There’s a quiet revolution taking place; it doesn’t involve a radical manifesto or a bunch of fuming townies armed with pitchforks. No, this revolution is more about changing the way local people look at local problems, and giving them the tools to literally SEE how to make big changes.

Here at SREC, we engage with lots of people who feel that the efforts they make as community activists have not brought about the kind of changes they want to see. This became a major concern for us; so much so that we applied for funding from the Home Office, who via their Connecting Communities Fund, agreed with us - some sort of training programme was needed to redress this situation. So we devised SEE - Slough Engaging & Empowering, which is a 6 Day programme spread over a 2 month period.

Its aims are two-fold: firstly, to personally empower you, and then provide you with the knowledge and skills to progressively empower a community or local group. Here’s how it works…

The methods used are participative and aim to draw upon trainees’ collective experiences. During the programme, you will be encouraged to apply what you are learning to one particular local issue you are passionate about. Some of the issues that are currently being taken forward by trainees range from the development of a parenting support group for parents and relatives of young offenders and a lunch club for Goan elders. You will gain valuable knowledge and skills regarding how to make the best of your potential, how to set and achieve your ambitions, learn about community rights, race and equality legislation, how to influence decision-making in Slough, how to make constructive challenges, how to network effectively and much, much more.

Along with this, Peer Support Events will be held regularly, where you’ll get to network with every trainee who’s been on the course, as well as gain more knowledge and skills through workshops. Regular mailings will mean that you will be kept updated regarding local development and funding opportunities. And the development opportunities don’t stop there - Sophia and Jagroop, who are our full-time Community Development Officers, will offer you long term personal support to bring your ideas to fruition!

The training programme is FREE and is open to anyone who lives or works in Slough, and does not work for a statutory service provider. Mohammed Dirir is a member of Berkshire Somali Group, which helps local Somalis find their feet and make best use of local services. He believes the training course has helped him immensely:

‘It gave me the opportunity to meet other like-minded people and to network with other activists. It also gave me an insight into the kind of things that are happening and need to happen in the local area. I now have the confidence to move positively forward, and have a useful toolkit which helps me approach things differently’.

Only recently, we ran a course for women onsite in Chalvey and will also be running a specific course for people with disabilities. If you feel that a particular group of people in the town need a tailored course, please contact us.

So if you’re a budding activist, or someone who wants to explore their potential, the next course is taking place in June/July ’05 and place are limited – so why don’t you get in contact with us and SEE where it takes you!

An article by Jagroop Singh
Community Development Officer