetings with other organisations are scheduled for the near future and several other organisations, as a result of Kayla and Leah’s first contact, have requested to be kept informed about the WEA’s local activities…continued
studying theoretical models, US students also experience first-hand community work abroad, in London’s diverse cultural and social landscape.
The WEA hosted Kayla and Leah from September to December 2013. They worked on a community outreach project in collaboration with three WEA branches. The project, aimed at increasing the WEA branches visibility in the local areas and at developing links with local organisations and community groups, consisted in two main phases. During the first stage Kayla and Leah, who were based in our London offices, devoted themselves to desktop research and profiled the three London boroughs in which the participating branches are located.
Pictured left to right: Leah Held (Intern), Audrey Stewart (London REM), Benedicke Morley (Regional Organiser & Volunteer Coordinator), Kayla Laprise (Intern), Anita Bernstein (Golders Green branch volunteer), Eileen Ramberan (Ruislip & Uxbridge branch volunteer), Viola Brisolin (Tutor Organiser), Ann Hayes, (Community Outreach Coordinator).
The University of Connecticut in London runs a Global Citizenship programme which provides volunteering opportunities for exchange students from the Unites States.
We’re on Facebook!
Before their departure in December, Kayla and Leah handed over all the information gathered in the previous months to the branch volunteers and the relevant regional staff. In this way, the sustainability of this project was guaranteed: the contacts they made will be nurtured and developed by local WEA volunteers and regional organisers, further steps may be taken, and the benefits of this project can be reaped over the long term.
The branches involved were pleased with the outcomes. Caroline Field of Uxbridge & Ruislip branch commented: ‘The UConn experiment, ably led by Regional Organiser Viola Brisolin, has been most successful. The lively and thorough research conducted by the two interns, Kayla and Leah,
has benefited Ruislip & Uxbridge Branch by opening up communication with other service providers in the area. Meeting Kayla and Leah has been a great pleasure.'
Anita Bernstein of the Finchley and Golders Green branch pointed out that Kayla and Leah
‘worked hard and discovered organisations whose members might be interested in attending WEA classes’. She also highlighted that, as a result of their networking, ‘a stall for WEA was set up in conjunction with a big event at a local Library’. This was a baking competition held at the North Finchley Library. Thanks to the US volunteers’ first contact, the WEA was able not only to be present at the event, but also to judge the competition and act as a ‘sponsor’ by offering a prize to the competition winner!
Kayla and Leah brought a breath of fresh air to the WEA London Region. Their enthusiasm was infectious and their fresh thinking inspirational. They espoused the WEA’s values with a passion and were extraordinary ambassadors for our work. From their perspective, it was a very rewarding experience: they pointed out how important it
was that they could work with an organisation like ours.
Eileen Ramberan of Bexley branch said: ‘We now have several leads to follow up and are hopeful that there will be some good outcomes. I would definitely encourage other branches to take part in any future repetition of this project. It does not involve branch members in a huge amount of extra work and could benefit the branch greatly which can only win - it certainly will not lose. A great advantage is that the students are young and enthusiastic, fresh to the challenge and coming with a fresh perspective on the task ahead. This must come over during their conversations with the contacts they make.’
Given the success of this pilot, we hope to repeat the project again in the near future. The WEA could host US global volunteers again from September. We encourage the London branches who are interested in this project to come forward and have a preliminary discussion with us.
If you are interested in participating in a similar program or for more information about this project, please contact Viola Brisolin, WEA London, Tutor Coordinator: [email protected]
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Kayla and Leah brought a breath of fresh air to WEA London Region. Their enthusiasm was infectious and their fresh thinking inspirational.
All Our Stories: A collaborative project with St Mungo’s, London Transport Museum and the WEA
The ‘All Our Stories’ project engaged people who have experienced homelessness to visit six London museums and develop tours of the London Transport Museum. The project was run in partnership with St Mungo’s charity, London Transport Museum and the WEA.
Through the visits participants were encouraged to be inspired by museums, and perceived barriers to access were challenged. Drawing on the different strengths of each partner, the project facilitated skills development and confidence building through training for tour devel-opment and delivery.
A video of this project can be viewed in the News area of the WEA London Region website
www.london.wea.org.uk/news
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Participants benefited enormously from the range of museum visits. Many re-flected that they would not have known some of the museums existed, or would not have chosen to visit them, but were extremely glad that they had. Several said that their attitudes to museums had changed, and they were actively visiting more museums as a result of the pro-ject.
Attendees who had been on previous museum projects said that some of-fered tokenistic outcomes, which they felt was patronising. In this case they appreciated the opportunity to work on something which was valued by the museum and was designed to be part of the public offer.
Delivering a guided tour at the end of the project was a strong motivator for engage-ment, and many participants clearly put in a great deal of effort both during the sessions and in their own time.
'It was very encouraging to see so many people wanting to learn or improve a practical skill that is also a useful life skill.'
Elaine Taylor and Judith Turnbull from WEA London spent a busy Saturday morning over at the West Green Learning Centre Community Open Day in Haringey.
Over 30 people from the local community attended our knitting and sewing workshops which covered topics such as: an introduction to knitting and how to use an electric sewing machine.
Attendees were shown how to use the sewing machines safely and then practiced on paper. When they perfected straight and curved lines, they progressed to selecting a fabric and were shown how to prepare it and machine stitch a small holdall bag with lace handles.
There was a wide range of machine sewing experience exhibited by the participants and for some it was their very first time. By the end of the session everyone had created at least one bag with some able to produce more.
Those wanting to learn to knit selected their yarn and, using a pair of knitting needles, were shown how to cast on, cast off and knit a variety of different stitches.
Nearly all of the people who attended decided they would like to enrol on either a knitting or sewing course in the future.
Judith said 'It was very encouraging to see so many people wanting to learn or improve a practical skill that is also a useful life skill.'
West Green Learning Centre Community Open Day: 2013
Page 6 Newsletter
Elaine (centre) with open day attendees at the West Green learning centre
A young visitor tries his hand at knitting at the open day
Anyone wishing to know more about our knitting & sewing courses can contact Elaine Taylor: [email protected] or Judith Turnbull
Latest from Twitter Join the conversation; follow us
@wealondon
Website Statistics www.london.wea.org.uk
Jim Fitzpatrick, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, visited our Dressmaking & Soft Furnishings class on 24th Jan in Poplar. Jim was so impressed with Mona Nashed and her course that he sent this message via Twitter:
The message was ‘Re-Tweeted’ (re-sent) by Tower Hamlets Labour Party and had an instant reach of over 5,000 people. This shows the potential that social media has for reaching many people within a very short space of time.
Jim later posted this on his website:
‘I was delighted to meet Mona and her sewing class last Friday on the Lincoln Estate. The class is organised by the fantastic Workers’ Educational Association and it was really inspiring to talk with the students and hear how much they're learning. Mona and her students have big plans for the future and I hope this great community project goes from strength to strength.’
Last year the WEA London Region website appeared in internet search results 2,056,443 times and from that it received 68,635 visits with 43,518 unique visits. A unique visit in this context means different persons or computers.
The graph shows a steady increase in unique visits year-on-year since 2009 and last year, due to work that we’ve done with Search Engine Optimisation, the number of unique visits very nearly doubled over the previous year.
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Other Tweets The recent Ofstead inspection generated quite a bit of buzz on our social media sites, if you didn’t hear the ‘good’ outcome you can find out more on the WEA website: www.wea.org.uk/ofstead
www.twitter.com/wealondon
Tweet from Jim Fitzpatrick MP showing Mona (right) and her class.
My first ever WEA course was the Stage 1 H&S with Phil Hood this was clear, cogent and precise tuition, inspirational and the beginning for me.
Then Stage 2 H&S with Monica and on to Stage 3 H&S Diploma course, once again with Monica. (I thought Phil was excellent and Monica carried that WEA tradition forward with many nuggets of inspiring comment and observation, truly superb!)
Trades Union reps Stages 1 & 2 with Chris Ford. (This was deep and yet once again clear, cogent and thorough. It was also Chris's encouragement for me to (successfully it appears) ask Mark Serwotka to do a foreword for the book to offer it a nationally recognised TU person to gain a profile)
The influence for writing the book was from Stage 3 H&S when Monica through discussions with the group presented a throwaway line of "with all of this information we are discussing somebody should write a book about it". I thought it was a great idea. But I was only planning to write a pamphlet to assist my H&S committee members of my branch know some of the beginnings of H&S rather than just thinking that it had "appeared" out of the ether !!
After completing the Diploma course I started looking for information on these H&S histories to inspire my H&S reps. I started by drawing up a list of appropriate legislation. I kept writing down little snippets of stories to remind myself of what and where this was meant to be going. It was almost as though I had to keep on adding as every time I saw or read a story I felt that it was very important and couldn't be left out. Before I knew where I was I had more of a book than a pamphlet. When I went to the excellent London Hazards Centre to do a bit of research Margaret Sharkey was very supportive and offered a book (“Hazards At Work : How to Fight Them” : Patrick Kinnersley) it provided two things, a formal structure that I could work to by means of a time line. And secondly the introduction to Ramazzini which gave me my obvious starting point. Before which I had research starting with some Anglo Saxon legal applications which were vaguely relevant but not as specific as the old boy Ramazzini himself. Without the Kinnersley book I think the book as an introduction to H&S history
could quite easily have wandered in and out of all sorts of subjects that always touch on H&S but are not quite what the focus should be if you are specifically writing H&S History as a subject.
I can't remember who it was who suggested that I submit it to publishers to see if it was either a pamphlet or a book or even remotely suitable for publishing at all (possibly my brother). I do recall that many publishers were keen to publish, if I parted with £x or £xx. I didn't want this to be a vanity publication so I kept on, driven by a little bit of annoyance that some might believe that H&S was a vanity subject!! Then a friend sent me a gift of a book called "Bad News" which was a personal insight into Trades Unionists experience of the print dispute of the 1980's. I contacted the publisher, Spokesman books, as a general enquiry as to whether they would be interested in "My Tome".
From start to finish it has been a pleasure working with Spokesman books, the publishing arm of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation. This in itself is enough to be proud of having been published by such an august organisation! They have been nothing but honest and clear with all of their comments and guidance. They have been as good and supportive as I have always found the WEA. Indeed my point of contact, Tony Simpson, has travelled to London on more than one occasion to provide support at events linked with the book. He worked with Monica on the book launch. Although I doubt that anyone could match the sheer hard work and endeavour of Monica in the promotion of that event which proved to be a massive success. I was right up until the night completely unsure what was really required at a book launch. But I now have an excellent model to work from were I to have the good fortune to have another book considered. Although the amount of work on the book launch alone is equivalent to writing one itself! On the night I sold out of the copies I brought to the event and took a substantial number of orders!
Page 8 Issue 4
Safe at Work? Following the success of the Book Launch event at WEA London, Dave Putson, former WEA learner, talks to us about the inspiration behind his recent book ‘Safe at Work?’
For the second year running students’ work from the WEA’s Writing London course at the Museum of London has been compiled into a booklet and made available to view online.
The Writing London course under the tutelage of Elizabeth Sarkany uses collections and special exhibitions at the museum as sources of inspiration for creative writing.
The booklet also contains photographs taken at the museum. The work from Elizabeth’s course can be viewed at Galleryonline: www.online.wea.org.uk/galleryonline
Page 9 Issue 4
WEA Students Exhibit Excellent Writing at the Museum of London
British composer James Erber recently contacted WEA London to let us know that he was planning to use an artwork created by his mother for the cover of his latest work ‘The Traces cycle and other works’.
The artwork, a painting entitled ‘Green Garden’ made by Margaret in response to a WEA Art History course in Finchley in 2008, is a beautifully painted representation of her own garden in acrylic on board, measuring 48” x 36”.
Full details of James’ CD can be viewed online here: http://conviviumrecords.co.uk/c/releases/james-erber-the-traces-cycle-matteo-cesari-flutepiccolo/
Extracts of James’ work can be heard online at Soundcloud.com at the following location:
https://soundcloud.com/james-erber
WEA Student’s Work Strikes a Chord with Composer Son
Margaret also wrote an essay to ac-company the painting which, if you are viewing this on an internet con-nected device, can be viewed by following this link: http://www.online.wea.org.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=1544
WEA London AGM - A good turnout at the AGM in November with 50 people in attendance
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Although there was no planned speaker at the AGM this year, Mike Bradley, (Pinner & Hatch End branch) took the floor and gave a heart felt talk about the value of learning circles as a way to draw in new people to the WEA.
The elections in accordance with the existing Statement of Representation (SoR) were as follows:
Chair: David Lanch was elected unopposed.
Vice-Chairs: Eileen Ramberan was re-elected unopposed
(Volunteers & Training)
Caryle Webb-Ingall was re-elected unopposed
(Education)
Treasurer: Alistair Milliken was elected unopposed.
Branch representatives on Regional Committee Christine Pountney (Ilford) was re-elected
Moira Eagle (Mill Hill & Edgware) was re-elected
Dennis Rose (Pinner and Hatch End) was re-elected
Christopher Kershaw (Harrow, Stanmore & Kenton) was re-elected
Margaret Clarke (Barnets) was re-elected
A further nomination was received at the meeting for Carol Veitch (Richmond) and she was duly elected.
As only six branch representatives are currently elected from a maximum of ten. It was agreed that the Regional Committee could co-opt members throughout the year and anyone interested should contact the Chair.
Non Branch representatives on Regional Committee: David Freeman was re-elected
Theophilus Toweh was re-elected
Martin Sundram was elected
Staff and Tutor Reps on Regional Committee The meeting was advised that Monica Gort has been elected unopposed as staff representative and Chris Ford elected unopposed as tutor representative.
WEA Council Representative Martin Sundram was nominated by Regional Committee to serve as the WEA Council
Representative alongside the Chair.
Martin Sundram is presented with a bouquet by Audrey Stewart as he steps down as Chair.
Get in Touch: To arrange an informal visit or to discuss what we can offer, please contact our Centre Manager, Paul Blackwell on 020 7426 1968 E-mail: [email protected]
Venue and Room Hire
Planning a conference or need meeting or training rooms near Central London?
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Our range of rooms are ideal for meetings or for training purposes and can be laid out to your preference. The rooms can accommodate between 4 and 75 people. Wireless internet runs throughout the building and the rooms come with data projectors and Smartboards or Whiteboards.
The WEA London Region Training Centre is located near to Shoreditch and Hoxton at the edge of the City of London. It is within a short walking distance to the excellent transport links at Liverpool Street, Moorgate and Old Street stations.
Room Name Charity Rate Non-Charity Rate
Room layouts can be
configured to your preference
Half Day
9am - 1pm 1- 5pm
Full Day
9am - 5pm
Half Day
9am - 1pm 1 - 5pm
Full Day
9am - 5pm
Clerkenwell Capacity 10 - 40
£100 £150 £130 £200
Hoxton/ Shoreditch
Capacity 10 - 40 £100 £150 £130 £200
Hoxton Only
Capacity - 10 £70 £100 £70 £100
Shoreditch Only Capacity - 10
£70 £100 £70 £100
Barbican/ Whitechapel Capacity 30 - 75
£130 £200 £200 £300
Barbican Only Capacity 10 - 30
£100 £150 £130 £200
Broadgate ‐ (IT Suite) Capacity 17
£100 £150 £130 £200
The rooms are available at the following competitive rates:
Sessional Tutors sought with expertise in a wide range of subjects for the WEA Lon don Region. We need tutors who can teach their subjects; build the skills, confi-dence and knowledge of adults to help change lives and communities; build diver-sity and inclusion in adult learning; have a teaching qualification.
The WEA provide educational opportunities for all adults through workplaces and community organisa-tions, building our provision around the needs, interests and experiences of adults. Further details and application form on our website: www.london.wea.org.uk/jobs
or call 01634 298 600 to request a printed version of the Application Pack.
Page 13 Newsletter
PLUNDERING LONDON UNDERGROUND : BOOK LAUNCH EVENT
Date: 19th Feb 2014 Location: WEA London Region, 96-100 Clifton Street, London EC2A 4TP Time: 6.00pm to 8.00pm RMT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE WEA INVITES YOU TO THE LAUNCH OF A NEW BOOK PLUNDERING LONDON UNDERGROUND PUBLISHED BY MERLIN AND WRITTEN BY JANINE BOOTH.
This book tells a story of privatisation on the London Un-
derground. The 'Public - Private Partnership' was an-
nounced by New Labour in 1998, imposed in 2003, and
by 2010 had failed. What went wrong?
Published during London Underground’s 150th birthday
year, the book draws extensively on interviews with
managers and Tube workers. It both sketches the his-
tory of the Underground and looks to the future.
The speakers at the event will be Bob Crow - General
Secretary RMT and Janine Booth - Author of the book
'Plundering London Underground'.
Signed copies of the book will be available on the night.
Free refreshments courtesy of the RMT.
Further information: Please let Monica Gort know if you will be attending on [email protected] or 0207 426 1976 If viewing this online click here for the flyer
For more information about our trade union programme, see our website: www.london.wea.org.uk/trade-union-courses or contact Monica Gort, TU Course Organ-iser
WEA London to Present Workshop at Goldsmiths Community Development Conference
Contribute to the Newsletter
If you have any news, events or announce-ments that you would like included in the next edition of the Newsletter, please con-tact: Andrew Perrin [email protected]
The Workers’ Educational Association is a charity registered in England and Wales, number 1112775, and in Scotland, number SC039239, and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales, number 2806910.
Newsletter Page 14
’Communities surviving, striving, thriving? A day of dialogue and action’
Thursday 20th February 2014 from 09.30am to 4.30pm
The new Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies at Goldsmiths is hosting a community development conference on the theme of ’Communities surviving, striving, thriving? A day of dialogue and action’. It will take place at Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross on Thursday, February 20th, 2014, 09.30 am to 4.30 pm.
The conference aims to enhance the capacity of people to work effectively across a broad range of community issues by promoting critical edge thinking and discussion, with practical applications for community-based solutions.
It will provide a conceptual base for community activists, academics, and community organisations and groups to further develop their skills and the knowledge necessary to successfully bring people and communities together around common issues.
Workshops
The WEA London Region will be presenting a workshop on adult education and community engagement and other planned workshops include: Participatory community music and arts; Local Authorities and communities; Faith and social action; Forum theatre; Communities and dispossession; Building community assets; Community-Student research projects; Food banks and community activism; Community organising.
Following the event participants will be invited to attend the launch of new book co-edited by Marjorie Mayo, Emeritus Professor at Goldsmiths with colleagues Zoraida Mendiwelso-Bendek and Carol Packham: Community Research for Community Development, published by Palgrave, Macmillan.
If you have any questions please contact Jennifer Mayo-Deman [email protected]
Delegate Rate £35.00
Concession Rate £25.00 (limited places available)
If you would like to reserve a place please complete the Registration Form available from:
