Spirit of Enniskillen Trust

Coordinators training — The voluntary coordinators who take responsibility for others on the full Explore programme (eight months in total) will also have passed through the NIOCN 'dealing with difference' programme. To coordinate on Explore they are also obliged to engage in two two-day 'Reflective Practice' training residentials plus planning and review meetings before and after each Explore event. In doing this they also complete a Spirit of Enniskillen coordinators learning journal and are supported by a range of background practice materials.

Essential training — developing the ‘minimum standards' necessary for facilitating Together school workshops. Before working in schools, all potential facilitators are required to engage in a two-day 'Facilitative leadership for volunteers' schools orientation and a series of capacity-building events within the Future Voices programme. School facilitators also meet before and after each workshop to coordinate their planning and reviewing.

Teacher Support — the Together programme also offers Student Teacher support and In-Service Teacher support events on ‘Peer-led Learning and Mentoring in schools’ throughout the year, further information can be found in Teacher Support.

General capacity building — on workshop evenings and weekend residentials running along with the Future Voices 'discussion of contentious issues' programme. Training is also run for the management committee at the start of September to equip them to lead Future Voices for the year ahead.

Together works with and alongside schools to provide young people with the understanding, awareness and skills needed to impact positively upon a divided society and a fast-changing world.

A key issue for us is to how proven informal learning approaches can usefully be adapted for the school environment. In doing this we are also seeking out partnerships that can develop the necessary experience and confidence for all stakeholders involved.

Our priority is to establish good working relationships with principals and teachers and following this, a mutual dialogue to identify initiatives best suited to their individual school needs and plans.

In promotion of informal education approaches the Trust organises a number of teacher support seminars and two-day residentials based on our theme of 'peer-led learning and mentoring'. The workshops also outline the capacity-building approach used to develop the young facilitators of Together and coordinators of Explore. Support is provided by the Community Bridges programme of the International Fund for Ireland with Teacher cover available.

Over the past two years the Trust has developed a range of positive relationships with schools from all backgrounds and traditions across Northern Ireland. Where appropriate, we also offer similar Baker day programmes for schools interested in developing their wider staff capacity in this area

Introduction to Facilitation 

Staff and volunteers from The Spirit of Enniskillen Trust have developed this resource for anyone who intends to plan and / or deliver a dialogue-based workshop. It draws on the culture, experience and expertise developed over many years by the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust and is intended to be an introduction to facilitation for new volunteer facilitators.

Introduction to Facilitation may be downloaded as a full manual or by individual sections:

Foreword

Getting Things Ready

All About You

Doing The Job

And Then...

Evaluations

External evaluations and comments on the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust

• University of Ulster UNESCO Centre Developmental Evaluation Research and delivery by Una O'Connor. Evaluation of the current Schools Together programme.
• Diversity and Citizenship Curriculum Review -Sir Keith Ajegbo January 2007 Launched by the Secretary for Education, Alan Johnson. Comments on the expertise of the Spirit of Enniskillen particularly in work with Oldham schools ( scroll to pages 30 and 65 of the report )
• British Council Diversity and Inclusion In Education Seminar - December 2005 Evaluation comments from International Education delegates taking part in a diversity and inclusion workshop delivered by Spirit of Enniskillen young volunteer facilitators
• Chief Inspector's Report ( NI Education & Training Inspectorate ) 2002 - 2004 'Education in an increasingly pluralist society'. Note for the 'excellent work of the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust' in the report ( scroll to page 4, section 1.20 of the summary ) *file temporarily unavailable*
• The NI Education and Training Inspectorate, Spirit of Enniskillen Inspection 2003 Report Full external evaluation of the work of the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust carried out by the Northern Ireland Education and Training Inspectorate June to November 2003
• Spirit of Enniskillen Executive Summary for 1998 Review and Forward Plan Summary of the review and evaluaton of the work of the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust carried out by independent education consultant Stephen Rourke in 1998

Websites

• Community Relations in Schools www.creni.org
• Informal Education homepage www.infed.org
• Citizenship Foundation www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk
• Young Life and times survey NI www.ark.ac.uk/ylt
• Campaign for emotional literacy www.antidote.org.uk

Books

Facilitator resources - Books

Community Conflict Skills A handbook for group work
Author: Mari Fitzduff ISBN: 1-898276-23-4

Principles and Practice of Informal Education Learning through Life
Edited by, Linda deer Richardson and Mary Wolfe ISBN: 0-415-21690-7

Creators not Consumers Rediscovering Social Education
Author: Mark Smith ISBN: 0 907095 02 X

Informal Education - conversation, democracy and learning
Authors: Tony Jeffs and Mark Smith ISBN 1-871526-24-8

Playback A guide to reviewing activities
Author: Roger Greenaway ISBN: 0-905425-09-X

Fireworks Creative approaches to conflict
Author: Nic Fine & Fiona Macbeth ISBN: 0 86155 145 1

Preparing for Peace Conflict transformation across cultures
Author: John Paul Lederach ISBN: 0-8156-2725-4

Developing Good Relations in the School Community A resource pack
Nicola Lynagh and Mary Potter The Corrymeela Press and NICIE