What's new at CTDU?

Here's what's happening
February to March 2005!

Global Citizen Programme

Management committee meetings

Training Consortium - capacity building training

Participatory Video Training for Trainers

Disability Awareness Group training

Participatory Action Research

Bothkennar garden development

Recycle -IT

Global Citizen Programme

Lorraine Kane, who is an Active Citizen as well as being CTDU's chairperson, will lead 4 global citizen events during February and March.

Wednesday, 23rd February 2005, 10 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. at Bothkennar
In the morning we'll be looking at the causes of tsunami and how tsunami's develop.
In the afternoon we're having a visit from GOE - an adult education and citizenship group from Coatbridge.

Wednesday, 9th March 2005, 10 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. at Bothkennar
We will be looking into how the aid that is given to the tsunami is distributed.

Wednesday 16th March 2005, 10 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. at Bothkennar
Wednesday 23rd March 2005, 10 a.m. to 3.00 p.m at Bothkennar
These 2 sessions will be about Africa and Aids.

Lorraine is doing her HNC in 'Working with Communities' and is currently on placement at CTDU.

CTDU's Board of Directors

The next meeting of the committee will be held at Bothkennar Centre for Citizen Education on

Friday, 28th January 2005 at 1.30 p.m.
Thursday, 10th March 2005 at 1.30 p.m. Task group meeting at 10.00 a.m.

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Training Consortium

CTDU is a member of a training consortium in Falkirk which has launched a new capacity building programme.

Rosemary will be leading 3 practical workshops 'Money Matters'

Participants will get the opportunity to explore
Day to day book keeping
The language of finance
Banking and petty cash
Reconciliation
Preparing statements

9.45 a.m to 12 noon on 7th February, 14th February and 21st February, venue Camelon Community Project.
6 FREE places available to volunteers who can attend all three sessions. Contact the Training and Staff Development team at Community Education Service to book a place Tel. 01324 501990

Iyaah will lead a workshop 'Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation'

Participants will look at:
The language - aims, actions, outcomes, milestones and targets
The difference between monitoring and evaluation
Methods of monitoring and evaluation
Ways of evidencing success.

9.45 a.m to 12 noon on 14th February, venue Camelon Community Project.
6-12 FREE places available. Contact the Training and Staff Development team at Community Education Service to book a place Tel. 01324 501990

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Participatory Video Training for Trainers course

Dates: 5/6th March (to be confirmed)
Venue: to be confirmed

Participatory Video is a pioneering tool that empowers individuals and communities to use film in order to share ideas and experiences. With simple techniques and in a short time, people and communities can be trained in basic film-making skills to identify and analyse important issues in their community and/or personal life. Replaying and editing their experiences opens up safe and structured spaces for people to explore these issues. Finally, screening finished works creates space for voices to be heard of people and communities that have previously been misunderstood or ignored.

This short course will first train you to use filmmaking equipment and then teach you methods and techniques for training others, particularly people in marginalised communities. At the end of this training you will have:

gained basic filmmaking skills
learned the use of PV techniques to train others to use film
made a short film using these techniques
met many like-minded people committed to working with these methods on projects

PV project in Grangemouth:
After the training you will have the opportunity to use your new skills to join in with a PV project due to take place in April/May 2005 with communities living around the Grangemouth industrial complex. The project will use PV methods to enable community members to explore their experience of living with the local pollution from the Grangemouth facilities. The project begins with the screening of video letters from a Brazilian community where the pollution from the Grangemouth plants are theoretically being 'soaked up' by planting trees there. However the planting of trees in the Brazilian community is in the form of huge monoculture eucalyptus plantations that are devastating local people's health and livelihoods. Therefore the two communities, separated by distance, language and culture are inextricably linked by global industrial pollution. The Grangemouth participants will then create their own video letters in response the Brazilian films, which you will have the opportunity to facilitate.

Contacts:
Local co-organiser: Iyaah Warren on Iyaah or telephone on 01324 832040
Trainers: Heidi Bachram at heidi@tni.org or telephone on 01865 240644

The course is run by Heidi Bachram and Ell Southern from the Participatory Action Centre, based in Oxford and co-organised by the Community Training and Development Unit (CTDU) based near Falkirk.

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Disability Awareness Group - Training

Members of the Disability Awareness Group will lead a session in St Mungo's RC Church hall on 3rd March 2005. The event will be from 10.00 a.m to 3.00 p.m., it's free and lunch is provided. The group will show the 'Wheelchair Challenge' video and lead some practical exercises. In the afternoon the Shaw Trust will make a presentation about their work.Contact Fiona if you'd like to participate.

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Participatory Action Research

CTDU members with a history of mental health problems have funding to progress their Participatory Action Research project. The group has been working with research mentor Joette Thomas to design the research and prepare the first stages. The research is about the support needs of people returning home from hospital. The group are currently working on an application to progress the Participatory Action Research project.

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You always need more computing power!
But you don't always need the latest toy or gadget!!

Recycle-IT! is a Social Enterprise that supplies high-quality refurbished computers without the sky-high price tag. It takes unwanted industry computers, lovingly refurbishes them, adds new software to suit the individual and then sells them as low cost alternatives to new models. Over 4000 individuals and community groups have benefited.
Recycle-IT! explains to its customers what a computer can do and asks what they are interested in. Then they suggest a package that meets those interests and suits the customer's pocket. Today, those without access to computers and the Internet are more and more disadvantaged and disenfranchised from a range of services.
Recycle-IT! allows charities and voluntary groups to computerise correspondence or information and increase fund-raising ability through increased professionalism, and helps students and schoolchildren make the most of their education. More and more older people are taking advantage of a low-cost entry into the information age and discovering a new world through access to email and the Internet.
Recycle-IT! takes customer care very seriously, providing helpful, friendly and jargon-free advice, and provides an unparalleled after-sales service helpline which holds the new user's hand until they are confident with their machine.
To experience Recycle-IT!'s friendly helpful advice for yourself, just call 0870 7743762 and ask for Michele or write to Recycle-IT!, Sundon Park Road, Luton, LU3 3BL. www.recycle-it.ltd.uk/

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