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Annual Report
2006 - 2007

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Education For Active Citizenship In The Forth Valley

The Bothkennar Centre for Citizen Education

Chairs Report

Equality Matters in Falkirk

Equality Matters in Clackmannanshire

UP 4 IT

CTDU Associates

Capacity Building

Income and Expenditure

Thanks

Directors and Company Secretary

Previous Annual Reports

Education For Active Citizenship In The Forth Valley

CTDU aims to be a resourceful ally to enable groups and individuals to:

act together effectively and co-operatively, by offering skills training and information to people who want to take an active role in running their organisations

build vibrant democratic communities, by running citizen education courses to help people learn new ways of connecting with and representing their communities, looking into and presenting local issues and being heard at local and national government levels

understand the past and the present, and shape the future by holding gatherings of participants from CTDU's member groups to network, to learn more about history, cultures and present day experiences, and to develop confidence and capacity to work for change.

With Core funding from Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Councils, CTDU offers capacity building training to grassroots members of community and voluntary organisations. CTDU projects 2006-2007:

Equality Matters, funded by the Falkirk Community Planning Partnership

Equality Matters, funded by the Clackmannanshire Regeneration Partnership

UP 4IT, funded by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland

Investing in Ideas Feasibility Study, funded by the Big Lottery

The Bothkennar Centre for Citizen Education

We are very fortunate to be based in the beautiful setting of the RSPB Bothkennar reserve, a peaceful and interesting environment for our members to learn from and enjoy. RSPB are particularly interested in protecting the coastline and the many birds which overwinter on the reserve and feed from the mudflats. Several species of endangered birds, and some whose numbers are falling dramatically, live at Bothkennar. Tree sparrows and yellow hammers can be seen feeding in our garden and at the nuts and seed we provide for them, and grey partridges and skylarks inhabit the fields behind the centre.

Chairs Report

It is a privilege to be the chair of such a good organisation.

At the beginning of the year we received a grant from the BIG Lottery’s Investing in Ideas fund.

This has enabled us to carry out a feasibility study looking into what support community members need to actually fully participate in Regeneration Boards, Community Planning and Community Health Partnerships. Community members now more than ever are expected to take part on these boards to help regenerate their communities. For most people this is a new experience and, in some cases, people are often thrown in at the deep end and expected to muddle along. If there is to be true community engagement then the community members need to have training specifically geared towards what they are participating in.

CTDU has also applied to Lloyds TSB Foundation for a Capacity Building Grant. In October we met with one of their Independent Advisors for an organisational review. We hope to receive support to d evelop a strategic plan and a fundraising strategy. The Board of Directors also plans to review our memorandum and articles early in 2008.

My thanks to the Board of Directors, volunteers, session workers, CTDU associate workers and of course the staff, Rosemary and Fiona. Rosemary will leave CTDU at the end of the year for pastures new (Inverness) and I would like to say a huge thank you to her for her commitment and dedication to CTDU over the last 15 years. We will miss her dearly.

On behalf of everyone at CTDU, I would like to thank our funders for the resources that enable us to support communities.

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Equality Matters (in Falkirk)

Funded by Falkirk Community Planning Partnership 2005 - 2008

Over the last year about 80 people in the Falkirk ROA areas have been supported by Equality Matters, ranging from people attending Community Planning/ Public Partnership Forum and Local Community Health Groups meetings.

17 ROA residents attended the Learning Network held in March 2007 at Falkirk Lesser Town Hall. Participants took part in bitesize learning about group and organisation image and identity, and then in a banner workshop looking at the various ways in which a banner can be used to engage people in community organising and campaigning. The participants made a small banner about the barriers to, and what builds community spirit

Participants taking part in our Leaning Networks learn new skills on getting their voices heard. We also have a slot for inputs from other agencies to raise awareness about local services. This gives our participants a chance to speak to agencies face to face and find out, for example ‘What are PPFs (Public Partnership Forums) and what do they do?

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Active Citizens Training

CTDU delivered four sessions on active citizenship to a group of people from minority ethnic backgrounds. The aim was for them to be more active and to help them to get their voices heard in their communities. As a result of the training two of the participants are now involved in the local community planning in their own communities.

Gie Us Peace

Young people from the “Gie us Peace” group, along with “Mikmaq” young people who were on an exchange visit from Canada, all took part in making a banner about both young people’s cultures. The banner was then given to the young people to take back home with them and it will be displayed in their community centre in Nova Scotia.

Equality Matters (in Clackmannanshire)

Funded by the Clackmannanshire Regeneration Partnership 2006 - 2008

Disability Awareness Group

The group has participated in the making of the first Access Green Map in the world. The map is currently being produced, and will highlight services and venues that have good access for disabled people living in, or visiting Alloa e.g. parks, public areas, restaurants, toilets etc. During the making of the map the group decided they also wanted to have a positive parking campaign and made a banner, which was recently launched at the Towards Tomorrow Event in Alva. The banner highlights the impact of poor access and inconsiderate parking. The group plans to use the banner to raise awareness of the problem to other people in their community.

The Disability Awareness Group will also use the banner as a visual aid to speaking in public, for raising awareness of other disability issues, and to promote the group when making presentations.

Choose Sport First

This group of young people was set up by and for young people to decide what type of leisure activities should be available throughout Clackmannanshire.

CTDU ran a series of training workshops with the young people called ‘Bored Meetings’ which included committee skills, meeting skills, roles and responsibilities, decision making, involving young people, equal opportunities conflict resolution.

International Women’s Day

CTDU was asked to do a workshop for International Women’s Day, the organisers wanted to hear what people thought of living in the Bowmar area.

Before International Women’s’ day we went out with the young people to take photographs of Alloa South and East.

The workshop was laid out like a bedroom, with pictures on the duvet of Alloa South and East that the young people had taken. Participants were asked to write on the duvet ‘what they would like to change about the area’. The duvet exercise will be continued with other members of the community at a Local event organised by the Orchard Project.

The duvet is very transportable and can be taken to different groups and venues to collect people’s comments.

Tullibody Fruit Barra

4 ROA residents who are part of the Tullibody Fruit Barra had an Away Day at CTDU. The training has helped the group to firm up their procedures, look at training needs, and develop an action plan

Alloa South and East

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UP 4 IT

Funded by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland 2005- 2008

This year, funding for one day a week of Rosemary’s post has enabled her to:

• develop CTDU’s Information Strategy and Internet Use Policy for the coming 3 years. The strategy looks at how we communicate internally and how we communicate with other organisations and makes recommendations for the future. The Internet Use Policy lays out acceptable and unacceptable uses, and an in-house procedure for misuse of the Internet facility

• install Broadband so that online access is available across our network of computers to staff, volunteers and members, and to act as network administrator

• develop an online questionnaire for groups to tell us about their training needs on line, and develop a user friendly database to enable us to organise this information

• assist our students to use the Information and Communications Technology such as the Internet and email, and use Microsoft software such as Word, Excel and Publisher
  
• develop and maintain the websites for CTDU and its Students’ Association, adding news and interesting links and collecting and uploading new stories from students to inspire more people to get involved in their communities
  

CTDU Associates

CTDU Associates offer practical and affordable training to encourage community involvement and action.

In April this year the CTDU Associates held a launch event in Clackmannanshire called ‘Doing What You Do Only Better’ looking at Evaluation.

In addition to the launch event, CTDU Associate workers have carried out work with this year with:

In Falkirk …

Dawson Area Representatives Association - Facilitating a two-day event and writing a report.

Greenhill Resource Centre - 2 days' training with the management committee.

Falkirk Training Consortium - Editing and re-presenting, and graphic design work of a report on the community conference.

SEN group - workshops on Identity and Image and creating a leaflet for the group.

Langlees, Bainsford and New Carron Village Community Council - Facilitating a 2-day seminar and writing a report.

"Working in Partnership" - Banner workshops.

Community Services - Serious Fun banner workshop

Denny Community Flat - Banner workshops.

Gie us Peace/Mi’kmaq Youth Exchange - Banner workshops.

In Clackmannanshire

Community Partnership Team for Regeneration - Capacity building training.

Clackmannanshire Princess Royal Trust Carers - Research mentoring and support.

Reachout Consultancy support and training.

In Stirling

Camphill Blairdrummond - Training with the Students Representatives Committee

Stirling Health & Wellbeing Alliance – Away Day

Forth Valley Wide

Forth Valley Service User and Carers Forum - Conference on standards for community engagement with and for mental health groups and professionals in the Forth Valley.

CTDU Students’ Association – management committee training on roles and responsibilities and writing funding applications.

Outside Forth Valley

North Lanarkshire Health Project -Training on becoming a Limited Company.

More information about CTDU Associates available through CTDU or www.ctduassociates.co.uk

Capacity Building

With financial support from Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Councils and direct commissions from voluntary organisations, CTDU works with volunteers and community activists to develop skills, knowledge and confidence to represent their communities, run grassroots community organisations and participate in local initiatives. The organisations CTDU has worked with this year include:

In Falkirk . . .

Advocacy into Action; Community Activists Regeneration Project; Community Activists Training; CVS Falkirk & District; Dawson Area Representatives Association; Dawson Community Council; Denny Community Support Group; Falkirk College; Falkirk Community Health Partnership; Falkirk Council: Adult Literacies, Community Education Service, Capacity Building; Corporate Services and Community Planning teams; Falkirk International Women’s Day; Falkirk Training Consortium; Gie Us Peace; Greenhill Resource Centre; Grangemouth Equal People; Kersiebank Community Projects; Link Housing; Linked Work Training Trust; NHS Forth Valley; Paragon Housing; Public Partnership Forum; Rainbow Multicultural Group; Special Educational Needs group; Volunteer Centre, Falkirk.

In Clackmannanshire . . .

Alloa South & East Regeneration Group; Clackmannanshire Community Access Volunteers; Clackmannanshire Council; Community Planning; Youth and Children’s services; Clackmannanshire Tenants’ and Residents’ Federation; Clackmannanshire Volunteer Development Agency; Clackmannanshire Youth Council; Coalsnaughton and Devonside Regeneration Group; Community Orchard; Community Partnership Team for Regeneration; Community Regeneration Partnership; CVS Clackmannanshire; Disability Awareness Group (DAG); Green Mapping Project; Hawkhill Community Association; Homestart; Kilncraigs Incubator Unit; Klacksun; Linked Work Training Trust; People First (in Clackmannanshire); Princess Royal Trust for Carers; Reachout.

In Stirling (no Council funding). . .

Adult Carers’ Education; Camphill Blairdrummond; CVS Stirling; Stirling Users Network (STUN); Stirling and District Association for Mental Health; Stirling Health and Wellbeing Alliance; Wolfcraig Training Project.

Forth valley wide organisations . . .

Central Scotland Police; Central Scotland Racial Equality Council.

Other groups . . .

3D Drumchapel; Carbon Trade Watch; Community Health Exchange; Craigmillar Capacity Building Project; Dundee University Serious Fun Conference; North Lanarkshire Health Project; Friends of the Earth (Scotland); Mikmaq Youth Exchange; Poverty Alliance; RSPB; Scottish Education and Action for Development (SEAD); Scottish Executive; Scottish Parliament; University of Edinburgh.

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Income and Expenditure
April 2006 to March 2007

A full set of accounts is available on request.

Reporting Accountants
ATN Chartered Accountants
Greencornhill
38 Falkirk Road
Bannockburn
Stirling
FK7 8AG

Bankers
Bank of Scotland
138/140 High Street
Falkirk
FK1 1NR

Thanks to . . .

Volunteers

• Lorraine Kane for supporting the student association, making transport arrangements and being a great support to everyone.
• Finlay Currie for countless hours of centre maintenance, garden development, driving, and support with financial record keeping.
• Ann Wilson and Carol Gray for shopping and preparing lunch for events and for help with jobs in the office.

Garden development

• Jason Wallace for painting containers in the garden.

Community Work Student

• During April and May 2007 CTDU offered a placement to Sarah Stow, a first year Community Education student at Moray House. Sarah shadowed the training and development worker to learn more about and experience community education in different settings. Sarah showed great enthusiasm, and fitted in well at CTDU. As a result of her placement Sarah made valuable contacts in the Forth Valley, and secured her second year placement with the local Community Planning team in Falkirk.

Friends of CTDU

• Iyaah Warren, Jan Nimmo, Joette Thomas, Jean Bareham, Tansy Lee Moir, Alex Staerck, Anne Reid, Janet Wallace, Norman Phillip, Lynn Burnett, Nick Chambers and our neighbours at Bothkennar Fiona and Charlie.

Special thanks to:

• Finlay Currie for who has worked tirelessly for CTDU, the Board and the students association.

And finally ….

All our students and participants for their enthusiastic and thoughtful work with CTDU this year.

Thanks to our funders

Clackmannanshire Council

Falkirk Community Planning Partnership

LLoyds TSB Foundation for Scotland

Directors and Company Secretary

Previous Annual Reports available online:

2005