Case Study: Step Up- Community Leadership Programme

Project Description

The Manchester Beacon commissioned Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO) to undertake a snap-shot consultation in neighbourhoods adjacent to the Universities including Ardwick, Hulme, Moss Side, Rusholme, Longsight and Salford.

This was one of five projects commissioned by the Manchester Beacon and funded by the North West Development Agency (NWDA) to promote engagement between universities and local communities.

The aim was to identify needs, aspirations and gaps of a cohort of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) citizens within the target areas to inform the development of a programme of activities that was shaped and championed by local people. Participants stated they would like a programme with specific cultural references that they could relate to including a BAME leadership course.

This resulted in Step Up, a bespoke leadership development programme designed to support and mentor leaders from the BAME communities which was launched during the Manchester Beacon Summit Week 2009, learn more about the event here. The STEP UP leadership programme included a series of free short courses in the following areas:

• Mentoring and coaching
• Performance Management
• Negotiating skills
• Decision-making
• Conflict management
• Change management
• Creative thinking
• Influencing skills
• Train the trainer

The programme was followed up with a mentoring & coaching scheme to enable participants to carry on developing and applying their leadership skills to everyday practice and ‘Step Up’ into governance roles at a range of institutions, including Universities.

A dissemination event was organised on 29th April 2010 to share the learning from the project with a wider audience. The relationship between the participants in the STEP UP programme and the Manchester Beacon team has been sustained and the group has been involved in future Beacon activity. The group meets regularly to support each other.

"I think it’s called Step Up (because) it gives you an opportunity to realise your potential, to know your direction, your focus and then think about where to go next. Prior to coming to this Step Up project, I think I felt I had barriers. I felt that I didn’t have that confidence. When I gone into the Step Up programme, looked at the training programme, the opportunity, the level of mentoring and support that was provided, I then realised that I had the potential" Step Up Participant

Purpose

• To encourage and support civic engagement
• To change perceptions and improve accessibility to University and community partners
• To increase relevance of partners institutional activity and connectivity with local residents and community groups
• To improve opportunities for sustainable two-way learning

Results/ Outcomes

What worked well?

• The community identified what was needed and the kind of programme they would like to receive.
• The programme developed leadership skills and active citizenship in participants.
• The leadership programme generated higher confidence in universities within the STEP UP participants.
• Participants reported benefits of the networking opportunities generated by the programme.
• The programme gave participants the opportunity to become aware and realise their potential to benefit their local community.
• Participants reported improvement in self-confidence levels and awareness of new opportunities to link with the local universities.
• Local people can ‘open doors’ for other community members to use the contacts they have built up in the university.

Moreover, the programme has helped develop the capacity of participants to resource themselves and the communities that they serve, as well as become more engaged with Universities. This is evident in what the participants have gone onto achieve:

• Secure job promotions in a time of economic uncertainty
• Apply for a PhD place in community engagement
• Join  the Ethics Committee at the University of Manchester
• Deliver a leadership programme for young people
• Stand as an independent candidate in local council elections and set up a campaign group against public sector cuts
• Get involved in university and museum activities such as the Manchester Science Festival and Manchester Beacon seed awards
• Request and secure access to university and museum facilities for their community activities
• Receive an awards from Manchester City Council for their community work
• Organise seminars and conferences

Lessons learnt

• Community Leadership programmes need to be designed and delivered in collaboration with community participants and trusted third sector partners
• Participants learnt from each other because of the opportunities given to share their experiences.
• Importance of listening to the community and valuing their knowledge. Importance of maintaining contact so participants can report on-going  benefits of the programme
• Learning from the project was incorporated to all future projects (e.g. working in partnership and working with third sector deliverers)

Next steps

“Things haven’t ended after the programme ended” Rushi Munshi, CEMVO North West Director.

A Step Up ‘reunion’ was hosted by the Manchester Beacon in December 2011 for participants to catch up, network and report on further benefits. The programme has resulted in community members actually getting more involved within their community groups and their universities. The STEP UP project is featured on the Manchester Beacon website where participants from ten beacon projects reflect and share in the learning from their PE activities. Here what Anthony Kollie, Step up participant has said about the programme here.

Resources Required

• The community has the knowledge and capability to decide what is needed when given the time, space and resource to articulate needs openly and honestly to people that they trust
• Community involvement in the design and delivery of the programme
• Bringing in highly qualified tutors and facilitators with experience in community work and culturally specific provision
• Organising the meetings in venues easily accessible for local communities
• Timing adjusted to the needs of participants