Globally connected yet locally engaged
Posted on: October 4, 2010
Globally connected yet locally engaged.
Community work, voluntary sector and active citizenship are concepts that are mentioned time and time again. Everyone has participated or at least knows of someone who has participated in local, community projects or performed a bit of voluntary work themselves. I held the position of vice president for the University of East Anglia’s RAG (Raise and Give) charity society during my last year of my Bachelors. I managed to become involved in the third sector quite late in respect to my demographic. Furthermore the impact and importance to influence valid and sustainable change in a local community is not always fully understood or acknowledged. Many of us partake in voluntary work for the benefit of our resumes and forget about the real importance these activities play in local communities.
The British Council are taking a global approach to local community action. Globalisation allows communities to communicate with other communities elsewhere in the world with a view to personal interaction (physical exchanges), exchanging ideas and working on projects together. Through this global outlook, ideas, concepts and successful implementation techniques can be exchanged through the participating active citizens in numerous countries worldwide. Active citizens in Kosovo for instance can and will most probably benefit by liaising with fellow participants in the Balkan region and with their exchange community in the UK. Through learning and understanding the difficulties and process that third sector communities in the UK face, the communities (in Kosovo) can apply learned processes to remedy sustainable change in their Social Action Projects. The process and successful implementation of voluntary work and active citizens is perfectly summed up by Tom Broadhurst (British Council): “It’s about exchanging skills for taking direct action, about helping people help themselves.” Its about addressing the same or similar issues but in different settings. Here there needs to exist NO blanket policy for the execution of sustainable change.
An example of this was an SAP that managed to develop relations between communities in Derry (Northern Ireland), Addis Ababa (Nigeria), the Rift Valley and Kano (Nigeria). Here the problems surrounding “The Troubles” in N.I and the religious divides in Kano were addressed in relation to each other. Again the situation and projects are similar but different.
Active Citizenship is a form of literacy: (Council of Europe, Education for Democratic Citizenship, Dec 2004) coming to grips with occurrences in public life, developing knowledge, understanding, critical thinking and independent judgement of local situations and issues. It is about applying this knowledge and critical thinking to implement sustainable change.
Local projects can have a wider impact, but it’s vital to begin with the community you love and have a connection with. Only then will your projects and aims be able to be achieved. Remember action is louder than words: don’t just say it, do it. And who better to do it than The British Council who has over 75 years of cultural relations experience.
The British Council Kosovo will be launching their Active Citizens programme October 2010.
Jamie Pickton
Jamie.Pickton@britishcouncil.org
Kosovo Calling 
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