The Learning Ambassadors "I considered myself a dunce at school, and left with one CSE in 1974," says Janice Allen. Until recently that was the last she saw of the education system. A couple of years later her first daughter was born, then a second after two more years, and Janice's life pattern looked set: a single mother with some work experience but precious few skills, and a low opinion of her own abilities. But her children are growing up - they are now 14 and 12 - and Janice has taken her life in hand. She is training to be a teacher at nearby Croydon College. Janice's life was changed by the Fieldway Project, based on the huge housing estate in New Addington, Surrey - the second biggest in Europe, with 11,000 homes - where she lives. The project is designed to go out onto the estate and bring people like Janice back to education by showing them what is available. Volunteers go round the estate spreading the word - and Janice, having been converted, is now a volunteer herself, bringing in others. The volunteers, who are called promoters, are trained and get the chance of education for themselves. They go onto the estate - to public places, or into peoples' homes - to talk about the benefits of education, and to find out what courses people want to see run. Janice now has a very busy week. Mondays and Wednesdays find her at the Addington Centre, where the project is run. On Tuesdays she is a classroom assistant at a local primary school. Fridays she teaches cookery, and Thursday is her day at Croydon College. She's good at spreading the gospel on the estate. She knows, better than most, how much difference it can make to people. NAME: Fieldway Local Action Group BRIEF: To train 'learning promoters' TARGET GROUP: Residents of an estate in Croydon FOCUS: To develop the skill, ability and confidence of trained 'learning promoters' to promote learning to residents GRANT: Major MANAGED BY: NIACE

Back

Home

Next