Regional development work

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East region getting to grips with post-16 active citizenship event

The east region is rural with larger towns and smaller cities spread out across mostly flat landscape. Driving is time consuming when travelling diagonally northwest/south east or east/west across the northern area. Public transport by road is not conducive to effective travel times and rail users need to travel convoluted routes into and out of London to reach other centres in the region.

Consequently establishing a meaningful network for post-16 citizenship in this region requires a strategy to include the more extreme zones.

This event in Ipswich hosted and administered by First Question at the Co-operative Education Centre was an endeavour to enable those more local to access the post-16 citizenship support programme.

The workshop programme was deliberately entitled ‘getting to grips with post 16 citizenship’; designed to introduce the citizenship agenda to interested professionals.

Considerable effort was applied to contacting and encouraging potential delegates to attend using contacts and lists held by the national network, the first question co-operative and the educational centre of the east counties co-operative society. A flyer for the event was circulated with details and a booking form.

Twenty-four people attended and the day was energetic, informative and client centred and very participative. All sessions were run by network members and partners including Post-16 Citizenship East region network, Alan Wilkins, Jon Halls, 1st Question, Sally Nderitu, Broadlands District Council Training Services and Helen Richardson, City College Norwich.

The day modelled active approaches to post-16 citizenship and delegates considered how to work with young people in an active way, youth voice and learner representation. Workshops included:

Evaluation returns were very positive; all were satisfied or very satisfied with the event.

In particular statements relating to strengths of the day included:

  • Thought provoking
  • Knowledge that speakers had
  • Different organisations involved
  • Learning different techniques to use
  • Resources and shared experiences
  • The opportunity to try out different group work techniques
  • Other people experience and interpretation of citizenship
  • Good atmosphere, range of practitioners from different areas, collaborative atmosphere
  • Pace and activities
  • Interesting approach and methods used
  • Relaxed and very friendly
  • Being able to share good practice
  • Active sessions
  • Variety, pace and good group
  • Delivery and resources