BeWEHL (Bettering Women’s Education, Health and Lifestyle)
Printer Friendly PageThe BeWEHL (Bettering Wellbeing, Education, Health and Lifestyle) Initiative was originally funded by the Welsh Assembly Government (2000) under the Sustainable Health Action Research Programme. The SHARP programme charged the project with looking at the impact of learning on the health and wellbeing of women who lived on the Bettws Estate in Newport, however, since the early SHARP funding period BeWEHL has expanded its practice across Newport and the South East Valleys.
Overview
The BeWEHL Initiative (Bettering Wellbeing, Education, Health and Lifestyle) began in November 2000 (to 2006) as a Welsh Assembly Funded action research project based on the Bettws Estate in Newport. Our mandate was to look at the ‘impact of learning on the health and wellbeing of women in marginalised areas’ through inclusive action research.
In September 2002 the project received ESF funding which enabled the project to extend its reach across Newport and developing work with in Ringland and Alway. This additional funding also enabled us to test the approach and curriculum we had developed in the WAG funded initial research phase. What we found was the action research approach had worked and the model developed was both replicable and transferable.
What we do
Making a Difference (or MAD).
Our first point of contact is through the one year MAD ‘experience’. MAD is an informal, community based discussion based group. Our goal is to attract women who would not self present to education and provide them with an opportunity to learn from discussion and mutual support. We provide free crèche where necessary.
MAD works with participants using a life-world approach. We adapt our delivery and set all learning within the individuals own life situation, so we are able to encourage participants to reflect on their own aspirations and begin to work with them to get ‘from here to there’ whatever their personal ‘there’ is.
During this year, we discuss the local community, asking questions such as ‘what is like living here?’, ‘what is good and bad about living here’. In this way we raise the individual awareness of their local community and enable to take steps to improve it working with local groups, Communities First and other agencies and providers. At the end of the year, almost without knowing it, the participants have achieved an Open College Network Certificate at Level 3.
The BeWEHL year
Following the MAD year we bring participants to Campus for one day a week. Transport and nursery is provided. Here they work on an independent research project, again for a year, in any subject area they wish.
During the BeWEHL year we provide all basic skills support for those who need them, ITC support and any teaching / learning support required.
At the end of this year they will complete a ‘mini-dissertation’ of between 5 and 10 thousand words. They receive 10 credits at level four – 1st year undergraduate level.
Community Development Studies
We also provide learners with the opportunity to work in their own communities on a module in partnership with relevant local agencies and groups, which gives them a taste of what it is like to work as a community development officer. We have provided this both on Campus and for the first time in 2008-2009 we are delivering it in the Community.
Outcomes
About 25% of our learners go on to study at degree level. Currently we have eight graduates, with another three expected to graduate every year for the next three years.
Where participants want to remain in education but are not ready for degree level work, they enter ACCESS courses here or at Coleg Gwent.
Some of our participants go on to work, for some the first work they have had. The project also improves participants work opportunities as they enter better paid work than they would have been able to previous to BeWEHL.
Fundamentally, BeWEHL is not an education project, that approach would not work with our targets. BeWEHL is about offering individuals the opportunity to reflect on their live situation and providing support to the participants to understand that they are able to make choices about their future and enabling them to take responsibility for the choices they make.
For further information please contact.
Janet Pinder (Head of Research, CCLL)
BeWEHL Manager.
e-mail: janet.pinder@newport.ac.uk; phone 01633 432866; Mobile 07980 929 833
Since 2000 BeWEHL has received commendations as a model of good practice from policy makers, ESF evaluators, as well as being acknowledged by the Welsh Assembly Government in Wellbeing in Wales (WAG 2002) and has featured in the European Health Inequalities Good Practice Guide, Closing the Gap (2005) in addition to being cited as a model of good practice.
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T: 01633 432866 F: 01633 432958
Email: bewehl@newport.ac.uk