‘Solution Focused Developments – Past, Present and Future’ Conference
June 10, 2013

The 2nd South West Solution Focused Conference

‘Solution Focused Developments – Past, Present and Future’

Thursday 3rd October 2013

9.30am – 4.30 pm

at Devonport Guildhall, Ker Street, Plymouth

Zebra Collective and Plymouth Psychotherapy Department are pleased to announce the second South West Solution Focused Conference, this time at the stunning and recently regenerated 1820s Regency town hall of the old town of Devonport. www.devonportguildhall.org

The keynote will be struck by Dr Alasdair MacDonald, Consultant Psychiatrist and former president of the European Brief Therapy Association, who will talk on the development and changes in the model from its origins to the present day, with some consideration of future directions.

The later morning and afternoon will then offer a choice of workshops run by current practitioners from a range of backgrounds including education, mental health, speech and language therapy, learning disabilities and community work. Workshops will have a practical emphasis, drawing on these practitioners’ current thinking and practice.

Cost: £50+VAT Closing date for applications 3rd September 2013

NB:  Reservations are confirmed on receipt of payment.

Lunch and refreshments provided.

To reserve a place please contact:  Plymouth Psychotherapy Department, Centre Court, 73 Exeter Street, PlymouthPL4 0AH.

Tel: 01752 435510 or 35510 internal.      Email: PCHCIC.Psychotherapy@nhs.net

I wish to reserve a place on: The Second South West Solution Focused Conference” on Thursday 3rd October 2013.

Cheque enclosed payable to:

Name: _______________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________________

Telephone: ____________________________________

Email: ____________

Getting Started: Set up a Food Coop or Buying Group in Plymouth
June 5, 2013

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location: Tuesday, 23 July 2013 from 11:00 to 14:30 (BST) Chads Church Chads Close Whitleigh Close PL5 4AJ Plymouth United Kingdom View Map Attend Event Share this event: Food Plymouth, Whitleigh Time Bank and Transition Plymouth invite you to a free workshop:  Setting up a Food Co-op or Buying Group in your Community.  St Chad’s Church, Whitleigh Green on Tuesday 23rd July, from 11 am – 2.30 pm.    The day is aimed at anyone wishing to find out more about food coops, wanting to be involved in one, or set one up.  Food co-ops are run by community groups on a not… Share this event on Facebook and Twitter We hope you can make it! Cheers, Food Plymouth

Ocean Time Bank in Action
May 14, 2013

“I don’t feel part of the Barne Barton estate due to being between Barne Barton and St Budeaux and it’s nice to know that through Time Bank I am now part of the community.”

“It’s nice to help out people that are unable to do it themselves; you get to meet people in the community that you haven’t met before.”

Quotes from Ocean Timebank members Lauren and Shane, after exchanging some gardening hours with fellow member Martin – pictured.

Plymouth Fairness Commission
May 11, 2013

Plymouth Fairness Commission (PFC) convened on April 17th to begin its year of work to assess, identify and make recommendations for the tackling of unfairness in the city.

Commissioned by Plymouth City Council and comprising a membership of around 25 individuals with backgrounds or roles of particular relevance to this task, PFC has a challenge: first to decide on what it means by fairness; then to engage in a thoroughgoing assessment of the city against the agreed principles of fairness; then to draw up clear, ambitious-whilst-achievable recommendations; and, throughout its existence, to engage with the City Council and other stakeholders such that there is clear commitment to implementing the recommendations.

Marc of Zebra is one of the PFC commissioners. He says, “I’m pleased to have been asked to join the commission. It’s a big task – to take a serious look at unfairness and to begin to tackle it – and this challenge is compounded by national / societal-level factors that maintain inequality. We must not be naive about this task in its context, but we are right to highlight unfairness where we identify it, and to say it is unacceptable to do nothing – indeed to be ambitious in attempting to tackle it.”

Fairness Commissions have sat in other cities such as Liverpool, Newcastle, and in the London borough of Islington (chaired by Spirit Level author Richard Wilkinson).

Go to www.plymouthfairnesscommission.co.uk to keep informed of progress.

Zebra’s first open solution-focused course in Exeter
May 8, 2013

In 2011, Dawn Rivers of Exeter City Council won a free day’s Zebra Collective training by participating in a survey for our social accounts. She chose to take it up at the recent one-day Introduction to Solution-focused Communication workshop we ran at the Generator, a new social enterprise hub in Exeter, run by Corkscrew: www.cork-screw.org

Said Dawn, “I got a lot out of the session that I am already using in my work and personally! I will probably be interested in following up with the 2 day SFC course.

… Thank you … for allowing me to attend for no charge, as part of my prize. … It was very much valued as is every training experience I have with Zebra.”

This was Zebra’s first open solution-focused course in Exeter, and we’ll be back on Wednesday 3rd July and Tuesday 22nd October. To book email info@zebra.coop

Star People
April 23, 2013

The Zebra Collective is now working with UnLtd on its Star People Awards as a Star Partner in the Big Local area of Whitleigh.

The Star People Awards come from a very large Millennium Grant which is invested to allow for £1 million to be spent every year on supporting people in Big Local areas to put into action projects that they are passionate about.

UnLtd gives cash and direct support to help people set up a whole range of social enterprises: £500 for a Try it Award to just see if something will work out, £5000 for a Do it Award to take it a stage further, and £15000+ for a Grow it Award to expand and establish a social enterprise.

This is about people and their potential, and about communities where people can and do get things done. We are already beginning to see in Whitleigh the excitement and action that comes from being offered real, concrete opportunities.

So far UnLtd has seven Awards Winners in Whitleigh, and there are more applications queuing up. We have a gardening scheme to transform spare open spaces in Whitleigh into vegetable patches that people can harvest; a support group for people coming out of prison; a music group forming to encourage all kinds of musical activity; a knitting group; family bingo; a sling library for mothers with young babies; a befriending group.

The video (link) says more about Star Partners and features Jacky of the Zebra Collective, and Star a Whitleigh Star Award Winner.

Unltd Compilation

Union Street Gallery Project
April 15, 2013

Stonehouse Time Bank’s involvement with the Union Street Gallery project illustrates just how useful and flexible the resources of a Time Bank can be.

Stonehouse now has 82 individual members and 24 organisations, so when one of its organisational members (Stonehouse Action) got a lottery grant to make Union Street look beautiful and interesting it was natural to approach Time Bank to do some of the work.

Time Bank took one particularly derelict shop and committed to making it into a work of art. When members were circulated there was huge interest from local people and from organisations. So Flameworks Artist Co-operative, The Play Association, Transition Plymouth, The Devon and Cornwall Food Association, and RAGRUG@the Ship got together with individuals to design and make our shop.

The concept was nature taking over and flowers bursting out of the dereliction. Practicalities changed this a bit, but we stuck with our original idea and made flowers all over Stonehouse, in workshops and at home, knitted, made of felt and rag-rugged. Organisations gave us the venues, and many of the resources, and all kinds of people did the work.  The DCFA volunteered to end the opening evening with a barbeque.

In the two weeks before the opening of the shop alone Time Bank members gave over 300 hours to this work.

It was really good to see so many people pooling their talents and resources to improve the area and to have fun. Unfortunately there is only a glimpse of our lovely blue flower shop on the video (link), but you can see it in all its glory in Union Street, opposite Aldi.

“Money is over?”
March 19, 2013

Jacky went to see Transition Plymouth at one of their regular discussion meetings at the University. The discussion was on how possible it is to have non-money economies, and Time Bank fits into this as a small scale local example as well as being part of a global movement.

Barne Barton Time Bank Launch
March 6, 2013

Zebra Collective has been working with local residents in Barne Barton to set up a Time Bank in the area. Residents have formed a Steering Group and they have been earning Time Credits by coming together every other Saturday to share ideas on Timebanking and plan for a Time Bank Launch. The Launch took place on 2^nd March and was a big success, thanks to everyone’s hard work.

Time Bank members and others shared their knowhow and interests so people could have a go and get a taste of what Timebanking has to offer.  There were a variety of fun activities on offer including; different arts and crafts, garden advice, face painting, guitar tuition, language exchange, knitting and sewing and much more. There was also a baby and toddler clothes swap and a very popular book swap.

A variety of community groups and organisations were also present for residents to get practical advice on a range of issues.

Barne Barton Time Bank: Email: BBartontime@hotmail.co.uk or Facebook: Barne Barton Time Bank

Transition Plymouth Away Day
February 27, 2013

Transition Plymouth is the local arm of the Transition Town movement, which has been developing globally through the past decade in response to the twin challenges of climate change and peak oil. The movement was founded by Rob Hopkins just up the road in Totnes, and Plymouth’s group was established in 2009.

Marc of Zebra was involved in the founding stages of Transition Plymouth and then in late 2009 Michelle and Marc facilitated a visioning and planning awayday for the group. This was done for free (and the Zebra workers ran the session unpaid) as part of our commitment to offer free work to organisations we support but which have limited capacity to pay.

We’ve kept in close touch with Transition Plymouth as they’ve developed over the years through sheer hard work and determination motivated by pressing concern re climate and oil issues. A high-point for the group came last year when they acquired free city centre premises on Armada Way, though this proved short-lived when paying tenants came along sooner than anyone anticipated.

A group so driven, operating to such laudable values and with such a range of aims (they organise or engage with a whole set of activities, all relevant to the primary aims above), and with everyone working so hard in their own time, inevitably runs into periods of chequered motivation, blurry vision and interpersonal tension. The loss of the premises perhaps brought this to a head for Transition Plymouth in autumn last year, and they came to Zebra seeking further assistance. We were very happy to offer another day of free facilitation, and Marc took on this work (unpaid again). He liaised with key group members re the focus and design of the day, on which all members were also consulted.

Devonport Guildhall offered its space for free and on a January Saturday 16 Transition Plymouth members turned up for an intensive, stimulating, enjoyable and – it seems – productive day with the emphasis on the plan for 2013 and the role of excellent internal relationships in the group becoming higher profile and more effective in the pursuit of its aims and goals.

The group organised its own catering and the food was ideal.

Through serendipitous timing, Transition Plymouth’s next planning group (a core group in that it co-ordinates all the “business” of the organisation) was to be the following Monday, so the group left armed with the half-dozen flipcharts generated on the day and a palpable new energy.

Zebra Collective is proud to work in this informal partnership with Transition Plymouth.

Pat Bushell wrote to us after the event:

“On behalf of all of us from the Saturday Transition Visioning Workshop I’d like to thank you first of all for facilitating so brilliantly.  As you said, we all worked hard, but your input enabled us to achieve what it was we wanted, even though we may not all have been clear about what that was at the start.

Besides that, the room you provided us with was such a nice place to be in that it was, without doubt, another reason for the day going as well as it did.

The smiles on people’s faces at the end showed that a general feeling of renewed enthusiasm about what we’re doing, tempered though that might be by the daunting threat of Climate Change, was certainly one of Saturday’s outcomes.”