Ewan Aiken was an 18 year old student at Forth Valley College in Falkirk when one of the lecturers on his Working with Communities HNC course first introduced the idea of membership of the CLD Standards Council.
As he moved further into his studies, it quickly become clear to Ewan that the practice of Community Learning and Development can make a real difference to communities.
As part of his studies, Ewan was able to join in with an international online session with contributions from community activists from as far afield as South America, Canada and England. Hearing about how CLD can work in such diverse communities was both inspirational and educational, and Ewan was impressed by the way everyone generously shared their ideas and experience.
Closer to home, Ewan’s CLD studies have demonstrated to him how critical community work is in Scotland, and how important good CLD practice is when it comes to building resilience and supporting individuals in local communities. He also gives credit to his college course for providing a better understanding and insight about his own local community.
“There are a lot of problems in the area I live, but the pandemic let me see the good in people and this community – it was amazing to see how people rallied round during Covid to help those who were having a really difficult time.
“Then as a student one of my assignments was to do a community profile of the area I live, Westfield and Middlefield near Grangemouth. It was fascinating to learn about my own area’s history and to find out so much about all the things that go on behind the scenes.”
Ewan’s learning is now being applied in his working life. From being a student at Forth Valley College, he’s now a member of staff, playing a hugely important role as an Additional Support Worker. Ewan describes his job as being really rewarding.
“This job is great, I meet so many different kinds of people and I really like building professional relationships with the students, getting to know them and work out what their needs are and how we can support them during their studies.”
As an autistic person, Ewan demonstrates real empathy and understanding with the students he works with, but the learning curve can be steep.
“I’ve been working with people who have all sorts of different needs – I’ve met people with ADHD, deaf and partially mute people, and I often work with autistic people. Everyone’s needs are so different, and although I’m autistic, other autistic people don’t necessarily have the same behaviours as me, so I’m always learning. And anyway, I’m not there to talk to them about me, I there to support them!”
Through his membership of the CLD Standards Council Ewan is able to keep up to date with developments in the sector, and meet other people who share his interest in the power of community. He hopes to build on his learning and personal development by going to university, and ultimately hopes to build a career which helps and supports other people. Ewan is clearly a real community champion!
To find out more about membership of the CLD Standards Council click here