Solution-focused Practice Open Course, in Plymouth, May & June 2024

Fridays 3^rd & 17^th May & 14^th June 2024 at Mount Wise Neighbourhood Centre, Plymouth, PL1 4NH.
9am arrivals for a 9.30 start and 4.30 finish.

The solution-focused approach is a versatile change conversation approach that can have real power in work with anyone who is stuck with big problems, as well as those just contemplating making some changes in life.  

Trainer: Marc Gardiner Marc is Zebra’s SF Lead and a highly experienced SF practitioner and trainer of 25 years working with individuals, groups, communities and organisations.  

£200+VAT per person; includes a 40-page course notes booklet, model question cribsheets, and an attendance certificate with learning outcomes. 
Discounts available for individuals self-financing (low income), and 15% discount for 2+ bookings.  

If your organisation needs to raise a purchase order to book your place – please email info@zebra.coop stating the PO number (& names) and the cost per person, i.e. £200+VAT, many thanks.

To book email info@zebra.coop Payment in advance to book your place.

NB No refund/transfer credit for participant cancellations in the fortnight up to the start date. Refunds or credit transfer to a future course are available if this course is postponed or cancelled.  

About the course 
Tired of getting stuck looking at the problem? This 2.5-day course will leave you thinking and working in a powerful new way. It may change your life.  The ideas, values and skills of solution-focused practice are helpful to anyone who works with people: the focus moves away from the problem towards hopes, the changes the person / group wants, strengths, resourcefulness, resilience and competence, progress already made, and possibilities. The power of this approach has long been evidenced in helping services, community work and schools, and is now increasingly recognised also in personnel management, organisational development, and coaching.  

Solution-focused practice is a “non-expert” approach to helping and change work. That is, it’s not based on the notion that the worker knows best. There’s a paradox here, though, in that to learn to function as an effective, truly non-expert practitioner takes some expertise.  

This course offers new change conversation skills and fosters personal & professional development, and will be useful to anyone who works with people – particularly those who support others through problems and change (e.g. workers in social care and housing support settings, ‘mental health’ workers, community workers and health staff) and staff / team /organisation managers etc.  

This a skills-development programme, with lots of opportunity for structured practice in the core elements of solution-focused work: best hopes, rich picture of preferred future, instances / exceptions/ progress, coping, motivation, next steps.   

Learning outcomes 
By the end of this 2.5-day workshop you will:  
– Have a working knowledge of the philosophy, value base, and key elements
of solution-focused practice  
– Have experience of a solution-focused conversation, both as worker and client  
– Have insight into how the learning can be applied and sustained in your individual work context  
– Have developed an immediate next step for consolidating and building on the learning, and for your future use of solution-focused practice  
– Know about local & global (online) networks for keeping in touch with solution-focused workers  

What people said about this course:  

“An excellent trainer with firm knowledge & skills, & a sustained belief – inspirational.”   

“Most valuable, interesting training session for a long time. Thanks.”   

“Wasn’t sure after first day whether this could be useful in support work – convinced now … <and> … would like to practice more…fascinating.”  

“Many thanks for a great second session yesterday, it was a fast paced, stimulating day and I’m now full of enthusiasm for SF and looking forward to putting it into practice.”   

“The best training I have been on since I can remember! I believe this will have a huge impact on my working and personal life! Thank you.”   

“I think it is life changing – thanks.”  

Further details about Solution-Focused Practice here. 

For enquiries or further details please email info@zebra.coop

Community Cancer Champions Project, 2024-27

Plymouth Community Cancer Champions is a 3-year project, funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and hosted by Zebra Collective working in collaboration with community partners Age UK Plymouth and the Wolseley Trust Social Prescribing team.

This closely evaluated test and learn project is exploring and testing asset-based community development approaches to supporting people and communities whose cancer outcomes and experiences are known to be the worst because of the unjust and unacceptable barriers they face, such as poverty and discrimination.

Niqui Bond began as the Project Manager in early January 2024, and has spent the 1st quarter setting up the project and recruiting the rest of the Zebra team – a Community Engagement Worker, a Digital Inclusion Worker and a Volunteer Co-ordinator, while Age UK Plymouth has recruited a Community Engagement Worker for older adults and Wolseley Trust a Primary Care Link Worker.

For more information contact Niqui: niqui@zebra.coop

joint Solution-Focused Practice Group: 7 June 2024, 9.30am-12.30pm

The joint Solution-Focused Practice Group sessions are for people who have had some training in solution-focused practice, and wish to meet with others to develop their skills.

The sessions, co-facilitated by Guy Shennan and Marc Gardiner, are a continuing professional development opportunity which aims to bring together people committed to working in a solution-focused way to develop skills and build networks. Sessions comprise any one or more of:

• Teaching
• skills practice
• case studies
• group exercises and discussions
• SF sessional video footage

– all good opportunities for practitioners to step back from the daily work and reflect, learn and refresh.

Price: £25 + VAT

2024 sessions:
Friday 7 June – book here
Friday 2 August – book here
Friday 4 October – book here
Friday 6 December – book here

If we cancel a session, payments will be refunded or transferred to a future session.

Should you cancel 3+ days before the event, your booking can be rolled over to a future session of your choice. No refunds will be paid.

For more information contact: info@zebra.coop

---

Zebra takes on Mount Wise Neighbourhood Centre

From 1st April 2024, Zebra holds the lease on the Neighbourhood Centre, a community space familiar to most Mount Wise residents.

We plan to restore the Centre and our hope is that it becomes a much-used space for our community.

We’ve been running our youth club here since March 2023, and some of us have worked out of this building since the 1990s.

We think this should be everyone’s Centre – so we want to know what local people would like to see happening here, and anything you’d like to offer – e.g. volunteering at the children’s and youth sessions or in other ways, starting new groups etc.

We are holding a Community Day 11am-3pm on Saturday 11th May , where you can come and share your views and find out more.

For more information, contact:

Debbie Freeman 07969 114592 debbie@zebra.coop

Marc Gardiner 07784 950308 marc@zebra.coop

Start of the Cancer Champions programme, Plymouth 2024-27

After years of developing community initiatives in partnership with Macmillan, Zebra is pleased to be hosting this action research programme, exploring an asset-based community development (ABCD) approach to addressing the fact that people living in low income communities tend to have a significantly poorer experience of the cancer journey, from pre-diagnosis through to post-treatment.

Macmillan has designed a large-scale programme to test this approach in selected communities here in Plymouth, beginning in Devonport and Stonehouse. Zebra is leading, and collaborating with Age UK Plymouth and the social prescribing service at Wolseley Trust.

Niqui Bond, until recently a primary school assistant head in Plymouth, began as Project Manager at the start of January. Her 1st three months has been spent setting up the programme, including recruiting the team – 3 with Zebra and one each at Age UK Plymouth & Wolseley.

For more details on this project, email niqui@zebra.coop