Session 1 - 11th April 05 11.55 – 12.45

Title of Presentation: It’s a long way from Brazil to Banwen

Presenter:                      Alan Burge

Organisation:                Communities Directorate, Welsh

                                       Assembly Government

Summary:          

Communities First, which is the Welsh Assembly Government’s flagship programme to counter social exclusion, is based in the best international evidence of what works in community development. The principles upon which the programme was established – a long term, non-prescriptive, ‘bottom up’ approach, with a heavy emphasis in communities identifying priorities - are familiar to anyone who has worked in international development. The programme has won wide-ranging support. One academic recently described Communities First as the ‘most daring in Western Europe’, while an observer from the private sector said that the process at the heart of the programme was ‘outstanding’.

However, the adoption of such a developmental approach by the Welsh Assembly Government is providing considerable challenges to all involved in running the programme, including local government, the voluntary sector, and the Assembly itself. The society and culture in which the programme is operating in Wales is a markedly different context from those countries of the south, such as in Latin America, where such approaches have been proven. Learning traditions in Wales have historically leaned towards the didactic, as exemplified by the Central Labour college in the early 20th century or Llafur towards the end of the 20th century. They are markedly different from the methodologies of Paolo Freire in Brazil, which could be identified as one of the inspirational roots of the programme.

This paper will consider issues arising from the introduction of programmatic  approaches that were not familiar in Wales. These include, for example, governance, gender, and ‘accompaniment’. Creating – and maintaining – a facilitative and non-prescriptive approach from within a Government Department is an on-going challenge. The decisive role played by national and international non-governmental organisations (ngos), in ‘accompanying’ such programmes in countries of the south is largely outside of the tradition of the voluntary sector in Britain. There is also a need to ensure that gender issues are also addressed. By looking at these and other examples, the paper will explore the factors and circumstances that need to be considered in transferring experience from one society and culture to another.

In this organic programme (which lives and breathes, and answers back) new ways are devised that respond to locally determined circumstances, while remaining faithful to the principles underpinning the programme. Structured reflection and learning are central to the management of the programme. However, it is experience on the ground that is a key determinant in shaping programme direction and policy.

As well as there being a discussion of the ideas and points above, hopefully participants will flag up areas where it is considered that the Communities First programme can or should adapt.