The Co-creating Community Resilience Project provided quality training programmes, based on the identified learning and development needs of our organisations. We wished to add depth and value to our continuing professional development activities for staff and volunteers in our organisations. We wished to: • improve staff and volunteer well being & personal resilience • build leadership skills for social action projects • develop our organisational teams to offer high-quality learning interventions • reduce the likelihood of secondary trauma in staff and volunteers • identify and build on the existing resilience, strengths and skills of service users and of staff • develop new, cross-sector partnerships in the UK • develop new connections with European organisations to explore potential for future collaboration or projects • learn about good practice and innovative approaches on recovery from trauma and enabling learning and achievement • promote our services so that we can have a measurable, positive impact on a wide range of professionals across sectors • reduce exclusion and improve outcomes for vulnerable children and adults • contribute to creating resilient communities, with social and economic opportunities for all
WHL formed this new consortium of 3 organisations to consolidate and extend the 2019 3 Dimensions Development (3DD) Project. We were approached by CARAS, our new partner, as their Director had heard about the 2019 project, and asked to be involved in similar opportunities so that their staff teams could benefit from the Erasmus + experience. Our rationale for coming together is that we all deliver services to marginalised young people and adults in our local and regional communities (children looked after and leaving care, unaccompanied asylum seekers, adult migrants and refugees), as well as providing learning programmes, regionally and nationally, to other professionals and volunteers working with similar client groups. We share a commitment to social justice and empowerment; our overarching goal is to improve positive outcomes and inclusion for vulnerable individuals and groups. A second goal was to create a team of skilled facilitators/staff/managers. Our services include training professionals and volunteers working with children, young people and adults facing disadvantage so staff CPD is integral to organisational strategic development. It was also about creating new learning networks and partnership opportunities.