Eamon Nash CARL Research Report 2020
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Cork Learning Neighbourhoods: Documenting the Impact on communities and Organisations in Cork City and Exploring Current and Sustainable Models of Practice Eamon Nash CARL Research Project in collaboration with Cork Learning Neighbourhoods and the Mayfield Integrative Community Development Project (Mayfield CDP) Name of student(s): Eamon Nash Name of civil society organisation/community group: Mayfield Integrative Community Development Project (Mayfield CDP) and The Cork Learning Neighbourhoods (CLN) Name of community group liaison person: Katherine Dullaghan Academic supervisor(s): Dr Siobhan O’Sullivan Name and year of course: Year 2: Voluntary and Community Sector Management (MSocSc) Date completed: September 2020 1 What is Community-Academic Research Links? Community Academic Research Links (CARL) is a community engagement initiative provided by University College Cork to support the research needs of community and voluntary groups/ Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). These groups can be grass roots groups, single issue temporary groups, but also structured community organisations. Research for the CSO is carried out free of financial cost by student researchers. CARL seeks to: • provide civil society with knowledge and skills through research and education; • provide their services on an affordable basis; • promote and support public access to and influence on science and technology; • create equitable and supportive partnerships with civil society organisations; • enhance understanding among policymakers and education and research institutions of the research and education needs of civil society, and • enhance the transferrable skills and knowledge of students, community representatives and researchers (www.livingknowledge.org). What is a CSO? We define CSOs as groups who are non-governmental, non-profit, not representing commercial interests, and/or pursuing a common purpose in the public interest. These groups include: trade unions, NGOs, professional associations, charities, grass-roots organisations, organisations that involve citizens in local and municipal life, churches and religious committees, and so on. Why is this report on the UCC website? The research agreement between the CSO, student and CARL/University states that the results of the study must be made public through the publication of the final research report on the CARL (UCC) website. CARL is committed to open access, and the free and public dissemination of research results. 2 How do I reference this report? Author (year) Dissertation/Project Title, [online], Community-Academic Research Links/University College Cork, Ireland, Available from: http://www.ucc.ie/en/scishop/completed/ [Accessed on: date]. How can I find out more about the Community-Academic Research Links and the Living Knowledge Network? The UCC CARL website has further information on the background and operation of Community-Academic Research Links at University College Cork, Ireland. http://carl.ucc.ie. You can follow CARL on Twitter at @UCC_CARL. All of our research reports are accessible free online here: http://www.ucc.ie/en/scishop/rr/. CARL is part of an international network of Science Shops called the Living Knowledge Network. You can read more about this vibrant community and its activities on this website: http://www.scienceshops.org and on Twitter @ScienceShops. CARL is also a contributor to Campus Engage, which is the Irish Universities Association engagement initiative to promote community-based research, community-based learning and volunteering amongst Higher Education students and staff. Are you a member of a community project and have an idea for a research project? We would love to hear from you! Read the background information here http://www.ucc.ie/en/scishop/ap/c&vo/ and contact us by email at [email protected]. Disclaimer Notwithstanding the contributions by the University and its staff, the University gives no warranty as to the accuracy of the project report or the suitability of any material contained in it for either general or specific purposes. It will be for the Client Group, or users, to ensure that any outcome from the project meets safety and other requirements. The Client Group agrees not to hold the University responsible in respect of any use of the project results. Notwithstanding this disclaimer, it is a matter of record that many student projects have been completed to a very high standard and to the satisfaction of the Client Group. 3 Abstract Cork City, Ireland was awarded a learning city award from UNESCO’s, Institute of Lifelong Learning (UIL) in 2015. The Cork Learning Neighbourhoods, which is one strand of the Cork Learning City, was first piloted in 2015 and now (in 2020) consists of six different learning neighbourhoods in Cork City. The Cork Learning Neighbourhoods aims to facilitate partnership and collaboration to strengthen leaning for all and lifelong learning opportunities in each neighbourhood. This research aims to document the impact of the Cork Learning Neighbourhoods as well as identify current and sustainable models of practice. A participatory research approach using a sequential transformative strategy to mixed methods was employed in this research. This allowed the research to collect data in a phase-by-phase manner. The findings show that the Cork Learning Neighbourhoods is positively impacting individuals and neighbourhoods social, identify, cultural and human capital and enhancing mental health. The research also shows that a neighbourhood centred integrative and participatory approach to a hybrid and evolving model of practice has been adopted across all Cork Learning Neighbourhoods. Financial and non-financial resources and supports from Cork Learning Cities partnering organisations and local organisations are key to the sustainability of the Cork Learning Neighbourhoods. The research concludes by stating that the UIL Learning Cities is setting the Global framework, Cork Learning City is adopting and leading this in Cork City and the Cork Learning Neighbourhoods, comprising of all of the local and city partnering organisations and individual learners, are realizing and putting this into action in their local learning neighbourhood. 4 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following people for helping to make this research project a reality. My Supervisor, Dr. Siobhan O’Sullivan from the School of Applied Social Sciences, UCC, all of the representatives on the Cork Learning Neighbourhoods steering group, the CARL project UCC and the Mayfield CDP, all members from the six local Cork Learning Neighbourhoods steering groups and focus group participants, both the Cork Learning Neighbourhoods coordinator, Ms. Jennifer Walsh and the Cork Learning City coordinator, Mr. Denis Barrett, Dr. Seamus O’Tuama (ACE, UCC) and representatives from the Cork Learning Cities steering group and all local participants from each of the Cork Learning Neighbourhoods. I would also like to thank my course director and all my classmates for their support and advice. Thank you to the Graduate School in the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences UCC for their support. Thank you to my parents, parents in law and extended family who are always there to support whenever needed. Finally, I would like to thank my wife and two wonderful children who have been an enormous support and a constant inspiration. 5 Contents Introduction P7 Literature Review: P10 Introduction P10 Lifelong Learning and International Policy P10 Lifelong Learning and Irish Policy P13 Lifelong Learning and Impact P15 Learning Societies and UNESCO Learning Cities P17 Cork as a Learning City and Cork Learning Neighbourhoods P20 Models of Practice and Learning Neighbourhoods P23 Research Methodology: P26 Introduction P26 Selecting a Research Design P26 Research Design P28 Data Processing and Analysis P34 Ethical Considerations P35 Results and Analysis: P36 Section 1 – Impact P36 Section 2 – Models of Practice P54 Discussion P63 Conclusion P66 Reference List P67 6 Introduction Chapter The Cork Learning Neighbourhoods (CLN) is one strand of the Cork Learning Cities (CLC) initiative (Cork Learning Cities, 2019). In 2015 Cork City, Ireland was presented with a Learning City award by UNESCO’s Institute of Lifelong Learning (UIL) at the second International Conference for Learning Cities in Mexico (Cork Learning City, 2019). As part of the CLC approach, the CLN was successfully piloted in Kocknaheeny (KLN) and Ballypheane (BLN) in 2015 – 2016. Following this, four more Learning Neighbourhoods were established. Mayfield (MLN) and The Glen (GLN) on the north side of the city and Togher and South Parish on the south side of the city. CLN currently consists of six learning neighbourhoods supported by local organisations and residence as well as citywide partnering organisations from the CLC. Figure 1 illustrates the relationship as well as the structure of the various CLN steering groups. Each of these areas will be expanded on further in the Literature Review chapter. 7 Local CLN Steering CLN city Steering CLN Research Group: Groups: members Group members are This is an open group made up of made up of a made up of members neighbourhood representative from from local and city members from local the 6 CLNs and CLN steering groups organisations, representatives from and other CLC residence… CLC partnering members. organisations (UCC, CIT, Cork City Council, HSE, NAPDP). Mayfield Learning Neighbourhood (MLN) Steering Group South Parish Glen Learning Learning Neighbourhood Neighbourhood