Citizenship

As part of the Promoting Active Citizenship project Ark Housing Association ran a series of sessions called ‘The Big Plan', in partnership with the Richmond Fellowship and the Action Group. The Big Plan is based around ‘person centred planning', a set of techniques that can be used to help a person think about their goals, aspirations and future direction in life. The unique thing about the Big Plan is that it takes place in a group setting involving as many as 10-12 individuals and their supporters.

Over the course of five sessions, people carry out a variety of interactive group exercises to get them thinking about the things they like doing, who they know and the skills/talents they possess. This information is used to help individuals consider changes they want to make in their life. The sessions are being led by two experienced facilitators, Heather Simmons and Steve Coulson. They are designed to be fun and sociable and commence with a buffet meal and time to chat. A key element of The Big Plan is that people get to meet, talk and form new relationships.

The development of people's social networks is an important aspect of the Promoting Active Citizenship project. The Big Plan is one way of helping people to branch out more and gain confidence. We anticipate that some of the relationships formed during The Big Plan will continue in the longer term, possibly as ‘Circles of Support'. We have been evaluating the impact of the course with those involved, three and six months following its completion.

For more information you can access a more detailed report about The Big Plan here