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Getting to Grips with Graphics Courses

Glasgow - 19th February 2009 (see below)

Getting to Grips with Graphics is a one-day introductory course that comes highly recommended by previous participants:

"Excellent day - informative - well presented"

"Great fun - good chance to get lots of creative ideas to make group facilitation more interesting and memorable"

"Good mix of fun activities, working with others - course was interactive so felt involved throughout"

People from many walks of life attend these courses and discover the power of graphic facilitation - trainers, facilitators, consultants, mediators, support workers, managers, teachers, community workers, youth workers...


Contact Envision for further information.

Click to download a flyer and booking form for the Glasgow course:

FLYER: graphicsworkshop19Feb09

BOOKING FORM: Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Graphics%20Workshop%20February%2009%20Booking%20Form

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Dare to Dream - Facilitating MAP and PATH
Following the success of our first Dare to Dream training course in Spring 2008, Envision and EDG are pleased to announce dates for the next course.  This 4-day course will take place in Edinburgh on 9th, 10th, 11th February and 24th March 2009.  Cost - £360 per person. 

Click to download a flyer Dare%20to%20Dream%20II%20Flyer.

Click to download a booking form. Dare%20to%20Dream%20II%20booking%20form

THIS COURSE IS NOW FULLY BOOKED.  DUE TO DEMAND, WE ARE CONSIDERING RUNNING IT AGAIN IN MAY 2009.  IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE CONTACT ENVISION.

Comments from previous participants:

“This was the best course I have been on in many years...Have alreadystarted to use it and will continue to use it in various ways – hopefully throughout my career – am developingideas from your ideas...” – Paul Anstee, MENCAP

“I feel more confident to undertake the planning process ...The relaxed adult style works well with the blend of more fun, light-hearted exercises” – Miriam Leighton, ARK Community Networks

“Excellent – gave me real strength to identify goals for both professional and personal life” – Marion Smith, Oaklands School

“Fantastic, eye-opening, fun, social, networking, challenging” – JocelynGlebocki, Camphill Blairdrummond

“I thought the course was fantastic – really enjoyed all aspects of the course both personally and for my job... I feel much more confident to facilitate and graphic plans –for people with learning difficulties and for anyone...  Best training course I’ve ever been on.”  - Jodie Louden, Fife Council

“The trainers worked very well as a duo and made everyone feel relaxed.  I would recommend this course to other facilitators.” – Sharon McAulay, STAR Project

For further details, contact Envision.

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Know What I Mean...? - Maximising your Communication Skills

Communication is the cornerstone of all human relationships. Yet, many people lack techniques required for effective interpersonal communication. They may not understand how they come across to others, nor how to interpret other people’s intentions. This can seriously affect a team’s performance.

This course explores key components of effective communication, focusing particularly on:

- Listening skills
- Understanding and developing assertiveness
- Overcoming communication barriers
- Clarity of language
- Frameworks for giving and receiving feedback
- Problem-solving tools for teams

The emphasis during the course will be on developing self-awareness through experiential learning and reflection. You will have the opportunity to work in a supportive group environment to develop your own communication skills and think about how to apply these within the context of your own team, your work and your life.

Helen is leading this course for EVOC in Edinburgh on 7th and 8th October 2008. 

See EVOC's website at www.evoc.org.uk/learning/programme for further information.

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Recent Projects

  • Helen has designed a new personal development 'mapping' tool, incorporating graphics, for PhD students at Glasgow university.
  • Helen has just completed her first year on the the tutoring team of the award-winning Higher Education Certificate (HEC) in Person Centred Approaches, where she is leading modules on Essential Lifestyle Planning and Planning for Inclusion.

    Bringing together the philosophies of the Person- Centred Approach and Person Centred Planning, this accredited and innovative learning experience is designed for people who support others to lead valued and inclusive lifestyles based on individual choices and preferences. The HEC in Person Centred Approaches for Social Care Workers is recognised by the Scottish Social Services Council as an appropriate qualification for the registration of staff in the categories Housing Support and Care Home Services for Adults.

    The HEC in Person Centred Approaches for Social Care Workers is a collaboration between Altrum, (a group of around 10 organisations providing person centred support or consultancy services), Queen Margaret University College, and the Scottish European Social Fund Objective Three Partnership. The quality and value of the course was recognised in 2005 by a Scottish Award from the National Training Awards and a Lifelong Learning Best Practice Award from ESF Objective Three Partnership. www.personcentred-learning.org.uk

  • In Paisley, Helen recently worked with the STAR Project to facilitate a process of project user engagement in the direction of the organisation.
  • On behalf of Stevenson College Edinburgh, Helen has undertaken a programme of intensive staff training for Newbyres Village - a new service for older people in Gorebridge run by Midlothian Council - aiming to engender the philosophy and practice of person centred support.  This traininng is now being rolled out across all older people's residential services run by Midlothian Council.
  • Over the past two years Helen has worked with the Borders Voluntary Sector Providers Group to produce a set of Guidelines for Person Centred Support Planning in the region.  She is now working with a group of people with learning difficulties to make these guidelines fully accessible.
  • Helen continues to offer graphic facilitation services for all kinds of events, meetings and conferences.  She was very pleased to produce graphic records at Support for Ordinary Living's 10th Birthday conference this summer, and more recently at a conference organised by ARC Scotland and the Learning Disability Alliance Scotland on the effect of competitive tendering in learning disability services.
  • This year, Helen has delivered her Getting to Grips with Graphics course to over a hundred people, including community workers in South Ayrshire, Careers Advisors from the Highlands, support workers in Glasgow, consultants, facilitators, lecturers, students, volunteers and trainers from all over Scotland.
  • Helen has been recruited by Equity in Education to be a sessional person centred planning facilitator with the Transforming Transitions project. This project will be working with children, young people and their families to support them to make plans for the future.