Our 25th Anniversary
To commemorate the Unit’s 25th Anniversary it was decided we would have a garden party. We booked Hillcrest Garden in Blackwood, who provide catering and the use of their glorious gardens for small private
functions (see picture below). They donate any profits to charity and being a charity ourselves we thought this a most apt way to mark our quarter of a century.
Anyone who had spent any time with the project either in the capacity of staff, student or provider was invited. The evening’s entertainment was provided by a local ladies harmony singing group Mello’D’
see www.mellod.co.uk. Although the sun shone it was a rather chilly evening but the cordial atmosphere and the reason for the celebration kept everyone’s spirits high and a very enjoyable and memorable event was enjoyed by all.
To commemorate our quarter of a century and keeping in step with our ‘Action Research’ ethos: here are ‘25 quotes’ from the researchers, tutors, participants, funders and project workers that sum up the exceptional and life changing work that is ‘The People and Work Unit’.
1. “Yes I had a few tears and a lot of laughs along the way, done things I thought I would never do but I have and I am glad I have and that life support was there to help me do
them.” Life Support Learner
2. “I feel proud of the achievements of all the young people whose lives the People and Work Unit helped to change and very proud that I was part of it. It changed my life
too.” Ann Churcher Project Manager
3. “The thing that sticks with me most is being shown, time and again, the potential that young people have and that, with enough time, resources and patience, they can and do achieve amazing
things.” Ladder Project
4. “A light bulb moment of two decades… a long light of hope for many in enriching and regenerating culture and cultures in Wales and
beyond.” Charlie Harries Rank Foundation
5. “At the age of 25, I had no formal qualifications, ambition and the expectation of spending my life working in a factory environment…. The Ladder Project gave me back my confidence, self esteem and most importantly, I began to believe in my own abilities”. Ladder Project
6. "I often come into contact with my team of trusty apprentices and I can’t help feeling proud to have been part of their personal, social, political and vocational development. Their time on the Build It Project made so much difference to them, their families and the
community”. Build It Project Manager
7. “The majority of those young people, who were truly disengaged, seemed to require ‘hand holding’. ‘Holding Hands and Kicking Arse’ became my colleague’s slogan for the work that the Ladder workers
did” Ladder Project Worker
8. “My journey would not have been possible on my own; it has only been made possible and achievable by those around
me”. Life Support Tutor
9. “A couple of months on I see the benefit it [the Unit] has had for me getting to know these young people. Two of them have found employment and one has started volunteering his time helping me out with a football
project”. Project Worker
10. “We suggest that these successful learners can become trailblazers that inspire others to try to follow in their
footsteps”. Storm
11. “We suggest, therefore, that enabling people from disadvantaged community to succeed and raising their profile within the community could help create a ripple
effect”. Funder
12. “Having two children to provide for and ending up as a single mum inspired me to take action to better myself and provide a secure future for my
children”. Life Support Learner
13. “I want to achieve something on my own with no financial help and to able to stand up and be counted and recognised for doing something with my
life”. Ladder Project
14. “In the five years I spent as team leader, I learnt so much about myself. Firstly, I often wondered where I figured in the world of academia. I could hold my own with anyone doing practical tasks, but failing the eleven plus was always a thorn in my side. The People and Work Unit gave me the opportunity to prove myself in the class room. I now feel I could achieve just about anything academically and I continue to attend all types of
courses”. Build It Project Manager
15. “I feel I portray a hard working image to my children, one which I hope they follow. My outlook on my children’s education has changed as I want them to achieve the best in order for them to be able to continue to achieve a career they want to be
in”. Ladder Project
16. “Credibility and identification with both the messenger and the message they were carrying emerged as the other key issues. As one learner put, “if you don’t know someone you don’t listen to them.” One of the key informants identified with someone who had inspired them and helped motivate them after they had taken an initial step and returned to learning after a long
break”. Storm
17. “By working with people drawn from the construction industry and investing in their skills and training, Build It has nurtured the development of team leaders with both the necessary knowledge and experience of the construction industry and the ability to work with, assess and support young
people”. Build It Project Worker
18. “The project’s success is evident in that it has reached nearly all of its ESF targets and in many cases exceeded expectations. The project engaged significant numbers of ‘non-traditional’ learners with no or low qualifications, helping widen participation in
learning”. Funder
19. “Just left school as soon as I could I didn’t have a good experience. I hated it didn’t think I’d go back [to learning] but I
did”. Build It Project
20. “I have grasped that to teach in the community means to learn with the
community”. Life Support Tutor
21. “[My] husband died recently, [it’s] meant that I’ve had to become strong and confident. I stand up for myself. I started to help myself in a more practical way [through
education].” Ladder Project
22. “All of this potential has to be unlocked. This will be done best by harnessing an individual's innate entrepreneurial and aspirational dimensions. Not in terms of either/or, or us/them, but rather in terms of both/and,
we/together”. Unit’s Partner member
23. “Regenerating communities by supporting local people who have few or no qualifications back in to learning to achieve professional qualifications helping to break down the perception that people from deprived communities are not high
achievers”. Funder
24. “Before the project I was depressed and fed up with life, I saw no future and had resigned myself to a life on the dole. Now I feel like I can do anything and I have the confidence to
try”. Life Support Learner
25. “I only hope that I have inspired the learners as much as they have inspired
me”. Life Support Tutor
