Active Citizen Publication

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Contents Foreword

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Shape of the Course

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The Active Citizens

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Lessons

24 - 28

Introduction

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful for the support and help from:

UNITE in helping with recruitment and accommodation.

Academy for Community Leadership (AfCL) in funding the courses.

David Pittaway and the WEA staff.

Northern College in helping with the media follow up work and Kate Betts giving her experience of the use of media from the journalist standpoint.

To the Citizen students and the many others that offered support.

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Foreword The Workersʼ Educational Association was formed in 1903. It saw adult education, and the pursuit of ʻreally useful knowledgeʼ, as an essential tool towards the creation of an ʻeducated democracyʼ. It was part of a broader social movement - allied to trade unions and other progressive organisations - committed to the creation, in R.H. Tawneyʼs words, of a more tolerable society.

Today the language might have changed, but the vision to create a tolerable society and for education with a social purpose has not dimmed. Indeed it is alive and well in Yorkshire and Humberside. This publication is a wonderful example of popular education. It shows what just a short educational experience can do to fire up a desire to change things for the better and to provide students with the tools for this task - practical skills, knowledge, political understanding, an ability to question and creativity.

This is only one of many educational activities being delivered across South Yorkshire, as part of the Academy for Community Leadership (AfCL) funded, WEA ʻActive Citizenshipʼ Project.

It is an extremely exciting period for the WEA because this is what we were created to do. But the excitement must be tempered with the fact that the funding is short term. In March 2008 it may all come to an end. No more free courses. No more funding for publicity and marketing. Yes the WEA will ensure that some of what has emerged through the project is ʻmainstreamedʼ but this can only be a small percentage of what is currently happening.

Such projects as this one, encapsulated in the term ʻThe Active Citizenʼ, should not be simply ʻone offsʼ. They deserve to be part of the WEA core programme and they need to be made available in the same way as there is an entitlement to basic skills.

Jol Miskin

WEA - Sheffield Tutor Organiser/Regional Education Manager Autumn 2007

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Introduction - Helen Jackson I developed an understanding of Politics and Public Life out of the constant motion of 25 years involvement in it as an elected politician.

Both a ʻjobʼ and a ʻpersonaʼ, it has no job description. We write our own according to our own perceptions of how we think politics ought to work.

The outcome is that an array of people from widely different backgrounds, with only their elected status in common, are thrown into close and often claustrophobic contact with each other with highly significant decisions to make. It is called democracy and it determines how the countryʼs or cityʼs wealth is distributed and our response to crises: local, national, and international.

The elected member learns to fine tune their own expectations of what they can do as they go along, finding out what works best and what for them spells success. I believed when I was first elected and now, that the root of success means calling on and working with the hundreds of active citizens we represent. Only then does democracy become meaningful.

Some of the members of the group with Helen (top left)

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So when I stood down from Parliament in 2005, I jumped at the chance to share my conclusions through the medium of adult education with WEA students interested in the theory of politics and also prepared to engage in the practice. The Academy for Community Leadership Project under the strap line Active Citizenship seemed an ideal opportunity, and the course Politics and Public Life was developed.

The mutual eight weeks learning experience has been both fascinating and sometimes inspirational. It posed the questions: I

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How feasible is it to make a difference from outside the ʻelectedʼ position?

What are the common threads of success?

How can we develop skills around speaking, listening, and managing meetings?

How do these skills combine and interweave to win arguments and deliver success?

Can this be taught or are all the factors for success there anyway so that itʼs just a question of releasing them through practice?

Finally, how does this process relate to theories of the broader understanding of politics and democracy?

This short publication is my way of saying thank you to a particular crowd of ʻactive citizensʼ who demonstrated their political skills, learnt a few new ones and shared their aspirations in a group which was both good fun and instructive.

I hope as well that it will be useful for policy makers struggling with the issue of Citizenship, adult educators developing programmes on active citizenship and existing and potential ʻActive Citizensʼ working away to make a little bit of difference.

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Shape of the Course - Helen Jackson The course is built around the interests, experience and standpoint of each individual learner. It is more about ʻdoingʼ politics than about political theory. Three groups of students have undertaken the course, meeting in the UNITE trade union office near Sheffield.

Its aim is to maximise the strength of each learnerʼs contribution to public life through good communication and to raise their selfawareness and confidence. Each course is therefore shaped by the particular group of students. Although we used the same course pattern, each group developed a quite different mood and character.

Whilst calling on my own experience, local and national, the intention was not to present myself as a role model. Although my politics have been developed through the Labour Party, the analysis and discussion of how Party interrelates with political issues, and what works in practice, is similar across the spectrum.

Four strands run through the teaching process: G

Understanding the context

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Words and language

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Setting ground rules Practice

Understanding the Context

Initially crucial is to grasp the fact that ʻPoliticsʼ has no one or simple definition, and that being involved in Politics or Public Life cannot be learnt like cooking or driving a car. At its root successful political action means feeling comfortable with your own persona, ideals and role and therefore being confident to say what you think.

We look for issues that have made us angry or amused, or want to ʻtake actionʼ on. Defining the political context that lies in every issue is a key driver of political action. It becomes second nature to the politician. Emotions of anger or laughter are often the very reason for 4

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successful political action and this helps to underline the significance of everyday experience.

But of course 驶Politics始 is all about the collective, so we also look at the dynamic of groups - informal, domestic, at work or in public and try out playing different roles.

Politics without publicity is pancakes without the filling. So we discuss the media and what, when and how to make things public. We were fortunate to have follow-up sessions on the media at Northern College residential adult education centre, using microphones in mock interviews.

Setting Ground Rules

We set ground rules to help students get over the natural feeling of strangeness in being the focus of attention when speaking. We encourage everyone to stand up to say something, to look around and make eye contact without feeling embarrassed and to use hands, smiles and voice to good effect.

We arrange sessions so that before speaking to the group learners have always discussed an issue privately between each other.

Having established a degree of comfort in speaking to the group and sharing views in discussion, it is possible to move onto a closer look at words, sentences and how facts, examples and stories can be rolled together into a coherent argument.

Throughout the seven sessions and at Northern College, learners are helped to examine and assess their own performance and progress, as well as that of the other members of the group in a supportive way.

Words and Language

This is the substance of communication and good political speeches.

We make pictures out of words. We focus on key words to use both when making a note of discussions, which learners practise on flip charts and also as speaking notes. We define an abstract notion like politics or democracy with words that are practical and specific.

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We distinguish between oral communication and the written word as well as telephone, email and blogs and see how significant is the whole area of recording in all aspects of politics. We look at public records like Hansard, Council Minutes and historical documents.

We learn how to avoid jargon but make use of facts or quotations.

Practice

Over the weeks each learner prepares a short, timed speech about something they want to change, or indeed something which they have successfully, or not, tried to change. We put a three minute limit on the talk and have the chance to question and discuss the issues raised. This aspect of the course has been assessed in terms of ʻSpeaking and Listeningʼ skills, for the purpose of OCN accreditation.

These contributions and the ensuing discussions built on the early sessions of the groups, were an impressive tribute to the whole notion of ʻActive Citizensʼ.

On the following pages we can read the ideas of the ʻactive citizensʼ involved in the classes.

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Roger

“How to communicate better with informal groups” European regulations and the bikers

“I have always believed that there is a ʻdemocratic deficitʼ when accountability is not clearly in place at every level. So as a Member of the European Parliament, when European Commisioner Bangemann suggested that on grounds of safety there should be a clamp down on motor bikes over the 100hp in terms of power, I wanted to know what the bikers thought. The bikers lobby pointed out this was totally wrong; that it had nothing to do with safety and everything to do with BMW wanting to corner a market commercially; and that large bikes with more power were more stable and less likely to be involved in accidents.

We decided to go in person to the European Parliament and I headed the procession of bikers dressed in white leathers. It was a successful cross-Party campaign. Not only did we change the decision but now there is an Advisory body set up to include the bikers so that similar mistakes are not made in the future.”

Roger was asked all about being an MEP and how many languages he was able to speak. “Broad Yorkshire and English” he replied, but his main feeling was one of pride that he had been able to intervene on behalf of citizens affected by a change to get the decision right for the future.

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Vin

“I want to practice speaking in public and how to use examples to develop an argument.”

Speed humps and joy riders

“We are trying to secure funding for speed humps on Foxhill roads to stop young joy riders making a nuisance of themselves roaring through the estate late at night. The answer from the authorities has been that we cannot have them because no-one has been killed. But we donʼt want to wait for that! When we complain the police either donʼt come at all if they are busy elsewhere, or they come too late.”

Vin told us his plans to raise a petition and put out an estate newsletter through the Tenants and Residents Association. His aim is to get more residents interested enough to come out to a meeting.

Then he plans to lobby the Council, hold a special public meeting about the problem and perhaps even plan for a march.

We discussed how to get over to the young people themselves problems about danger and noise and how to involve the ʻtwockerʼ (ʻtaken without consentʼ) youngsters in planning more youth facilities in the area.

Vinʼs work with young offenders from prison and those with mental health problems gives him experience he wants to use to improve his own estate.

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Laura

“In the gap between finishing my degree and starting my law training I wanted to understand more about how politics works.”

Mutual support for call centre workers

“I have been working as a ʻtempʼ at the Job Centreʼs call centre. I found it quite an experience seeing many bad practices. There seemed to be no point of contact at the local level for individual workers to consult over difficult cases or situations. I felt that being able to share problems would help to break down barriers and make work less stressful.

I suggested that a national network of Call Centres which staff could call on would help everyone, both to share problems and also learn about good practice or when something worked well.

Now there is to be a national Call Centre help line established. I hope it goes well as I am leaving the job shortly.”

The group were impressed that Laura had worked to effect this change in so short a time. She explained how telephone calls were wide ranging and included people seeking help as well as reporting benefit fraud. She did not think workers would be reluctant to share their experiences with people in offices around the country.

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Zoe

“Although I know I am a confident person, I feel nervous speaking in public.”

Community links with the local employer

“My campaign started when we read in the paper that the nearby factory had planning permission to build a warehouse right next to our estate where we had an active Neighbourhood Watch group.

At first Ronseal would not speak to us directly so as a committee, we approached local Councillors, the Council and our MP to intervene.

Through them a public meeting was called where we were able to voice our concerns and complaints about the felling of trees, the behaviour of the truck drivers and the bright canopy lights shining into peopleʼs bedrooms.

In the end we got changes made to all these aspects and the firm now bring us into regular discussions about the projectʼs progress and get involved in the ʻflower in bloomʼ competition in the area.”

Another good story the group agreed, but to what did Zoe attribute her success?

Zoe believed the intervention of Councillors and MP was crucial in getting the local firm to deal directly with her group.

“Ronseal now recognise that with most of their workforce living in the area, it is sensible to keep the community on their side.” One of the Councillors was responsible for Parks and Woodlands so he was able to promote what the Council were doing in the context of Chapeltown. Again, the fact they had crossParty support from Councillors was important.

“It was,” she said, “a win/win situation for everyone.”

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Lucy

“There are so many things I want to do, and I want to learn how to achieve them and speak more confidently.”

How to get young people talking about politics

“The problem is that young people are not voting. This means that their interests are not heard, they feel remote from power and influence and they can become apathetic and are even less likely to vote. A vicious circle!

For example, many young people were really upset about Iraq and perhaps went on a march or spoke about politics for the first time ever, but could do nothing to stop it.

Formal party politics forgets the need to instil interest in the big issues and decisions seem to be made outside the political process. Why encourage young people to vote without first being interested in what they think and say?”

Lucy plans to bring together a Discussion Forum in Dronfield, and then try to build it into the local Area Action Plan on the grounds of making the regeneration of the village a really inclusive strategy.

The group were fired up by Lucyʼs enthusiasm and wished her well.

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Audrey

“I am interested in my community, but want more confidence in speaking and working in a group.”

Grenoside village plan

“I got myself involved in this community project which was funded by the Yorkshire Rural Community Council. It was designed to find out what people thought was good and bad about the village in order to inform future plans and form a design statement for the area.

One conclusion we heard time and again - ʻthere are so many good facilities in the village like the Park, the Community Centre, Schools and so on, but nothing for young people to actively participate in.ʼ It seemed there was almost a fear of young people with their noise and energy.”

Audrey explained that the final Plan emerged from a house to house questionnaire with an impressive 60% response rate, public events in the Community Centre and comments from existing organisations like the conservation and history groups.

“They said it would be used to identify projects and that groups would be formed to implement them . . . . .but sadly although lots of enthusiasm and collective effort was generated, no-one seems to know how to take things forward.”

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Tahir

“I want to learn to speak better in public and understand why there is the ‘democratic deficit’ in this country.”

Ramadan Radio - a community radio

“I feel strongly that the festival of Ramadan should be faithfully celebrated and get annoyed by the mocking Ramadan-a-ding-dong way it gets referred to.

Ramadan Radio at present has a short term events licence and so can be run commercially. I feel that it should be licensed as a ʻcommunity radioʼ so that its main priority would be to serve the community, give information and celebrate Ramadan, and be open and accountable.

Because these conditions do not apply, the focus is driven by profit with adverts that mislead and with specific businesses promoted.

There is no community input into the programming which makes people really angry.”

Tahir explained the OFCOM regulations to the group and said he was proposing to put pressure on OFCOM to reclassify Ramadan Radio and hopefully to meet with them.

The rest of the group questioned Tahir about support within his community and he was asked how the argument would be made that making profit was not appropriate. Tahirʼs response was that “if profit were not the motive there would be more room for community voices.”

Everyone felt that they had learnt a lot and that this was a very good campaign but it might be a long term task!

The illustration is a verse of the Qur'an, Chapter 2, 183, which says:

The month of Ramadan is the month in which the Koran was sent down, a guidance for the people, with clear verses of guidance and criterion.

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Jo

“I have been a Councillor for five years, but want to be able to speak with more confidence in groups and public meetings and learn more about dealing with the media.”

Making the Council more family friendly

“My campaign is one of failure and I have come for suggestions. I feel that with Council meetings always being in the day time it is hard for younger working people to think of standing for election. Women in particular have child care commitments and other groups such as the disabled are poorly represented. The makeup of the Council is more and more biased towards elderly retired men.

For the last three years I have been suggesting that more meetings should be held in the evenings. Meeting times can only be changed at an Annual General Meeting so this year I put forward a specific suggestion that just some committee meetings should be transferred to the evenings as a trial. I put forward some research and examples of Councils where this had worked.

We lost again with a vote of 14 to 36, which was better than last time, but I just donʼt know why they are so intransigent and sometimes feel I should simply give up.”

Jo was urged not to give up her excellent campaign. The group discussed how she might counter the opposition argument - “It works in Rotherham so why change it? It is one of the safest Labour Councils in the country”. We agreed that she could use the fact that Rotherham was working on a new Womenʼs Strategy for the Borough and also that she should enlist the help of some male champions to the cause.

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Kate

“I would like to gain a more practical understanding of politics and public life as I am hoping to work in this field.”

Energy saving at Sheffield University

“I have just been elected as Womenʼs Officer of Sheffield University Labour Club. Our big issue at the moment is the environment. We want to persuade the University authorities to urge all their landlords in Sheffield to provide energy saving light bulbs in student accommodation.

I have talked to the students Advice Centre and the Accommodation Office and we are going to lobby the University authorities. So far people think it is a good idea and we hope to get it started next academic year.”

There were lots of questions, like: Why wait until next year? How would it work in practice? Were there similar schemes at other Universities? Would she ensure that it was Labour students that got the credit? Kate responded and we agreed it would be simple to put an ʻadd onʼ to the existing criteria and contract that the University had with landlords, and that part of the campaign should be to boast that Sheffield could be a ʻtrail blazerʼ in such a scheme.

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Brian

“I want to know more about housing policy and Public Life for my work with the 50+ group.”

Cleaning up Arbourthorne Fishing Pond

“Some years ago on our estate, we had a big problem when a blocked escape pipe caused flooding so that the local pond was ruined along with the fish in it.

We needed investment to put it right, so we collected a petition and sent it to the local Councillors. We used Radio Sheffield to publicise the campaign and got the backing of the Sheffield Wildlife Trust, who helped us put forward a plan for future use of the area by the community. We organised fishing competitions and so on and we now have the benefits of this successful campaign.”

Brian described how a new group had been formed - Friends of Arbourthorne Fishing Pond. Whilst the land was still owned by the Council, the Friends group was itself responsible for funding applications to maintain and improve the area and were an important part of the community.

The group were very impressed by Brianʼs story and asked him what snags he had come up against and how they had been overcome. He responded that it had been easy because nobody on the estate was against the plan!

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Angela

“I am interested in politics and stood for the Council for the first time last year. I enjoyed leading the campaign to clean up the local pond and want to do more.”

Play facilities for pre-school children

“15 years ago when our children were young there was no local nursery, so with a group of other mums I set up a playgroup. I did all the training and health and safety work necessary to get it established.

Its future was threatened when the lease was up for renewal so some of us formed a committee. We organised a petition, put together a leaflet, held a public meeting and got the support of the local school and church and won some sponsorship from the local shops to keep the playgroup going. I helped there even after my own children had started school and it is still running today as a private nursery.”

Angela told us their biggest hurdle was winning support from the local school. What was clear from the lively discussion was how much Angela herself had gained from the campaign; how it had brought her in touch with the public. As she said herself, “I learnt that once you established a mutual trust it is amazing what progress you can make.”

The group agreed that Angelaʼs example was common to many women who gained their know how from similar unpaid work whilst they had young children, yet found it hard to use such experience as valid qualification for a job later on. We all felt that Public Life everywhere benefits from the energy and commitment of people like Angela.

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Hooshyar

“I want to have a general knowledge about politics and how we can work in a small or big group of people.”

What is democracy in this country?

“Living with refugees gives me a specific perspective. What is democracy? The freedom to pray? I think it is also the freedom to speak our minds.

Some refugees come to this country because they think it is a paradise, but I see this country as having risks. So I ask for courses about democracy to talk about our situation and learn about each other, but all they give us is IT and English language training and how to get jobs.

This country in the future will be damaged because I cannot speak my mind, it is not a country of free speech!”

Hooshyar spoke with his limited English slowly and quietly and left us all thoughtful. We all knew we did not understand enough and that what Hooshyar was saying was right.

The following week he brought us a poem about the refugee arriving in this country. With help he had translated it from Farsi.

(Hooshyarʼs job search training clearly paid off. He could not come to our media training days because he had started work!)

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Hooshyar始s Poem

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Robinson Crusoe

I approached a sorrowful sunset, I was dead, all that remained of me Was my tiny name.

My tiny name, Soaked frightened and tired, Reached the shore.

Strangely, searched deeply the island始s trees.

The Island, Was tiny and nice.

The Island Was huge and ugly The Island Was the far end of the world.

My name, It was only my mother, who knew it And a kind friend, Who was my childhood playmate.

But later, when we grew up a bit, He pointed his gun at my face.

And the Island Has recorded my name At the old College of ESOL, In the Home Office files, At the Police Station And in many Job Agencies.

Hooshyar - May 2007

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Ron

“In politics, I have learnt ‘always follow the money’ to understand what’s going on.”

Campaigning for the Flower Estate

“The Flower Estate was one of the first ʻhousing estatesʼ in Sheffield, designed from an architectural competition based on Rowntree Garden City.

In the 1980s the Brickworks at the corner of the site was demolished leaving a contaminated site. With growing unemployment and poverty, the estate became run down and unpopular. Empty properties brought vandalism and by the end of the nineties, one third of the estate was demolished.”

Ron, as a community activist, had welcomed the decision to modernise houses and form a community group to bring back pride in the area through a ʻcommunity planʼ for the estate. He explained how one outcome of the consultation was that the residents and the City Council would contract together to use European funding to regenerate the estate, to reclaim the brickworks site to create a pleasant leisure area and in particular to develop facilities for youth in the area with Council funding.

“My conclusions from all this effort are that first, we have formed a really nice area on the former brickworks site but that second, the Council has not met its part of the contract to develop activities for youth and third, that the government with their rules actually make self help harder to get any real improvement.”

Ronʼs final point that government policies say they want to empower communities but in fact are a large part of the problem in terms of self help was a powerful one to which the group really had no ʻquick fixʼ.

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John

“To make a contribution to the community in some way, and find out what that might mean.”

Mental health services for traumatised soldiers

“Towards the end of the war my father was asked to work on the dismantling of concentration camps. He returned home to us a changed person. No longer outgoing and relaxed, we as children knew him only as someone rather silent, tense and withdrawn, and our mother was saddened. In fact of course he was ill but was never able to speak about his experiences until just before his death.”

John told us how he had contacted veterans organisations with his fatherʼs personal statement and had spoken with other former service men and women. He had searched for material and written it up and even looked at the possibility of legal action. The MoD had taken some action - £12.5 million for compensation and screening of men who had been in action - but John believed that only an improved understanding of mental trauma throughout the MoD would bring a more adequate response.

We discussed the matter in the light of the many young men and women soon to return from active service in Iraq and how they ought to be able to expect better treatment through a more trusting relationship with the mental health services.

Later John used this issue for his radio presentation. He related it to Iraq and simply mentioned as emphasis that he knew the problem from personal experience. The group offered spontaneous applause for this effort which would clearly have gripped the attention of anyone listening.

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Alison

“I want to become a more effective member of a cancer related Consumer Research Panel and do better as Chair of my local branch Labour Party.”

Saving the Baths!

“Chapeltown Swimming Baths was built nearly 50 years ago, with money raised locally. It was run by the Parish Council - Ecclesfield the only such arrangement in the country. In the seventies Sheffield took over control of the area and with it the Baths. However financial pressure twenty years later meant that a number of leisure facilities, including Chapeltown Baths, were under threat of closure. There was huge opposition locally, fuelled by local Liberal Councillors, who used the public perception that the faraway ʻLabour City Councilʼ neither knew nor cared about Chapeltown.”

Alison explained how she, with another local group set out to try and ʻSave the Bathsʼ. They worked within the Labour Party to switch the debate to saving the Baths rather than just knocking the Council.

They won over the District Labour Party to the view that the Baths should not be closed before a real effort had been made to win new money from the Parish Council. They used the MP and officers in the Recreation Department to put together a partnership rescue plan with the local ʻSave the Bathsʼ committee.

The Baths are still open, run by a committee drawn from the area with Council and Parish Council support and 50:50 financing.

We discussed how Alison had raised public support through clever tactics and public meetings. All agreed it was a real ʻsuccess storyʼ.

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Maria

“I am very interested in politics, and I think this particular course will allow me to gain the skills I require and also enjoy the discussions and debates that are part of the course.”

Part timers and pensions

“When I started work in the National Health Service in1978, we were told that part time workers didnʼt join the NHS Pension scheme. Only later did I find out this meant part-timers on less than 16 hours a week, and that those who worked more hours, could pay in if they chose. I was caring for children and older relatives and worked 20 hours, so I never joined the scheme.

It doesnʼt seem right that after working 28 years for the National Health Service I have no occupational pension, just because my family circumstances meant that I could not work full time and nobody told me otherwise.”

Maria told us that UNISON tried to overturn the ruling on grounds of discrimination and that in 1997, it was taken to an industrial tribunal.

Maria knows that for her there is no chance of winning anything on personal grounds but is angry that it was never made clear.

This provoked a lively discussion in the group who wondered how much the employer gained from not paying in their share for part timers occupational pensions, which might explain the lack of clear information!

During the course Maria went as delegate to the UNISON conference, determined to speak up about it and returned pleased to say that she had.

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Lessons - Helen Jackson and Jol Miskin So what can we all learn from these students?

How feasible is it to make a difference from outside the ‘elected’ position? The outcome was a resounding ‘YES IT IS’ but it needs help.

COMMUNITY DEMOCRACY - Vinʼs local joy riders, Brian and Angelaʼs dirty ponds, Audreyʼs village plan or Lucyʼs young voters in Dronfield. The actions of citizens are essential to maintaining social cohesion and good governance.

Active citizens ARE in fact the bridge between private and public. ʻAll politics is localʼ- there is nothing new about this truism, but it helps to smother the common cry that no-one cares about politics these days. The response of the local pub to the smoking ban; the recent floods; a school closure; each issue evokes intense local interest.

The seven week course reveals the massive potential of individual and collective local initiative but still we see a failure on all sides to grasp its real value.

The WEA, founded to undertake ʻsocial purposeʼ education, retains its relevance and urgency. R.H.Tawney talked of the struggle to create a tolerable society and the role that adult education could play in that task. The need for an ʻeducated democracyʼ, seems more important that ever in this globalised world.

What are the common threads of success? We would point to three in particular. A questioning citizen, a climate of openness at all levels of government and a celebration rather than fear of diversity.

THE QUESTIONING CITIZEN - The fundamental question “why?” lies at the heart of successful political engagement. If the answer is “no money”, the question must still be “why?”

Seeking the facts, and challenging any manipulation of them, gives confidence and authority to the local citizen - and of course always makes good media stories.

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A CLIMATE OF OPENNESS - Authorities control information but a climate of openness in public affairs and good access to easy to read information is a huge help.

It is made even more secure when the public have a frequent and friendly interface with elected representatives and the local media.

DIVERSITY - The groups represent a diverse range of citizens in terms of age, race, status, gender, and disability. However the shared common thread is a desire for change and fairness and it is this that is the essential driving force for campaigning.

Indeed the inclusivity of the groups themselves makes a point about the global range and nature of citizenship, which speaks for itself.

How can we develop skills around speaking, listening, and managing meetings?

Two aspects stand out. Speaking well means listening well, and this is as true for the teacher as well as the learners. There is no substitute for practice.

THE SPOKEN WORD and THE ART OF LISTENING - Focusing on the spoken word - its tone and substance - and developing this particular skill, starts the student down the road of not just political engagement but successful political activity.

The appreciative way the group listened to members from other countries who have suffered injustice, and responded to those with disabilities, gave the sessions a freshness and vitality.

Words are simply the tools. Learning to speak politics with clarity means learning to listen with empathy.

LEARNER CENTERED ADULT EDUCATION - For the teacher the art of listening is the key to a student CENTERED approach to learning, using learners始 experience and interests as the basis for interest in politics.

The discussions about the diplomacy of meetings, networking, email and the media, provoked stimulating discussion and gave the opportunity for students to link the course with their current experience at home, work or in the community.

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PRACTICE AND SELF AWARENESS - Each student surprised themselves by how exposed they felt standing to say something to the group. It helps to know just how natural this is. Doing it and practising, is the only way forward.

It simply gets easier and easier! Practical sessions with microphone and visuals were very useful.

How do these skills combine and interweave to win arguments and deliver success? Inclusivity and outreach are the key!

DIVERSITY (again) - The classes benefitted from being very diverse. We could talk about dyslexia, disability, asylum, race, religion, gender and many other topics.

Older activists, like Ron or Roger, know how to pace their campaigns, limit their targets, be more aware of financial implications and assume changes will take longer - or not happen at all! Younger citizens, like Laura, Kate and Lucy, network more freely and use the internet without hesitation to collect background facts, but are more likely to feel uneasy speaking in groups and meetings.

COMMUNITY ACTION - Successful community action brings everyone together, but warm and comfortable local facilities, quality street lighting and affordable public transport that doesn始t stop in the evening, makes a big difference.

In particular the support and respect of those in authority for community leaders in one direction, and reciprocal understanding of public servants and elected members by community activists are the ingredients for constructive opposition and dynamic action. Indeed the experience is then a learning process for all involved.

NETWORKING - Women are often the key to successful community action and as with Angela, learn their politics through their campaigning for childcare and family friendly facilities. The course reflects similar outcomes to outreach work with women in South Yorkshire which resulted in the South Yorkshire Women始s Development Trust initiative (www.sywol.org) to share ideas and make more use of the internet to network.

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Can all this be ‘taught’, or are all the factors for success there anyway so that it’s just a question of releasing them through practice?

THE YOUNG CITIZEN - A better grasp is needed of how easy it can be to make a difference and this understanding starts very young, with schools having a vital role to play. Children should meet their elected representatives, be helped to read newspapers and talk about ʻgrown upʼ issues. They can start voting young in the home and at school.

ELECTED CITIZENS - MPs, Councillors, school governors, trade union and community representatives all have a role to play by keeping in touch through EVERY medium - media, Email, personal contact, telephone, leaflet and meetings. They need to give regular factual information and the full range of options and arguments and collect feedback through questionnaires, telephone, or through being in close touch with their key contacts and community leaders.

ADULT EDUCATORS - There is a good case for a continuing significant expansion of adult political education - including special courses for the young, pensioners, women, refugees, as well as integrated ones. They should be free of charge so that every student learns on a level playing field.

There is a constant challenge of upgrading the detail of such courses to keep up with new communication channels based on internet use and this can best be done through interaction between tutors and their learners.

ACCREDITATION - Thought should be given to how skills based accreditation via the Open College Network relates to learning objectives aimed at non-skilled qualities like citizenship. Otherwise as in Hooshyarʼs poem ʻcitizenshipʼ qualification can become sterile and possibly counter productive.

These courses show that though the OCN system works fine for assessing the skills involved in delivering a short speech or learning about the media, it cannot capture the learning individuals gain about themselves and how they fit into society as citizens through the collective experience of the course.

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Finally how does this process relate to theories of the broader understanding of politics and democracy

DEMOCRATIC INVOLVEMENT - Everyone - teachers, media and elected members themselves - must stop rubbishing the authority of elected individuals and public bodies. This would actually raise the status of collective action by whoever it is - students, tenants, pensioners, community groups, or trade unions.

In return constant attention must be given by all elected members to standards of probity in all forms of public life.

More time limiting of elected positions would widen the opportunities for a greater number of citizens to be active and effective. This should be considered at local Council, school governor, trust, and indeed MP level!

The mechanics of voting can be made easier with postal votes, or voting over a period longer than the present ʻworkingʼ day as in the UK. We should be finding out why in France and Italy for example, voter turnout is so much higher than here.

MEANING OF CITIZENSHIP - the points made by refugees have a particular resonance at the present time. Refugees should feel free to talk of their experiences.

The substantive nature and variety of the collective issues students chose to campaign on: from Johnʼs sensitive awareness of how to ease a passage back into normal life and work for young soldiers returning from traumatic duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, to Alisonʼs description of a consensual way of actually ʻsavingʼ the Baths, rather than moaning at their closure, was nothing short of inspirational.

If those now in Public Life cannot increase the time and effort they put in to listening to our ʻCitizensʼ, the value of ʻCitizenshipʼ becomes debased. It is then much harder to develop the potential for a vibrant democracy in this country.

This project, as part of the Academy for Community Leadership and other “Active City” programmes being run in South Yorkshire, holds important lessons for all.

The WEA is well placed to drive this work forward, and it can use its position and its philosophical inheritance to convince Government that funding such work should be a priority and vital to its commitment to citizenship and political involvement.

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