February 2003 - Flying the Flag for Andover!

“Families are the main context of learning for most people” was the message from Family Learning Project’s Co-Ordinator, Jean Lannie, talking at the February meeting of Andover Women in Business Club.

The FLP Team

Jean Lannie, a long-serving member of the Club, captivated guests with an illuminating talk on how the Project works and how it is achieving such success in the Andover area. Supporting Jean was her core team, Jean Clark, Paula Page, Kath Calcraft and Chris Hill-Watson, who in turn explained their roles within the Project.

The Family Learning Project is supported by Andover Women in Business Club, which aims to help raise its profile and increase awareness of its purpose amongst the local business community. The Club has been involved in the Family Learning Across Generations (FLAG) project for many months. Several of AWIBC’s members are actively involved in helping with the Project, which is part of the Andover Community Partnership and is funded by the Learning & Skills Council and the European Social Fund.

Jean explained that after a study undertaken in 2001, it became clear that immediate help was necessary to increase basic skills in the area. The study, The Adult and Community Learning Plan for Andover and District, showed many areas of learning deprivation in the Andover Area and highlighted several disturbing issues, which included very low levels of numeracy and literacy skills. It was clear there was a need to raise aspiration and achievement levels of young people and their parents and the Family Learning Project has proved incredibly successful in moving towards achieving this.

Regular meetings take place at the Longmeadow Centre, Cricketers Way, which give parents, their children and extended families the opportunity to interact socially and learn a variety of skills at the same time. The Coffee Pot sessions, held each Tuesday morning, are friendly and unthreatening. At the session held on 3rd February, children and adults had the opportunity to experience a different culture by celebrating Chinese New Year. A selection of Chinese foods was available for all to sample, as was the opportunity to see traditional costume and a chance to learn a few words in Chinese.

Among the work done by the Project, there is the opportunity to take part in ‘Stay and Play’ and ‘Play and Learn’ sessions, run in association with Partners. Basis Skills Courses take place and the Project now has its first accredited Community Support Workers available for support in the community and workplace.

The Club members heard about the variety of courses available including IT Training, Crèche Workers, Creative Writing, Story Sacks and Puppet workshops. Courses are arranged on demand and the Project welcomes suggestions from those wanting to learn a particular skill. A Dad’s Support Group is proving popular and the Dads ‘n’ Lads IT Group was formed to encourage both parties to support each other with IT learning.

A mobile crèche is in operation, filling the need where required and it is hoped that this will extend into the workplace, with employers wishing to assist parents of young children by offering crèche facilities on a regular or one-off basis. Staff supporting the crèche have largely been trained through the Family Learning Project, which has given them the opportunity of employment.

The meeting was an enjoyable one, held at the Red Lion, Clanville, with marvellous food celebrating English cuisine and decorations appropriately ‘flying the flag’. The interesting talk concluded with a light-hearted and amusing demonstration from Paula Page, demonstrating some of the work done during the Puppet Workshops.