We are recruiting – Workforce Development Officer

Join us as our new Workforce Development Officer! The Development Officer will lead the development of workforce proposals to highlight and modernise CLD career pathways in Scotland.

Specific duties include:

• Working closely with the CLDSC Committees and Officers, co-ordinate the CLD Standards Council internal and external policy profile pertaining to CLD workforce data. 
• Providing advice to senior officers and assisting in drafting a range of policy and high quality papers and discussion pieces to stimulate dialogue and recommendations.

For more information and to apply, view the Work for Scotland website.  Closing date: midnight 24 April 2022.

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Scottish Attainment Challenge: A framework for recovery and accelerating progress

Education Secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville has announced a new £2 million youth work, community & family learning fund to further enhance collaboration between youth work organisations and schools. She states, “In recognition of the importance we place on youth work, the third sector and community organisations, we will introduce, in August, a new £2 million fund to help enhance support for youth work, community learning and development services and family learning programmes.”

Full detail is available on the Scottish Government website. 

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Adult Learning Strategy Launch

The new Adult Learning Strategy will be launched over 2 days in May!  An in-person event is taking place on 10 May 2022 at Newbattle Abbey College, followed by a virtual launch on 11 May 2022.  You can register for both events now.

Register for the in-person launch

Register for the virtual launch

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IACD Sub-Saharan Africa Region Master Class

This free online event will take place on Wednesday, 13th April 2022 at 9:00am BST (London) / 11:00am EAT (Nairobi).

Join De Wet Schutte (IACD Member; Community Development and Research Consultant, University of the Western Cape, South Africa) leading the discussion aimed at enabling academicians, practitioners and students to deepen their understanding and command of tools for sound community development practice.

This event is free and open to any members and friends of IACD!  Register today and you will be emailed instructions for joining along with reminders. Feel free to invite a friend or colleague to register as well!

Register for the IACD discussion on Eventbrite.

If you have any questions, please contact membership@iacdglobal.org. 

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Free Accredited Online Learning Microcredentials

The Open University in Scotland (OUiS) is offering another opportunity to access fully funded places on their online learning Microcredentials for those working in the CLD sector. 

These courses provide strategic skills for practitioners in any learning environment, in community or online and have been identified as relevant to CLD practitioners by the CLD Standards Council. They will help you to develop online programmes for learners which are accessible and inclusive while also focusing on key thematic priorities for the sector.

The courses available will allow you to look at how you can deliver a more digitally accessible service, while broadening your reach to more young people, adults, families and community groups.

The courses on offer are:

• Online Teaching: Creating Courses for Adult Learners
• Online Teaching: Evaluating and Improving Courses
• Online Teaching: Accessibility and Inclusive Learning
• Teacher Development: Embedding Mental Health in the Curriculum
• Online Teaching: Embedding Social, Race and Gender-Related Equity

These courses are at postgraduate level and will start in June 2022 and run for 12 weeks. For more information and to apply, please visit OUiS Microcredentials for CLD.

The deadline for applications is Sunday, 15 May 2022.

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The Gathering 2022 – Pre-registration open!

The Gathering is back in person on Wednesday, 15th and Thursday, 16th June 2022 at the SEC, Glasgow! Do you want to have first access to the biggest ever programme of events at the Gathering? Do you want to book FREE delegate places before anyone else? Do you want to keep up-to-date with news about the Gathering?

Just complete the form on the SCVO website and SCVO will keep you in the loop and drop you a reminder straight into your inbox when bookings open in late May 2022.

And, as an added bonus, we’re delighted to announce we’ll be hosting an event on Wednesday, 15th June at the Gathering to launch our CLDSC Professional Induction Programme. Watch this space for more details!  

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SERA Conference 20-22 November 2022

The Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA) brings together an active community of researchers, teacher educators, teachers, other educational professionals, policy makers, and funders to share and debate current research in the field of education locally and globally.

The call for abstracts is now open for #SERAconf22 under the theme of Reconnection Educational Research, Policy and Practice. Please consider submitting an abstract to host a session related to CLD policy and practice. The conference will accept sessions on individual papers, short presentations, symposia, poster presentations, as well as suggestions for roundtable discussions and workshops.

See more information on the SERA website. The submission date for abstracts is by 5pm on Friday, 6 May 2022 and these should be sent to sera.conference@gmail.com.

SERA Conference registration for delegates will open at the beginning of May 2022.

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Save the Dates! Scottish Government Adult Learning Strategy Launch

The new Scottish Government Adult Learning Strategy will be launched by Mr Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for HE and FE, Youth Employment & Training on Tuesday, 10th May 2002 at Newbattle Abbey College and virtually on Wednesday, 11th May 2022 via the College Development Network. CLD: adult learning workforce development will be discussed by Dr Marion Allison, Director of CLD Standards Council and Laura Starkey, Education Officer Community Learning and Development, Education Scotland. Booking details to follow!

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Virtual Member Meet Up – 1 April 2022 – Education Reform

There is still time to register for our virtual member meet up on Friday, 1 April 2022, where CLD Standards Council Director, Dr Marion Allison will talk about all things Education Reform. This follows the recent publication of Professor Ken Muir’s report on Education Reform.

We want to hear your thoughts and hopes about Professor Muir’s recommendation that the CLDSC should remain part of the new proposed national agency for Scottish education.  

Register for the April Virtual Member Meet-Up on Eventbrite.

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CLDSC Professional Induction Programme – Extended Pilot

A reminder that if you would like to participate in our Professional Induction Programme, please get in touch by Friday, 1 April 2022.

As we highlighted in last week’s bulletin, we have been developing a CLD Standards Council Professional Induction Programme and are looking for CLDSC members to undertake the programme and provide feedback on any areas which need further development or clarity before our official launch. 

The programme will take 15 hours to complete and this will contribute towards your professional learning commitment. 

We are aiming for this to be completed during April and May. If you are interested in taking part, please email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk by Friday, 1 April.  

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National Thematic Inspection: How well are CLD partners supporting COVID-19 recovery?

Community Learning and Development (CLD) practitioners and third sector partners have supported communities across Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to better understand the role of CLD in supporting recovery from COVID-19 in local communities, HM Inspectors will undertake a national thematic review. The review will reflect on how well partners prioritise and use effective CLD approaches to support those who are marginalised or at risk of being isolated in their communities. It will also consider how the pandemic has affected the CLD landscape, including changes to the ways in which CLD is accessed and delivered.
 
HM Inspectors would like to engage with a broad selection of CLD partners and organisations from across Scotland. Participation will be voluntary, with engagement planned to take place during April and May 2022. With this in mind, we would like to invite you to consider involvement in this review. HM Inspectors are offering the following webinars to share more information about the review and to answer any questions you may have. Please feel to free to come along, using one of the links below to register. However, there is no requirement for you to attend a webinar before indicating that you would like to be involved.
 
Register to attend the webinar on 4 April 2022 11:00 – 12:00

Register to attend the webinar on 4 April 2022 14:00 – 15:00 

 If you are interested in being part of the thematic review, please complete this nomination form by midday on Friday, 8 April 2022.

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Virtual College Expo 2022 – 14 and 15 June 2022

Rewrite the College Story: Learning Experiences, Skills Development, Anchoring Communities is the theme of the Virtual College Expo22. 

Virtual College Expo22 is the professional learning event for the college sector in Scotland, offering inspirational keynotes, workshops, seminars, and panel debate. This year will also recognise Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 celebrating and sharing student stories from across the country.

Find out more on the CDN Virtual College Expo website and book your free place .   

Follow on Twitter: @ColDevNet#CollegeExpo22

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Joint Education and Training Standards (JET)S

JETS works collaboratively across the UK and Ireland to ensure that qualifications approved are still fit for the mutual recognition agreements. Mutual Recognition across the UK and Ireland – Professional (higher education) qualifications are recognised across the UK and Ireland as long as the programme of study has been professionally validated/approved by the NYA (England), ETS Wales or the Joint ETS for Northern Ireland and Ireland and CLD Standards Council Scotland. This mutual recognition agreement was arranged by the Joint Education Training Standards Committee (JETS). 
 
JETS also has a workforce development function, alongside a broader commitment to continuous professional development (CPD) for all staff, which is at the heart of the profession’s obligation to ensure that youth workers and CLD workers are fit to practice. JETS meets to share good practice, to develop commonality of approach, and to take joint action on any issues and concerns.  
 
Details of JETS, terms of reference, JETS Guidelines and Useful resources/links can be found on i-develop.

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Change to the Credit Rating Status of City & Guilds of London Institute Learning Programmes

On 28 March 2022, the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework and the City & Guilds of London Institute issued a joint statement confirming that City & Guilds of London Institute (CGLI) confirmed its decision that it would no longer operate as an Approved Credit Rating Body.  As of September 2021, CGLI have ceased all new credit rating activities.

Read the full statement.

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*STOP PRESS* Virtual Member Meet Up – 1 April 2022 – Education Reform – Change to advertised event

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CLDSC Professional Induction Programme – Extended Pilot

We’ve been developing a CLD Standards Council Professional Induction Programme and are now in a position to do a ‘soft launch’. We’re looking for CLD Standards Council members to undertake the full induction programme so we can gather any final comments on areas which need further development/clarity before our official launch.

The programme will take 15 hours to complete and this will contribute towards your professional learning commitment. We are aiming for this to be completed during April and May.  

If you are interested in taking part, please email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk by Friday, 1 April.  

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Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime

The Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime is a programme of research that has been running for 21 years. The overarching purpose of the study is to examine the causes and consequences of young people’s involvement in crime and anti-social behaviour. The core of the programme is a major longitudinal study of a single cohort of around 4,300 young people who started secondary school in the City of Edinburgh in the autumn of 1998. 

This Latest report of the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime programme includes initial insights from the eighth phase of the study, which tracks the cohort from age 12 to 35. This phase was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and included interviews with cohort members, an online survey, and analysis of criminal convictions data. Some of the main findings from the study include:

• Most of those who offend in adolescence do not go on to offend in adulthood, and many of those engaged in serious offending are not known to justice organisations in childhood or adulthood
• Children who experienced a range of adversities (including poverty, trauma, care experience, etc) were significantly more likely to offend in adolescence and into adulthood, but the most persistent offenders also experienced adversities in adulthood
• Desistance from offending is a complex process influenced by multiple factors that are not the same for everyone and do not necessarily remain constant over time; however, factors that could facilitate desistance would include prevention in relation to poverty, drug use and crime victimisation 
• Pathways of criminal conviction from childhood to early adulthood vary considerably depending on people’s early life circumstances, and are associated with a wide range of behavioural, familial, contextual and experiential factors. However, those who come persistently into contact with the justice system over time tend to be amongst the poorest and most vulnerable people in our cohort
• People who have contact with the criminal justice system are not necessarily more likely to desist from offending and, in some cases it may act as a catalyst for continued offending into adulthood
• Formal system contact is typically experienced by individuals as a set of barriers and hazards to be negotiated, but positive change relies on key individuals (such as youth workers or foster carers) who provide strong and consistent support
• Successful outcomes typically involve achieving modest social norms (such as family, home and employment); however, change is often precarious, especially amongst those who have a poor start in life
• Holistic approaches, which work across policy portfolios (education, economy, housing, and justice),  and which target risk factors across communities rather than risky individuals in childhood and adolescence, are likely to be successful in driving down offending and conviction across the life-course

The Report is available on the University of Edinburgh website.

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National Numeracy Day – 18 May 2022

We are delighted to be a Champion of #NationalNumeracyDay on 18 May! Join us and over 2,810 other Champions helping the nation get on with numbers.  Sign up to become a National Numeracy day champion and in the build up to 18 May you will receive everything you need to support adults.

Find out more about National Numeracy Day and follow on social media:

• Twitter: @Nat_Numeracy
• Facebook: @nationalnumeracy
• Instagram: @national_numeracy
• LinkedIn: National Numeracy

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Place Based Digital Inclusion Programme

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) recently held a webinar on its Place Based Digital Inclusion programme. This approach puts people at the heart of service design and involves stakeholders working collaboratively at a local level to tackle digital exclusion.  

You can view the webinar on their YouTube Channel and read the interim report (PDF).

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DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal

One such CLDSC Member is Darren Burns who volunteers as South West Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Coordinator and has asked us to highlight the DEC appeal.

The DEC has urged people to donate money rather than goods to help those affected by the conflict. We are seeing an absolutely incredible response from the public to this appeal, which has now raised over £150 million, including £25 million UK aid match.

• Intense conflict in Ukraine is threatening the lives and livelihoods of civilians across the country, causing hundreds of thousands to flee.
• Homes have been destroyed
• Essential services have been hit
• Families have been separated
• People have been injured
• Lives have been lost
• Heavy fighting, shelling and air strikes across Ukraine have had devastating consequences for civilians
• 2.3 million people have fled the country in recent days, with millions more projected, and many more have had to leave their homes to escape the fighting

The DEC brings together 15 leading aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently at times of crisis overseas. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response.

Pooling our resources to work as one, DEC is pivotal in co-ordinating the UK public’s response to overseas disasters. In collaboration with the Rapid Response Network of national media and corporate partners, DEC raises the alarm to the UK public and sets up easy ways for them to donate.  It has immediate impact, getting aid to people who need it, fast.

Donations can be made on the DEC website and you can follow them on Twitter @DECScotland

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Education Reform – A Message from Dr Marion Allison, Director, CLD Standards Council

Last week the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Ms Shirley-Anne Somerville set out her vision for a reformed education system for Scotland, in response to Professor Ken Muir’s education consultation, Putting Learners at the Centre: Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education.

The Cabinet Secretary’s vision includes a new national agency for Scottish education that will take forward some of the current remit of Education Scotland. There was a clear recommendation that the CLDSC should remain part of the proposed national agency for Scottish education. Given that feedback from CLD practitioners has been positive about our work, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support for the CLDSC and offer assurance that our focus continues to be on supporting our members across the sector as we work towards a reformed education system.

Dr Marion Allison
Director, CLD Standards Council

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Don’t Forget! CLD Digital Competence Review – Focus Group registration

There are still places available at the focus groups to discuss how digital should be embedded in our Competent Practitioner Framework, how you use it in practice and what support you need from CLDSC.

There are 5 sessions to choose from and you can register for all sessions on Eventbrite and choose one of the dates and times below. 

• Friday 18 March 2022        2-3.30pm
• Monday 21 March 2022     1-2.30pm
• Monday 21 March 2022     4-5.30pm       
• Thursday 24 March 2022   6-7.30pm
• Monday 28 March 2022     1-2.30pm

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Virtual Member Meet-up – 1 April 2022, 1-2pm

This is not an April Fool. Repeat, this is NOT an April Fool! Our next virtual meet-up takes place on Friday, 1 April 2022 at 1pm. Come along to hear the key messages coming out of the Digital Competence Focus Groups and share your views on what should be included in the next stage of the consultation process, the online survey, which will go live in April. 

Register for the April Virtual Member Meet-Up on Eventbrite.

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Adult Learning Strategy Launch

Save the Date! The new Scottish Government Adult Learning Strategy will be launched by Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training, on Tuesday, 10 May 2022 at Newbattle Abbey College. A virtual event will also be held on Wednesday, 11 May 2022 hosted by College Development Network. More details will follow.

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TES Magazine – Member Benefit

If you are looking for useful reading material, remember that your CLD Standards Council Membership gives you free online access to TES magazine. Details are available in the Members benefit page on i-develop.

You will need to login to access this, so if you have lost your username or password and are having difficulty resetting, email us at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk.

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The Community Development Journal – special issue on environmental community development in the climate emergency

This month’s issue focuses on environmental community development and features an editorial by Callum McGregor and Eurig Scandrett on community development, populism, and just transition.

In addition to the quarterly publications of the CDJ, there are also special issues, advance articles, and abstracts translated into French, Spanish, and Chinese – they are completely free to access online.

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The SCQF at 21 Online Conference – 24 March 2022 – Recognising Skills in a Changing Landscape

SCQF have an exciting line up of speakers and presenters for the SCQF at 21 Online Conference, as well as a range of workshops to attend. The event will highlight the important part that the SCQF plays in supporting learner journeys in these rapidly changing times as well as showcasing best practice in the use of the framework. Delegates will also have the opportunity to hear about SCQFP’s latest projects and developments.  

Read the agenda and register for the conference.

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College Development Network Awards 2022

The Awards recognise the talent, skills and achievements of colleges, their staff and their learners and we’re delighted to say that one of the categories is the College Community Learning Award, so please do enter and highlight the fabulous CLD work done in partnership with colleges. 

The deadline for entries is Friday, 1 July at 5pm, and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in November.

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Dyslexia Scotland – New Strategy 2022-2025

Whilst Scotland’s dyslexic community equates to around 545,500 people, the charity recognises that many of those feel alone, excluded and marginalised with their learning difference.  

The organisation produced their plan as a full strategy document, two-page summary and for the first time, as a video version, in order to be as engaging and inclusive for their diverse audience as possible. 

The charity calls on all people in Scotland, dyslexic or not, to be part of the journey to creating a dyslexia-friendly Scotland. 

Watch their strategy video on Youtube and view the summary and full document.

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CLDSC Face Masks

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The Impact of Community Work – new publication underway

The authors believe strongly that it is important to write from within the CLD sector at this time and are pleased to be bringing another practitioner resource into the field. All are CLD Standards Council members, are very engaged in current activity in community settings and are writing to underpin practice. The group – Ed Garrett, Sue Briggs, Kevin Ditcham, Kirsty Forrester and Karen McArdle thanked Marion for the support received from the SC in their work so far. 

Look out for Community Work: theory into practice when it is published in 2023.

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CLD Digital Competence Review – Give us your views!

Work is cracking on to progress the priorities highlighted by Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training, in the CLD Digital Investment funding announcement made in December 2021.

CLD Standards Council is undertaking a review to ensure that digital skills, knowledge and competence is embedded and visible across our Competent Practitioner Framework.  

We want to hear your views on this and as well as the opportunity to complete an online survey in April, we’re hosting a range of online focus groups during March. These sessions are targeted at CLD practitioners (staff and volunteers across all areas of delivery) and the dates and registration link are below:

• Friday 18 March 2022        2-3.30pm
• Monday 21 March 2022     1-2.30m
• Monday 21 March 2022     4-5.30pm       
• Thursday 24 March 2022   6-7.30pm
• Monday 28 March 2022     1-2.30pm

Register for a CLD Digital Competence Review session on our Eventbrite page and choose the time and date you want. 

There will be separate sessions targeted at CLD employers, partner organisations and Higher/Further Education CLD training providers.

This review will be completed by summer 2022 so please come along and share your views on how best to incorporate digital into our Competent Practitioner Framework.

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Ukraine Appeal – Inclusive Practices

Inclusive Practices, is a registered not-for-profit organisation based in Ureki, Georgia, which is looking for donations to help support its essential work with mothers of children with disabilities who have fled the war in Ukraine.  

The organisation supports children with disabilities across post-soviet countries, including Ukraine and is a member of the International Association for Community Development and Inclusion International. It has organised the translation of the International Standards for Community Development into Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Kazakh, Armenian and Belarusian and promoted them widely. In June, it will be hosting the World Community Development Conference (as an online event).

After just a few days of the war in Ukraine, Inclusive Practices had identified more than three hundred mothers of children with disabilities, who were forced to leave their native country due to the armed conflict. These children have a range of disabilities such as autism, Downs syndrome and cerebral palsy and will have suffered the trauma of their journey from Ukraine.

If you are able to support Inclusive Practices with a donation, this will help these mothers and children arrive in Georgia and get health and social support at the Black Sea coast resort of Ureki, where Inclusive Practices has a well-organised social infrastructure for children with disabilities and their families.

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YouthLink – Digital Youth Work Events

Our friends at YouthLink have some digital youth work training opportunities coming up during March. All these events are free and targeted for youth workers developing their digital youth work practice.

Safe, Secure and Empowered
Friday 25 March 11am-12.30pm
Join a practical digital skills session, designed to help you support young people in developing positive safe practices in the digital world. The session will be led by Richard Bryce and introduces our Safe, Secure and Empowered resources.
Register for the ‘Safe, Secure and Empowered’ session on Eventbrite.

How to set up a digital makerspace
Wed 30 March 9.30am-12.00pm
The Digital Makerspaces Learning Community is running an open session, with input from Darran Gillan, Digital Lead at YMCA Scotland. Come to discover more about how to set up a digital makerspace in a youth work setting.
Register for the ‘How to set up a digital makerspace’ session on Eventbrite.

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Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review Consultation

The consultation on Scottish Government Spending Review is open until 27 March 2022.  The aim of the Resource Spending Review is to set out spending plans for the remainder of the parliamentary term which support the Scottish Government’s ambitions. The intention is to publish multi-year spending plans in May 2022 to provide stakeholders, delivery partners and organisations and individuals across Scotland with some certainty on which to base their own forward planning.  

The Resource Spending Review will build on the Capital Spending Review published last year. Together, Scottish Government aims for these 2 spending reviews to give a comprehensive picture of Scotland’s public spending multi-year plans.  Additionally, last December, Scottish Government published its Resource Spending Review Framework, which sets the scene for the development of these spending plans

The Resource Spending Review Framework consultation closes on the 27th of March.  

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CDN Pathways from Poverty Report

A new report, Pathways from Poverty: Current Challenges and the Role of Colleges (PDF) has been published by the College Development Network (CDN) and Colleges Scotland through the CDN’s Research and Enhancement Centre. The report highlights the crucial role that Scotland’s colleges play in tackling poverty and in creating a more inclusive society. The report highlights the vital position of colleges as anchor institutions in local communities, providing a focal point not just for course education but community engagement and action in relation to poverty.

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Scottish Charity Awards – closing date 18 March!

The closing date for nominations for the Scottish Charity Awards is 18 March 2022 so get your nominations in now!
 
The Scottish Charity Awards are designed to celebrate the best of the voluntary sector by highlighting the best, most innovative and effective work from the past year by those who make a difference in our communities.
 
CLD Standards Council is proud to sponsor the Community Action Award again this year and would love to see a range of CLD practice represented throughout the awards category nominations!

The Award categories are:

• Employee of the Year, Trustee of the Year
• Community Action
• Campaign of the Year
• Charity of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Digital Citizen
• Pioneering Project
• Climate Conscious

The winners will be decided by a panel of judges and announced at a glittering awards ceremony on 15 June 2022.

All finalists will also be entered into the running for the People’s Choice Award, giving members of the public a chance to vote for their favourite finalist to win

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) received an overwhelming response last year, with hundreds of applications and thousands of votes cast in the People’s Choice Award, and event organisers hope to encourage even more applications this year. 

Charities can apply until 12pm on Friday 18 March 2022. Apply now!

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CLD Digital Competence Review – Give us your views!

Work is cracking on to progress the priorities highlighted by Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training, in the CLD Digital Investment funding announcement made in December 2021.

CLD Standards Council is undertaking a review to ensure that digital skills, knowledge and competence is embedded and visible across our Competent Practitioner Framework.  

We want to hear your views on this and as well as the opportunity to complete an online survey in April, we’re hosting a range of online focus groups during March. These sessions are targeted at CLD practitioners (staff and volunteers across all areas of delivery) and the dates and registration link are below:

• Friday 18 March 2022        2-3.30pm
• Monday 21 March 2022     1-2.30pm
• Monday 21 March 2022     4-5.30pm       
• Thursday 24 March 2022   6-7.30pm
• Monday 28 March 2022     1-2.30pm

Visit our Eventbrite page to register and choose the time and date you want. 

There will be separate sessions targeted at CLD employers, partner organisations and Higher/Further Education CLD training providers.

This review will be completed by summer 2022 so please come along and share your views on how best to incorporate digital into our Competent Practitioner Framework.

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CLDSC Conference 2021 – Feedback

Thank you to everyone who attended our virtual conference in December and completed the survey. The conference was a great success and we have had excellent feedback from those who attended. We have put together key points from the survey about attendance, representation and three things we have learned.

Access the Conference Key Points space on i-develop.

** Please Note – You will need to log in to your i-develop account to access. If you cannot remember your login or are having difficulty accessing please contact us – contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk.

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CLDSC Conference 2022 – Save the Date!

The dates for our 2022 Members Conference have now been confirmed as Thursday, 1 December (evening lecture) and Friday, 2 December 2022 (full day conference). We are delighted to be holding the conference in person at the John McIntyre Conference Centre in Edinburgh with the lecture and keynote speeches streamed online to allow as many people to attend as possible. 

So save the date now and watch this space for more information. 

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Practice Placement Standards

It was acknowledged that there was a need for a resource that could reflect the diversity of placements and practice learning across Scotland. A process was required that could provide support and contribute to on-going dialogue and developments.  

This need was identified by Educational Providers to support the CLD Sector in their work with Student CLD Practitioners.

If you are already using the resources please remember to provide us with feedback at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk! 

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Keep Scotland Beautiful – Climate Emergency Toolkit for Youth Workers

Keep Scotland Beautiful has recently published a new Climate Emergency Toolkit to help youth workers inform young people about the climate emergency and empower them to take positive action. The toolkit has been designed in partnership with YouthLink Scotland and is part of the Youth Leader Climate Project funded by the Scottish Government. 

The toolkit includes activities to help young people learn about and discuss the impact of our choices on climate change, environment and people. It should prove useful to many youth work settings, but particularly for youth workers who have completed the free Climate Emergency Training for Youth Workers course, part of the Youth Leader Climate Project. Learning takes place through facilitated discussions, interactive exercises, games and films, with every session having in-person and online delivery options. Find out more about the Climate Emergency Toolkit for Youth Workers.  

Keep Scotland Beautiful have also initiated a Community Action Plan with 7 communities this year. The programme helps communities discover themselves and what they can do to take climate action based on local capacity, resources and commitment. Find out more about the Community Action Plan and read the news story.  

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What does Covid recovery look like for young people?

Youth work is at the heart of a community-based response to Covid 19 and its increasing importance needs to be reflected in policy, argues Dona Milne, Director of Public Health and Health Policy at NHS Lothian in her blog for YouthLink Scotland.

Find out more by reading Dona’s blog.

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Virtual Member Meet Up, 2 March 2022 – Critical Reflection using the CLD Values

Places are filling up fast for our next virtual member meet-up taking place on 2 March 2022, 1pm-2pm. Come along and discuss some critical questions with Dr Rob Bray, University of Highlands and Islands and Graham MacLellan, Senior CLD Worker, Inverclyde Council including:  

• What does it mean to be a critically reflective practitioner? 
• How do we go beyond reflective practice to ask the key questions about our practice? 
• How can we be critically reflective practitioners in a positive and supportive way within a group of peers?

This meet-up is based on a journal article published in the Concept Journal: Critical Reflection and Community Education Values and will explore a range of critical reflection tools for use by CLD staff and volunteers. Participants will explore how we can use the CLD values as determined by the CLD Standards Council to ask key questions about our practice at an individual and also at a group level. Participants will also hear about how this work has been built upon within the further education sector.

Register for the March Virtual Member Meet-Up on Eventbrite.

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Happy 1st Birthday, CLD Talks!

Connor Maxwell, founder of CLD Talks, has asked CLDSC to share with members how proud he is to have brought these podcasts to the Community Learning and Development world. He would like to thank everyone who has featured on the podcast and everyone behind the scenes who has helped along the way – Stephanie and Vic for hosting episodes, Ben for editing the in-person podcasts. And there’s a big THANK YOU to every single person who has taken the time to listen to the podcast. 

If you haven’t caught up with the podcasts so far, it’s now Season 4 of CLD Talks! In the first episode find out how it all started and hear an update from one of the first contributors, Adele, on her year in CLD.

And in Episode 2, which is out this week, Connor speaks to our very own Chair, Alan Sherry. Tune in, listen in, join in #BecauseOfCLD.

You can follow @CLDTalks on Twitter and you’ll find the podcasts on Anchor and Spotify.

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Last Chance! Free Accredited Online Learning Microcredentials

The deadline for applying for The Open University in Scotland (OUiS) fully funded places on their online learning Microcredentials courses for those working in the CLD sector is Sunday 27 February 2022. 

The courses on offer are:

• Online Teaching: Creating Courses for Adult Learners
• Online Teaching: Evaluating and Improving Courses
• Online Teaching: Accessibility and Inclusive Learning
• Teacher Development: Embedding Mental Health in the Curriculum
• Online Teaching: Embedding Social, Race and Gender-Related Equity

These courses are at postgraduate level and will start in March 2022 and run for 12 weeks. 

Check out the Education Scotland CLD webinar about the CLD Digital Portal and the range of microcredentials, on this session recording.  Information about the Microcredentials is 8:05 minutes into the recording. 

For more information and to apply, please visit OUiS Microcredentials for CLD.
The deadline for applications is Sunday, 27 February 2022.

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NATECLA Online Forum – Creating online books for ESOL literacies learners

The National Association for Teaching English and Other Community Languages to Adults (NATECLA) is hosting an online forum on Monday, 28 February from 7-8pm. The forum is aimed at anyone who is interested in creating online materials for ESOL literacies learners. Join in to hear about using Book Creator with invited guest Jo Patterson from Edinburgh College. Even if you don’t teach at this level, you’re very welcome if you would like to know more about Book Creator.

During the session, you will:

• consider the pros and cons of existing materials used with literacies learners
• explore bookcreator.com and its possibilities for ESOL literacies learners
• learn how to open a free bookcreator.com account and use it to make simple, accessible online resources
• learn how to share a book made online

Please feel free to bring along or talk about any useful online resources you use too.

Find out more information on the NATECLA website and register for the event.

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World Community Development Conference – fully online

The 2022 Virtual World Community Development Conference taking place from 20-22 June 2022 is now fully virtual and you can register until the conference begins.

Inclusion, Challenges, Opportunities, is the unifying theme for WCDC2022, in order to encourage a global discussion and reflection on the new reality that community development practice has to operate in as we enter a post pandemic world. If you’d like to present at the conference, abstract submission is open until 1 April 2022 and you can submit your abstract online.

Follow the conference updates on the WCDC2022 website and on social media @wcdc2022 #wcdc2022.

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Census Scotland – Stakeholder Support Sessions

Census Scotland is holding sessions to give a live demo of the online census completion website.  These will include information on the toolkit and supporting assets and the help and support available to enable people to complete the census questionnaire.  There are three sessions available and you can register for the relevant session below.

A toolkit and supporting assets have been created to support you as you engage with your own communities, groups, partners and service users about the census. The toolkit contains information about the census, as well as advertising, social media and other promotional materials you can download and share. Please use the toolkit and assets to promote the census, encourage participation and answer questions. 

Register for one of the stakeholder support sessions below:

• Wednesday, 2 March 2022    11:00 – 12:00   
• Wednesday, 9 March 2022    11:00 – 12:00
• Wednesday, 16 March 2022   11:00 – 12:00

If you require any additional information, please get in touch at Scotlandscensus@nrscotland.gov.uk.

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Modern Apprenticeships Community Development

Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in Community Development Work have been available for a number of years, but have not been widely used. A review of the SVQs was undertaken and SVQ Community Development level 5 and 6 were approved by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) in 2018.

Since 2018, CLDSC have been working with SQA, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and Skills for Justice to reach agreement that Skills for Justice would be the certification and registration body for the Modern Apprenticeship Community Development. This is now in place and the Modern Apprenticeship will be available.

Find out more about Modern Apprenticeships for Community Development.  

For those training providers who are currently approved delivery centres for SVQ Community Development or training providers who may wish to seek agreement from SQA to become a delivery centre, more information is available on the SQA website.

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Your CLDSC needs your help! – Professional Practice Placement Standards

The CLDSC showcased the Professional Practice Placement Standards in our 19 January 2022 Member Bulletin and set up the new page for Practice Placements on the CLDSC website.
 
The page includes resources to support you in your practice placement involvement, whether as a student, an employer, a supervisor or an educational provider. It is important that these standards and resources work for the CLD sector and the only way to know that is to get feedback on their use. Go on give the resources a try! And feed back to us with your thoughts at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk. 

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CLDSC Face Masks – First Come First Served!

As part of the goody bag following the CLDSC Conference in December, we sent out some rather lovely and practical CLDSC branded face masks. We have a number of these left over and so if you would like one, please email us at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk. This is on a first come first served basis, so if you want one, be quick to send in your email.

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Free Accredited Online Learning Microcredentials – application deadline extended!

The Open University in Scotland (OUiS) is offering a number of fully funded places on their online learning Microcredentials courses for those working in the CLD sector. These courses provide strategic skills for practitioners in any learning environment, in community or online and have been identified as relevant to CLD practitioners by the CLD Standards Council. They will help you to develop online programmes for learners which are accessible and inclusive while also focusing on key thematic priorities for the sector.

The courses available will allow you to look at how you can deliver a more digitally accessible service, while broadening your reach to more young people, adults, families and community groups.

The courses on offer are:

• Online Teaching: Creating Courses for Adult Learners
• Online Teaching: Evaluating and Improving Courses
• Online Teaching: Accessibility and Inclusive Learning
• Teacher Development: Embedding Mental Health in the Curriculum
• Online Teaching: Embedding Social, Race and Gender-Related Equity

These courses are at postgraduate level and will start in March 2022 and run for 12 weeks. 

If you missed the CLDSC Virtual Member Meet-Up or the Education Scotland CLD webinar about the CLD Digital Portal and the range of microcredentials, you can view a session recording on Education Scotland’s YouTube Channel. Information about the Microcredentials is 8:05 minutes into the recording. 

For more information and to apply, please visit OUiS Microcredentials for CLD. The deadline for applications is Sunday, 27 February 2022.

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Time For You – Free Mental Health and Wellbeing Support

Have you, your staff or the people you support, had a hard time during the pandemic? If so, the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) is providing a new, free service which frontline workers can access right now!

The Time for You service offers instant access to free mental health and wellbeing support for frontline workers in Scotland. There are three levels of support to choose from: online self-help, guided self-help and one-to-one therapy. 

You can find more information at Time for You. 

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DyslexiFest, 9 March 2022

Dyslexia Scotland is proud to host DyslexiFest online on 9 March 2022. This one-off event focuses on mental health and dyslexia and features an expert panel discussion and an exclusive preview of an upcoming Scottish documentary on the issue. Penny Aston of GroOops and Professor Amanda Kirby join dyslexic adult Keith Macaldowie and filmmaker Trevor Thomson to explore the barriers, stigma and challenges that affect dyslexic adults’ mental wellbeing.

Register for DyslexiFest on Eventbrite.

For all of Dyslexia Scotland’s free events, visit the Dyslexia Scotland website. 

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Virtual Member Meet-Up, 2 March 2022 – Critical Reflection using the CLD Values

What does it mean to be a critically reflective practitioner? How do we go beyond reflective practice to ask the key questions about our practice? How can we be critically reflective practitioners in a positive and supportive way within a group of peers?

Our next virtual member meet-up is taking place on 2 March 2022, 1-2pm and we’re delighted to be joined by Dr Rob Bray, University of Highlands and Islands and Graham MacLellan, Senior CLD Worker, Inverclyde Council. This meet-up is based on a journal article published in the Concept Journal: Critical Reflection and Community Education Values.

The Meet-Up will explore a range of critical reflection tools for use by CLD staff and volunteers. Participants will explore how we can use the CLD values as determined by the CLD Standards Council to ask key questions about our practice at an individual and also at a group level. Participants will also hear about how this work has been built upon within the further education sector.

Register for the March Virtual Member Meet-Up on Eventbrite.

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Scottish Charity Awards – Apply Now!

The Scottish Charity Awards are back for 2022 and you can apply now! The Scottish Charity Awards are designed to celebrate the best of the voluntary sector by highlighting the best, most innovative and effective work from the past year by those who make a difference in our communities.

CLD Standards Council is proud to sponsor the Community Action Award again this year and would love to see a range of CLD practice represented throughout the awards category nominations!

The Award categories are:

• Employee of the Year, Trustee of the Year
• Community Action
• Campaign of the Year
• Charity of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Digital Citizen
• Pioneering Project
• Climate Conscious

The winners will be decided by a panel of judges and announced at a glittering awards ceremony on 15 June 2022.

All finalists will also be entered into the running for the People’s Choice Award, giving members of the public a chance to vote for their favourite finalist to win. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) received an overwhelming response last year, with hundreds of applications and thousands of votes cast in the People’s Choice Award, and event organisers hope to encourage even more applications this year. 

Charities can apply until 12pm on Friday 18 March 2022. Apply now!

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Volunteering during Covid-19 – Third Sector Perspectives: Survey Report

The Scottish Third Sector Perspectives On Volunteering During Covid-19: Survey Report was published on 31 January 2022. This report presents the results of a survey undertaken between April – June 2021 by Scottish Government in collaboration with Volunteer Scotland and gathered third sector perspectives on volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report will be used to help inform and shape the development of the Scottish Government’s volunteering policy; the new Volunteering Action Plan for Scotland and the wider policy response to the pandemic.

The key highlights:

• Volunteers were an essential part of the COVID-19 response, and that their engagement has helped to support many vulnerable people through an isolated and difficult time
• Volunteer-involving organisations showed incredible adaptability and resilience, pivoting their work to be able to meet newly emerging needs, and finding ways to adapt their programmes for online and remote delivery wherever possible
• The spread of informal volunteering and mutual aid groups showed that people are more than ready to step in to help others in their communities – and that they don’t need to be part of formal volunteering programmes and structures to do so
• It seems likely that hybrid and flexible models that combine the best aspects of remote and in-person volunteering may emerge from the pandemic, but that this will require continued investment in digital inclusion as well a recognition that on-line models do not work well for all volunteers, programmes, and service users
• Volunteering had gained in visibility and recognition as an essential part of local and national emergency responses
• Volunteer Involving Organisations and infrastructure organisations stressed that providing support and coordination for volunteers, ensuring their wellbeing, and operating hybrid on-line/in person models for volunteering and service delivery are resource-intensive activities
• There was clear feedback that more dedicated funding is needed to support volunteering within volunteer-involving organisations and volunteering coordination and support capacity at the level of TSIs or local authorities

More details are available in the full survey report.

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SCQF Partnership Conference 2022

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Partnership turns 21 years old this year and as part of the celebrations they will be holding their first online conference on 24 March 2022. The theme is Recognising Skills in a Changing Landscape and it intends to highlight the important part the SCQF plays in supporting learner journeys in these rapidly changing times. It will celebrate the achievements of individuals, showcase best practice in the use of the SCQF across a range of sectors, as well as raise awareness of the SCQFP’s latest projects and developments amongst partners and stakeholders.

Find out more about the conference and register on the SCQF website #SCQF21Years

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Wellbeing and Living with Covid Protection Measures – Scottish Government Survey

The Scottish Government are undertaking a short survey to understand the public’s experiences of coronavirus measures, and are keen to gather feedback from people throughout Scotland.

The deadline for response is 13 February 2022. Access the survey and associated materials.

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Stigma and Poverty – Scottish Government Survey

The Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on poverty launched an inquiry into poverty and stigma, seeking to better understand the causes, impacts of and solutions to poverty-related stigma.

To inform the inquiry, the group are calling for written evidence, inviting individuals and organisations from across Scotland to submit their views and to help shape the inquiry’s final report, which will be published in May 2022.

Read more about the Inquiry and view the Inquiry Questions (PDF).  

The deadline for submissions is 5pm, Friday 11 March. Please send your submission to neil.cowan@povertyalliance.org

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CLD Digital Investment Developments

If you didn’t make it along to the February Virtual Member Meet-up but would like to find out more about the CLD digital work being progressed, read on!  

Through the CLD Digital Investment funding announced in December by Jamie Hepburn MSP, three areas of work are being progressed: development of a CLD Digital Portal; a Digital CLD Award; and updating the CLD Competent Practitioner Framework to take account of digital skills/delivery.

The Open University in Scotland (OUiS) has created a CLD Digital portal to support this work. The portal is split into five areas, providing access to learning opportunities and space for the CLD Digital Award information and digital competence work to be located. 

Pathways
This provides direct access to free OU courses split into the following areas:

• Digital competence of the individual
• Skills for collaboration and organisation
• Skills to facilitate learning

Microcredentials
Access to a range fully funded places on online teaching Microcredentials for those working in the CLD sector. See the article below for more details on what is available!

Complete the Survey
A space to give feedback to the OUiS so they can better understand the needs of the CLD workforce. 

Digital Community Award
Information on the Digital CLD Award being developed which will offer CLD services and organisations recognition of the ways they promote effective use of digital technologies to enhance learning opportunities.

CLD Standards Council
This area will host information and opportunities as part of the review of CLD digital competence. Background materials, consultation events and opportunities, and key findings will be easily accessible.

Watch this space for more information on how the projects are progressing.  

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Free Accredited Online Learning Microcredentials

The Open University in Scotland (OUiS) is offering a number of fully funded places on their online learning Microcredentials for those working in the CLD sector. 

These courses provide strategic skills for practitioners in any learning environment, in community or online and have been identified as relevant to CLD practitioners by the CLD Standards Council. They will help you to develop online programmes for learners which are accessible and inclusive while also focusing on key thematic priorities for the sector.

The courses available will allow you to look at how you can deliver a more digitally accessible service, while broadening your reach to more young people, adults, families and community groups.

The courses on offer are:

• Online Teaching: Creating Courses for Adult Learners
• Online Teaching: Evaluating and Improving Courses
• Online Teaching: Accessibility and Inclusive Learning
• Teacher Development: Embedding Mental Health in the Curriculum
• Online Teaching: Embedding Social, Race and Gender-Related Equity

These courses are at postgraduate level and will start in March 2022 and run for 12 weeks. 

For more information and to apply, please visit OUiS Microcredentials for CLD. The deadline for applications is Sunday, 13 February 2022.

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CLD Group Coaching Opportunity – Last Call

There are still spaces available on the CLD group coaching which is part of the Education Scotland workforce support package. Some groups have started and feedback from the first session has been very positive. Participants reported feeling very happy, connected, excited, content, grateful and hopeful.

If you would like to join this group, there is still time to register at CLD Group Coaching.

There are still places available on the 1:1 coaching programme and you can find out more about this course and others at Workforce Support Package.

If you have any questions, please email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk.

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The Cycle of Wellbeing in CLD – Webinar

The Cycle of Wellbeing brings together a wide range of resources to support staff and learner wellbeing in education settings. This webinar on Wednesday, 23 February at 4pm, will provide an overview of the Cycle of Wellbeing resources on the National Improvement Hub and explore how they can be used to support staff and learners in CLD contexts.

Register for the event on Eventbrite using a school/establishment/local authority or Glow email address. If you work in Scottish education and would like to attend, but do not have a glow or work email address please email esevents@educationscotland.gov.scot with the name of your setting or service, to request a place. 

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CLD and Learning for Sustainability: Joining the Dots

Come along to this webinar discussion on Wednesday, 2 March 2022 at 10am – 11am, to explore the connections between Community Learning and Development and Learning for Sustainability. There are many aspects of CLD practice which align with Learning for Sustainability in terms of building a socially-just, sustainable and equitable society. 

This session will provide the opportunity to share practice and explore these links in more detail with practitioners from across Scotland.

Register for the webinar on Eventbrite.

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Illuminating Leadership Festival 2022

Taking place for the first time from 28 February to 3 March 2022, Illuminating Leadership 2022, is a global online festival aiming to shed light on the benefits, opportunities and challenges of collective, systems and place-based leadership. Over the course of the four days, the festival will hold a variety of self-hosted events enabling participants and hosts to reflect, share, and identify ways in which to support people across public services and beyond.  These will aim to make people feel truly empowered, sufficiently emboldened and able to use their creativity in a way that supports real system change.

All events are free and open to anyone with an interest in collective, systems and place-based leadership.

View the Events Calendar and sign up!

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Young Scot Awards 2022 – Nominations Now Open

The search is on for Scotland’s most inspiring young people for the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2022. The Awards look for people across Scotland to nominate young people who do extraordinary work to improve their community and the lives of others. The Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards is Scotland’s biggest celebration of young people and shines a spotlight on the outstanding contribution of those aged 11-26, who have made a real difference to the lives of others. 

From hundreds of entries, three finalists will be chosen in each of the 14 categories. Categories include: Young Hero, Community, Volunteering, Unsung Hero, Enhancing Education, Sport, Health and Wellbeing, Equality and Diversity, Arts, Entertainment, Environment, Enterprise and 2022 Young Scot of the Year. 

Young Scot are encouraging people to nominate at Young Scot Awards before the deadline closes on Sunday, 13 February 2022.

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