A personal development short course of three morning workshops on Tuesday 19 September, 17 October and 14 November to develop skills in storytelling, understanding inequality, and partnership working, all to be a positive force in the world.

• Workshop 1 led by Colin Atkinson: Make the most of your opportunities to connect with people by using the power of stories to convey what you do and why you do it. Learn what makes a good story and how to make them compelling and impactful.
• Workshop 2 led by Rebecca Collins: Feel confident in your understanding of inequality. Learn through supportive group discussion, self reflection, and expert guidance. Understand the nuances, how inequality and privilege appear in your life, and feel confident applying your understanding in everyday moments.
• Workshop 3 led by Tom Spencer: Get support for your work by learning the principles of good partnership working. Rather than work in isolation, learn how to start and sustain exciting and fun partnerships that allow you to share resources, skills and energy to develop worthwhile ideas and projects that move with momentum.

Sign up to this short course and learn Edventure style:

• by doing, from each other, and from experts
• by accessing 121 mentoring on topics that are important to you
• as part of Somerset’s vibrant and forward thinking community

We each have a role to play in imagining and creating more positive futures; this short course invites us to deepen our understanding of ourselves and the role we might play. It aims to empower us to shift towards a more collaborative way of working that more meaningfully addresses the challenges people and communities face.

‘Very knowledgeable. A great communicator, focused and inclusive’ – past ‘Understanding Inequality’ workshop participant

‘100% recommend. Would do it again in the blink of an eye’ – Charlie, past Facilitation workshop participant

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What will I learn?

By enrolling in this short course you will:

• Learn to use stories to confidently express who you are and what you care about
• Practice and learn how to make stories more compelling and impactful
• Develop knowledge of inclusion concepts and ideas such as ‘priviledge’ and ‘oppression’
• Reflect on your own connection to inequality and injustice and the nuances involved
• Build confidence to have conversations on the topic of inequality
• Learn the principles behind and frameworks for good partnership working
• Be supported to identify your personal next steps

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What’s the learning journey?

The course starts with you and your story. How can you confidently express who you are and why you do what you do using the power of storytelling? In workshop 2, we’ll deepen our understanding of ourselves and others with an introduction to understanding inequality. Together, we’ll learn key concepts, unpack their complexity and meaning, and start to reimagine our roles. Finally, we’ll practice partnership working in workshop 3, tease out its key principles and consider the benefits of working in this way.

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What format does the course take?

This course is:

• Fun, personable and engaging
• Full of different ways of learning – learn by doing, from each other, from experts
• Led by experienced facilitators
• About community – we’ll help you meet and get to know a great group of people

This course isn’t:

• A lecture
• A series of slides
• A tickbox – the course is an introduction and we invite you to deepen your knowledge further

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When and where will the course take place?

The course consists of three in-person workshops at the following dates and times:

• Workshop 1: Tuesday 19 September, 9.30 to 1 pm
• Workshop 2: Tuesday 17 October, 9.30 to 1 pm
• Workshop 3: Tuesday 14 November, 9.30 to 1 pm

As part of the Edventure community, you will also have access to one-to-one mentoring on topics that matter to you.

The workshops will take place at Frome Town Hall.

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Who is leading the course?

Colin Atkinson – Lead for Workshop 1, Storytelling

Colin facilitates Edventure’s Start-up course, an 11-week course in community entrepreneurship that challenges a team of students to launch a real social enterprise. He also leads Edventure’s Short Course programme. He is a trained adult education teacher and facilitator and is experienced in community entrepreneurship, personal development within the impact sector, and public sector consultancy.

Rebecca Collins – Lead for Workshop 2, Understanding Inequality

Rebecca is a seasoned trainer and facilitator with over seven years of experience in social justice education. She has designed impactful and innovative interventions for UK schools, EU-funded multi-national projects, and worked to deliver powerful social justice learning to global workforces and teams. Rebecca has a Masters in Human Rights from UCL and further training in radical social justice education, non-violent communication, restorative practice & advanced facilitation.

‘Always listening carefully, allowing everyone to share their own views and experiences’ – past workshop participant

Tom Spencer – Lead for Workshop 3, Good Partnership Working

Tom is the Director of Terrestrial, an organisation that brings together groundbreaking artists and local community groups. He has facilitated ambitious creative projects in schools and shopping centres, castles and care homes – from the centre of Shanghai to remote Scottish islands. He draws upon a background as an award-winning theatre director and has enjoyed inspiring (and sometimes unexpected) partnerships with people across charity, education and health sectors, as well as with local governments.

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How much does the course cost?

For most Somerset Residents the course will either be free or subsidised. A free ticket includes a £5 booking fee to encourage attendance and avoid no-shows. A subsidised ticket costs £50. The full price of the course for non-Somerset residents is £255.

Your place will be free if:

• you live in Somerset (excluding Bath and North East Somerset)
• AND are 19 years or older
• AND earn less than £25,000
• OR are unemployed
• OR have refugee status

Your place will be subsidised if:

• you live in Somerset (excluding Bath and North East Somerset)
• AND are 19 years of age or older
• BUT you earn more than £25,000

Free and subsidised tickets are supported by Somerset Skills and Learning. To access these tickets we will send you a link to register with Somerset Skills and Learning.

Take a look at our different ticket options to learn more and contact colin@edventurefrome.org if our ticketing structure is a barrier to your participation.

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The day is run by Edventure Frome, with support from Frome Town Council and Somerset Skills and Learning.