Social Inclusion in a Learning City

It is said that the concept of social inclusion was developed in France in the 1980s, though just a little knowledge of history will remind us that people of good will and compassion have worked through the centuries to offset the adverse effects of political, commercial and societal decision-makers.

Multiple factors can coalesce to create a condition of social exclusion because the responses of various actors – whether they be individuals, parents, schools, the justice system, communities, government departments or the media – are either unable to support, or they actively impede, social inclusion.

Tasmanian Government (2010), Consultation paper on Social Inclusion.

This is a difficult time to be disadvantaged. Whatever its merits, the dominance of the prevailing neo-liberal economic system in many countries with its emphasis on financial rectitude, profit-making privatization of services and welfare cuts certainly sets a challenge to those whose concern is with the poor, the under-privileged, and the dysfunctional. Increasing immigration, cultural tensions and the burgeoning ranks of the old and retired compound the problem. The search is on for creative solutions to an age-old dilemma.

The groups at risk of exclusion from normal society functionings are many and various. They may be classified as follows:

• Mental/psychological (autism, bipolarism,  depressive, addiction etc.)
• Physical, (missing limbs, wheelchair bound, blindness, deafness, spina bifida etc.)
• Educational, (learning difficulties, attention deficiency, dyslexia , NEETS etc)
• Financial, (poverty, unemployed, low-paid,  exploited etc.)
• Situational, (inadequate housing, pollution, lack of amenities, orphans etc)
• Historical, (long-term unemployed, long-term abused, problem families etc)
• Self-inflicted, (offenders, self-harmers, gamblers, alcoholics, addicts etc.)
• Social,  (problem families, blocked rights, aged, disaffected youth etc)
• Cultural (immigrants, racial and religious discrimination, intolerance etc)
• Emotional  (trauma sufferers, inadequacy etc )

No doubt social service professionals and voluntary agencies can add to this list. It amounts to a huge caseload, which seems to become larger every year. However, not all people within these groups are in need of professional assistance. In many cases families cope, sometimes with help and often without, and there are a number of community aid organisations in most cities.  

The problem is to break the cycle of deprivation and to establish the sort of society that values compassion and is willing to provide the means by which the excluded can be helped into the mainstream. Every Local Authority in the developed world has a statutory duty to develop social inclusion policies. As the Tasmanian quotation above shows, there is a common awareness of the roots of exclusion, and there are many strategies to alleviate them. Not all of them are properly funded, especially in times of financial austerity. And yet it may be worthwhile exploring whether all the human, intellectual, community and external resources within a city and a community are being used effectively, and to seek innovative solutions from other places.

As always, the answer lies in education and, more particularly learning, as the engine that drives both personal and city growth. Many cities in Europe, Asia and Australia are describing themselves as ‘learning cities’. The interpretation of what this entails differs from city to city, but the core purpose of all initiatives is to develop lifelong learning in all its facets. Some cities see this as an educational concept to increase the number of adults in learning.  Others would recognize that lifelong means what it says and favour a wider cradle to grave delivery of learning that covers people of all ages. The most perceptive and visionary local authorities, of which there are regrettably few, would implement the concept of lifelong learning as a unifying, holistic component addressing issues across the local government spectrum, central to social inclusion, primary, secondary and tertiary education, cultural services, health and well-being, sustainability, economic development and community.  However, constraints on spending, often imposed by central governments, and lack of a central policy often defeat this vision

The Lifelong Learning Institute of UNESCO has recently published the key features of a learning city, basically a set of indicators that defines their fundamental nature, and provides a target for measuring and monitoring performance and progress. Naturally, among these a large number of recommendations impinge upon issues of social inclusion. They provide a model for members of the proposed UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities to implement.

PASCAL has also been active in learning city and learning region development. It has supported UNESCO and also developed its own initiatives (PASCAL International Exchanges, Learning Cities 2020 and now the set of 5 networks addressing Learning City Issues, of which Social Inclusion is one). This latter is intended to stimulate informed discussion and the exchange of expertise and experience between professionals and policy makers among the members of the network.

So how might the idea of a Learning City help social inclusion in your authority? It may seem to be, and is, a long way from the day-to-day concerns of the people that social workers and voluntary agencies face.  But it can help to build a policy infrastructure within which social inclusion matters take their rightful place. If one of the objectives is take people out of dependency, be they immigrants, unemployed people, physically excluded or whoever, and give them the mental equipment and self-confidence to play a contributory role in society, then that would be part of the learning city strategy and resources would be aimed at doing that. To a rational administration that makes good economic sense and there are synergies with the entrepreneurial learning city network that could help with this. Likewise if another aim is to make the lives of those unfortunate enough to suffer mental or physical suffering with little hope of finding work, their needs too would be taken into account within a holistic learning city structure.

At a more local level the initiative from Glasgow described in Annexe 1 on the next page would be an excellent example of good practice. There will be many more examples from which everyone can learn and the gathering of creative solutions may be one of the first useful tasks of this network.

So now the questions.

• What aspects of social inclusion should this network concentrate on?
• Or should the discussion be aimed at policy level for all aspects of social inclusion? 
• Should we develop a database of good practice, starting with our own organisations?
• Where does the learning city concept fit and what recommendations would we make to city decision-makers to improve facilities for social inclusion? 
• How can other PASCAL networks help to further the cause of inclusion?

This is your network and you must decide the foci of its work.

As an initial exercise, Annexe 2 might be useful for helping new members of the network learn more about the learning city concept and for identifying topics for further exploration.  It can also be used within a local authority as a means of sensitizing people to the concept of the learning city and the importance of inclusion.

Norman Longworth
July 2014

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Annexe 1: Radiant and Brighter – a case study from Glasgow

Micheal and Pheona Matovu, the team behind Radiant and Brighter experienced many challenges when they re-located from Uganda to the UK. Unable to work for several years due to immigration controls, they were dependent on help from churches, family and friends for their daily needs. Through finding themselves in this situation they discovered that many immigrants face similar and sometimes worse difficulties. They also realised that there were very few organisations dedicated to offering the kind of practical help that would make a lasting difference.

Experience ‘Many people lose hope when circumstances are hard but they knew that by reaching out they could help others rediscover their skills and talents and improve their situation’. Pheona Matovu (2013) They set up a very successful initiative in Glasgow in 2008 which gave immigrants access to the resources and opportunities they needed. Day-to-day they provided practical support and assistance from personal coaching, to advice on financial & legal matters, writing CV’s and applying for jobs. Why is it called Radiant & Brighter?

In 2012, encouraged by colleagues & friends, they started a business doing what they love: helping individuals become the very best they can be. They want Radiant & Brighter to be an organisation which supports and uplifts communities and makes a positive difference in social terms.

Provision and Services

• Employment & Career Development | 12-Week training courses
• Business Start-up | Advice and support to help you start your own business
• Work Placements | Gain valuable experience in the workplace
• Life Coaching and Mentoring | Uncover your hidden talents and skills
• ESOL Classes | Improve your English language skills

Their Vision: Transforming lives by providing support and training with particular emphasis on personal skills, talents and interests.

Their Mission: Their focus is to provide practical and lasting solutions to improve their clients’ quality of life. They work with everyone who is willing to make a positive difference in their lives whether indigenous or immigrant.

Their Values: They believe...

• in treating people fairly;
• in building healthy relationships with colleagues, clients and partners;
• everyone has a gift, they just need to be given the opportunity to explore it;
• everyone can be successful;
• happiness at work bears fruit that leads to success.

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Annexe 2 – Inclusive Learning city/Region Worksheet

Please see attached