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CREATING BETTER COMMUNITIES
A Day of Training and Networking
Saturday 19th September 2009
(10.00am – 4.00pm)
Venue: Orchardhill Parish Church
12 Church Road, Giffnock, Glasgow, G46 6JR Facilitated by Lois Smidt
(Creator of community circles & Co-founder of Beyond Welfare) The purpose of creating community circles is to bring people from a local community together to share their skills, talents, gifts and resources. The underlying principle is based upon the premise that poverty is not just about the lack of money, but also about the lack of friendship and meaning. We believe that everyone needs community, everyone needs to be heard and everyone needs to have fun.
Community Circles are based upon reciprocity and the assumption that EVERYONE has both gifts and needs – whether these are labelled or not. The circles adopt the fundamental value of inclusion that ‘all means all’, no one is excluded from community circles, and instead the circle members work out how to include everyone equally and safely.
Community circles provide a great foundation or starting point from which to explore connections, build relationships, locate resources and share skills. These circles will be a particularly important resource for Brokers and the people that they work for. They provide a safe forum in which people can meet and friendships can start, a natural reservoir of people and relationships where people can be invited to offer their time and capacity.
For more information go to www.inclusive-solutions.com and click on the community circles button.
Who should attend? Faith Community Leaders, Community Activists, Local Area Co-coordinators, Community Health partners, Councillors, politicians, community leaders and individuals who are trying to work out how to make our communities better places for us all to live. ABOUT THE FACILITATOR: LOIS SMIDT In many ways, Beyond Welfare (www.beyondwelfare.org) is the creation of the personal experience of Lois Smidt, BEYOND WELFARE co-founder, connector and guiding light. Having spent several years on welfare in the 90’s, Lois is keenly aware of the struggles and pitfalls of trying to raise a family in poverty. Isolation, suppressed anger, stereotypes—all seem to get in the way of even the most determined attempt to overcome them. “Although I certainly had many supportive relationships in my life by this time, as well as community involvement and support, I was still bombarded with patterns of worthlessness and helplessness that were reinforced by reliance on public assistance and the attitudes projected by human service providers and the general public,” she says. These two ideas—that relationships are essential and that respectful supportive connections can cross barriers and build leadership—became cornerstones of Lois’ work and that of BEYOND WELFARE. She later encountered the concepts of Co-Counselling, or Re-Evaluation Counselling, that provided her with tools and exercises that support her vision. The tools and principles of co-counselling aim to break down the barriers caused by race and class by engaging in the tough work of one-to-one listening and support. The cost: £10.00 incl. tea/coffee/lunch To book your place please complete the application form below and return with your £10.00 to:
Orchardhill Parish Church, Better Communities Day,
12 Church Road, Giffnock, Glasgow, G46 6JR
or via email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel: (0141) 638 3604
You can pay on the day, but once you have reserved a place you become liable for £10.00 irrespective of whether you take up your place or not, as we will incur costs whether you are there or not and others may be turned away once all places are taken up.
CREATING BETTER COMMUNITIES
A Day of Training and Networking
10.00am – 4.00pm Saturday 19th September 2009 Please respond by Thursday, 10 September 2009
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