Chair's report

Citizenship and difference has been the theme running through the work of the Community Training and Development Unit (CTDU) this year. In the year 2000/01, CTDU made new contacts with black and minority ethnic communities and a group of students with learning disabilities who attend Falkirk college. The staff and members have learned a great deal from these new friendships and the cultural education events organised by our staff. We look forward to even more fruitful work together over the coming months.

In December 2000, we learned that our bid for ESF funding had failed and we found ourselves in financial crisis. As a result, we reluctantly made our part-time admin assistant Sandra redundant and each of the other members of staff lost one day's work per week. We also moved from Falkirk Voluntary Centre to cheaper premises. Building a brighter future of CTDU has been another theme for the year, and in April, representatives of all five active citizens' groups demonstrated the success of the active citizens' programme at a meeting with senior Council officers, MSPs and Councillors in the CLiCK Learning Centre Alloa. We are greatly encouraged by the very positive response of Clackmannanshire Council, Clackmannan College, Falkirk Council and Falkirk College and by their interest in finding financial and in kind support for CTDU. We are delighted to receive funding from the Charities Aid Foundation for this financial year to carry out important development work to secure CTDU's future. As always, I want to take this opportunity to thank our other funders for continuing to believe in the importance of education and training with a social purpose - the Community Fund, the Department for International Development, Lloyds TSB, the Venture Fund, International Year of Volunteering, Clackmannanshire Council and Falkirk Council.

A special thank you to CTDU committee members, sessional workers, volunteers and students for their resolute support for CTDU in this difficult year. And finally - a big thank you to Iyaah, Scott, Rosemary, Linda and Anne without whom there would be no CTDU! Here's to a bright future for CTDU!

Carey Sinclair: Chair

index

Active Participation

CTDU's work is about making available to local activists and volunteers the skills, knowledge and confidence to manage local projects and participate in local decision making.

Over the last year, CTDU has worked with the management committees, staff, participants and volunteers of 22 projects in the Forth Valley area and we have focused on supporting the development of black and minority ethnic voluntary organisations and their infrastructure.

CTDU believes that locally managed community and voluntary organisations are important local and collective responses to the experience of poverty and exclusion. In these organisations people can join together to learn more about the conditions which limit their potential and participation, enabling them to respond with practical, challenging and informed action.

index

Resource and Information work

In May we held our first 'ecitizen' day as part of our 5th run of the active citizens programme in the CLiCK Learning centre in Alloa. The participants learned how to set up their own email address, how to send and receive email, how to use search engines and surf the World Wide Web.

John Ferrier, an 'Active Citizen' from the 1st run of the active citizen programme, helped to facilitate the event.

We've been circulating and updating our 'Yellow Pages' a directory of the voluntary and community groups we work with in Falkirk, Clackmannanshire and Stirling. Thanks to all the groups who have kept us up to date with their contact details.

Our resource and information library is up and running in our new premises - 24 resources borrowed in the first 6 months of the year.

If you have Internet access, please remember to keep up to date via our web page. Our newsletter is put on to the site as well as being sent out to members. We update the site with current news and events regularly - let us know if you have news that you would like us to promote either on the web or in our 'Voices' newsletter.

index

Active Citizens . . . making a difference

Funded by the Community Fund and the Department for International Development

index

The Active Citizens project

The programme is also intended to enable groups experiencing social exclusion to make demands on democracy and use their elected members in a positive way The project recognises the responsibility we all carry to make our organisations and the new Parliament representative of and responsive to all the people of Scotland.

index

Active Citizens groups

Active Citizens' Group 5 - the third Forth Valley wide group

This year, we ran new programme days on citizenship and difference, e-citizenship and drug awareness. At the 'Face to Face' event, Jennifer welcomed everyone to the event and thanked the many people who had made the event possible. Stuart and Jacki talked about their project, organising a fundraising 'fun day' for their Family Centre. Suzi reported on our day 'Unpeeling Bananas' (see below).Mark gave a moving account of his recovery from drug addiction and his achievements through his work with the Hope Project. Andy talked about his experience of mental health problems and the progress he has made through arts work with Reachout and through education and training with CTDU. Vicky admitted that she has never grown out of Blue Peter, which is why she is organising a LETS Christmas Crafts event for families. Why should we let Christmas get us down? LETS have Christmas without debt. Tracy talked about gaining confidence, knowledge and new skills on the active citizens' programme and about moving on to a vocational course.

Active Citizens Group 4 - Falkirk College Students - Equal People

These students argue that they are not always treated with respect in their communities and that other adults tend to treat them like children. Marie told us that the students are sometimes tormented and made fun of. At the 'Face to Face' event, Teresa said, 'We just want to be treated like human beings!' Tom is very passionate about the rights of disabled people and feels that education is so important in achieving these rights. The students told us that they have had enough of sitting at boring tasks in centres and clearly enjoy their work at the Tamfourhill Centre and their studies at Falkirk College. And no wonder - their teaching and support staff are so committed to the students. Jason and Gillian danced their feet off at the Face to Face event and Robert sang 'My Love is like a Red, Red Rose.'

Active Citizens' group 3 - Denny Asian Women's Group

Members of the Denny Asian Women's Group made a banner about Traditional Asian Culture with CTDU, met with Dennis Canavan MSP, and visited the Scottish Parliament to present their banner. The group was nominated for an Adult Learners' Group Award by Catharine McKinlay, a community education worker from Falkirk Council. They were one of five finalists for the STV area and received a commemorative plaque, a cheque for £100 and beautiful paperweights for each member at a fabulous dinner at Prestonfield House Hotel. Naheed told us, " We did not know anything about the Parliament before making the banner. We had the opportunity to make our views known to our MSPs. Iyaah then organised a Mehfil evening which was attended by lots of Asian families and other CTDU people. The banner was unveiled and all the banner makers received an active citizens' award, presented by Dennis Canavan. And then there was International Women's Day at Falkirk College. We ran a workshop doing henna hand painting."

index

Face to Face

An event held on the 5th October in St Mary's Hall, Stirling was the culmination of a year's work on citizenship and difference. We called it 'FACE TO FACE' because the participants had the opportunity to learn about people who are different from them - face to face.
The event was organised by a student from the 5th group of active citizens, Jennifer Frickleton. With a grant from the Venture Fund, Jennifer brought together CTDU active citizen groups, Lets Make It Better and People Need People for an evening of presentations, discussion, food and fun. We had a massive attendance of 70 people well done everybody!

index

Unpeeling Bananas on 4th September 2001

One topic that touched and inspired me was a woman called Berta Gomez who works on a banana plantation in Nicaragua. She was in Britain to tell us about the working conditions on the plantation and to get some extra funding for the clinic she helps run. (We raised £70.) I was shocked that they had to pay to get medical attention and to get educated when they only get paid £1 a day. That means that 50% of children do not attend school even though it is illegal for them not to go. In 1999, Berta and some other women set up their own clinic that offers cheaper medical care with the help of the Dutch Embassy. Because of the chemicals used on the plantation many women suffer gynaecological problems and they can now get cheaper treatment at the clinic. They can also get cheaper Family Planning. Berta is training herself to become a nurse. She is also in the Trade Union and travels throughout Central America to talk to other Union members about working conditions. I am amazed that someone who has had no electricity for 6 months can be so selfless and believes totally in community spirit.

index

LETS Make it Better

The LMIB banner aims to raise awareness and reduce stigma about mental health issues and to promote self-help groups. LMIB members have been learning to speak out in public with Iyaah, thanks to a grant from the Venture Fund.

At the 'Face to Face' event, Sheila talked about living in institutions because of personal problems, and how much fuller and happier her life is, living in the community with the support of her carer.

Elaine talked about her years in institutional care and her recovery in the community. Elaine is very clear that she took charge of her own recovery by getting connected and being active in communities.

David said the LMIB gives him a sense of belonging, a place where he is recognised and valued.

index

Acting Citizens:
A CTDU drama project funded through Scotland's Year of the Artist Programme

"…theatre should be happiness, it should help us learn about ourselves, and our times. We should know the world we live in, the better to change it." Augusto Boal

On 9th March, 40 people attended a Theatre for Action event in Falkirk Voluntary Centre and witnessed the presentation of the forum drama work of two groups who, over several months, had been developing and rehearsing their own forum pieces with CTDU's artist in residence, Morven Gregor.

Forum Theatre is a theatrical game where a problem is shown and the audience is invited to suggest and enact solutions. When actors and audience share a small space, the audience feels more confident and able to stand up and act out their own solutions to the problems shown, to use their own words and to feel supported and encouraged in their efforts.

From the response to the work at the event on 9th March, it was clear that the performers and Morven had created powerful and engaging theatre. The two performances stimulated much debate in action as well as words - in English and in Spanish!

A video resource documenting the residency and the development of the work is available from the CTDU office and is a useful introduction to anyone interested in Forum Theatre.

Congratulations to all the actors from Open Secret and the active citizens group and to the many participants from the audience who bravely took to the stage. Many thanks to Morven for all her hard work, inspiration and her support for the Unit.

index

Financial Report

	Tel: Fax email: website:	01324 629404 01324 622051 admin@ctdu.org.uk www.ctdu.org.uk	Community Training & Development Unit (Forth Valley) Limited
Registered Head Office: Unit Q 54-58 Cow Wynd Falkirk FK1 1PU		Recognised in Scotland as a charity No SCO 22418	Registered as a private limited company in Scotland No SC202872

CTDU's Funders

The Charities Aid Foundation