WORKING WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS TO ACHIEVE CULTURAL CHANGE Presentation on the work of Erasmus+ Funded Project ‘Unlocking Freedom’ and Community Participation Network (CPN).

INTRODUCTION “Co- Production: how it can work. In this workshop we, DFI, will show how our Community(CPN), and European project (Unlocking Freedom through Adult education) are working to achieve inclusion, participation, and equality for everyone. HOW? The answer is ‘doing it together’. Working together with partners, our members and local communities we aspire to co-produce a more inclusive and participative society

The process in Finland – KVPS Sharing ideas about a train to trainer –course with staff from municipalites, people with disability and family members The train to trainer –course for staff, people with disability and family members. Preparing speeches with experts by experience. Transition training –course for people with disability. Transition training –course for family members. Preparing trainer’s manual Train to trainer -course for staff members from municipalities and Adult Education centers.

INTRODUCTION - The New MODELS The Community Participation Model: - local to Ireland Brings together groups from the Disability Sector, (DFI Members) the Community Sector e.g. Family Resource Centres or Community Development Projects to work together in the area of Citizen Engagement. Encouraging the participation and inclusion of all marginalised people. Unlocking Freedom through Adult Education (European) Developing capacity of adults with Intellectual Disability to live independently and powerfully in places of their own choosing; developing the capacity of Adult educators to work together with Persons with a disability to embrace the mainstream learning in Community Education settings with a new curriculum. A project developed by DFI to allow for citizen engagement and participation that support people with disabilities and others from disadvantaged communities to represent themselves and their community in the new and developing Local Authority Structures. The Model: Brings together groups from the Disability Sector, (DFI Members) the Community Sector e.g. Family Resource Centres or Community Development Projects and Development Companies such as Partnerships to work together with the Local Authorities in the area of Citizen Engagement. Encouraging the participation and inclusion of all marginalised people. Elements of capacity development include;

The Community Development and Human Rights Agenda in action What does it mean? GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER Community development is about the person within the community and the community being made up of all its members The Human Rights Agenda is about the Person and his or her rights in the world, in the community, in the family and personally. UNCRPD – UN Convention on the Rights of people with Disabilities = Human Rights for people with Disabilities just like everyone else.

EXPERIENCE OF DELIVERING INNOVATIVE CO-FACILITIATION (I WAS A PARTICIPANT FIRST) GOING ON TO HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REPRESENT AT PPN (LOCAL DEMOCRACY) LEVEL CPN – MAUREEN Browne PROGRESSION FROM BEING A PERSON IN THE COMMUNITY WITH A DISABILITY TO PARTICIPATION, SOCIAL INCLUSION = CHANGE IN THE COMMUNITY Networking opportunities with different disability groups sharing information, training, access to PPN information sessions. Improved health outcomes for group members who had access to Health and Well-being training in their own community. Individual members attended practical self-advocacy training/community development to gain practical skills in community representation. Provided information and create pathways to the PPN for Step Forward Disability Group. Support provided to Step Forward Group members as a representative on Travel and Transport SPC. Opportunities for group members to access training, network and share their experience of participating in the peer led support disability group in the community. Opportunities for group members to become ‘Practical Self Advocacy’ trainers.

What we do – In Both Projects Bring people and organisations together Together Give them the space to talk, listen and understand one another Talk set common goals that benefit their community members and themselves Set Goals Describe local structures to allow them to understand the opportunities they have to influence changes and the challenges that representation brings Context Allow them a safe place to practice participation and get honest feedback from their peers Practice Support them to feedback to their community and to hear the response and further needs being described. Support Maintain their own health and wellbeing in the process and learn from their colleagues and peers. Maintain Focus on the objective of their representation and only use stories to describe a policy issue or anomaly to co-produce a solution Co-produce Our Unlocking freedom Project has 6 partners from Bulgaria, France, Finland and Ireland. Our outputs are in a series of Tools to support people with an Intellectual Disability to assess their own needs with regard to Independence, and living a full life. Together they have produced a manual called ‘How I Manage’ – they work with service users to identify Healthy Foods, buying and preparing them to ensure a healthy lifestyle when living independently. Maynooth University is Currently developing a new curriculum for adult educators to facilitate the inclusion of people with diverse needs in their community education settings. They do this using adult education methodologies - essentially co-producing and co-facilitating the curriculum and delivering it together.

Thank you for giving us this opportunity. to Co-produce – dare to dream, a better life, a better way of being, Doing Together The one common belief of our Network members is in the Dignity and respect that each and every human being deserves Persons with Disabilities Community Service Providing organisations The Disability Federation of Ireland & primarily, Together We are – Daring to dream, of a better life and a better way of being. Change is difficult, it challenges us and it challenges the systems in our society but we can lead a way forward working together. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. An opportunity to build relationships and awareness in your own community Work alongside others who have the same desire to support and develop your community Understand how difference and diversity are positive and stimulating Working together can be social, energising, creative. You think more creatively, more broadly and you feel better Its like sociology ‘lite’ – you see your community through the eyes of others You set goals together to build a better community.

SUMMARY / Q&A Further information contact: Cathy McGrath Disability Federation of Ireland 00 353 (0)86 3847440 / cathymcgrath@disability-federation.ie https://unlockingfreedom.wordpress.com/ www.disability-federation.ie