Communities in United Kingdom
Developing meaning leisure in the community
GOOD PRACTICE TITLE: Developing meaning leisure in the community
KIND OF PRACTICE: Community Building, Ecology
DOCUMENT AUTHOR (ORGANIZATION AND AUTHOR NAME):
Mary Seacole Housing Association, Lennox Adams
PLACE: Luton
CONTEXT, FIELD OF INTERVENTION:
Clients in MSHA hostels (Marsh Farm and Ashton Road) have been considering ways to make their stay at MSHA more rewarding and enjoyable. They feel they can give back something to the community. There has been a rise in the number of homeless older people in the Luton area for a variety of reasons, such as loss of employment, divorce, addiction, etc. For these older clients re-engaging with society is a complex process, which must be taken gradually because many are very conservative in nature and will not have developed at the same pace as younger clients. In fact, older clients have repelled younger clients. At a group meeting in March 2018, older clients requested a leisure-based retraining that could lead to voluntary work or employment. The main reason for leisure-based training is that many clients are ex-convicts or recovering from addiction.
PERIOD:
March 2018 – August 2018
POPULATION, PARTICIPANTS:
MSHA clients aged 35+ who require training to reengage with society
The clients are mainly based at Seacole House, Marsh Farm, Luton or in one of MSHA’s outlying houses. Most clients are in residence for 1 year and will be able to see through a mini-project of their own design, under the umbrella of CLM European Project. There will, however, be participants who join or leave the mini-project depending in their tenancy at Seacole House.
COORDINATORS:
MSHA
METHODOLOGY (HOW THE PRACTICE WORKS):
“Meaningful leisure” is a type of community conscience in which older clients at MSHA feel that they can revitalize the community at the same time as they are getting exercise, rehabilitation and benefits from what they produce. The methodology is simple:
-
Stage 1: Identify a “social conscience” and identifying people of similar feeling
-
Stage 2: Identify a piece of land that needs revitalizing
-
Stage 3: Building and rescuing the land
-
Stage 4: Planting and maintaining
-
Stage 5: Reaping the benefits and preparing for the next stop
PARTICIPATORY PROCESS:
Participation is controlled by MSHA older clients and guided by MSHA Staff. According to the plans drawn up by a small core of clients, participants will be invited to join in the activities and inducted by a client already in place.
TIME TO BE SUCCESFUL (HOW MANY TIME THE PRACTICE TAKE TO ACHIEVE THEIR OBJECTIVES):
Since there is a turnover of clients and staff at MSHA success will be defined as the completion of any of the stages outlined in the methodology. The greater the number of stages that is achieved, the greater the chance that a clients will move on to greater achievements after residing at MSHA. It may be necessary for certain clients to attempt a stage twice or more times depending on the number of times a participant may relapse. At times it may be necessary for a participant to “take a break” from the activities and return when revitalized. The clients themselves will determine their achievements and successes in Keyworking sessions with MSHA staff.
VALIDITY (IF THE PARTICIPANTS THINK THAT THE PRACTICE RESOLVED THE PROBLEMATIC):
In July 2018 we began to see some notion of validity in that - participating clients reported:
• improvements to their health because the activities were exercise-promoting
• that they were re-discovering skills of Money Management, Use of Number and Oral Communication
• how much they felt let down the team when they suffered a relapse
• how confidence was returning in re-engaging with society
• they do not want to be homeless again
IMPACT:
There were 4 important areas of impact:
• More clients are becoming attracted to the mini-project, especially that some vegetables can now be harvested
• Clients are preparing meals from their own produce
• MSHA Management would like to see the mini-project extend to other MSHA hostels
• Luton Borough Council has learnt of the mini-project and would like to see the concept applied to other settings in Luton
• MSHA will pay £11/year to rent an allotment in a new part of Luton
INNOVATION:
The main innovation is linked to changes in the way in which older MSHA clients act and think:
• a change from conservatism to liberality
• a change from “one-track” mindedness to lateral thinking
• a change from close-mindedness to acceptance of a plural society
RESOURCES OR CONDITIONS NEEDED FOR THE PRACTICE:
Conditions
• A piece of land requiring redevelopment. It is important that the size of land does not overwhelm the participants. At Marsh Farm the piece of land is approximately 20m x 20m. Reconstruction covered an area of approximately 5m x 10m.
• The participants must want change
Resources
• Greenhouse staging: £30
• Bedding plants, seedlings, seeds: £40
• Gardening equipment: £50
• Hanging basket frames: £30
• Pots and large planters: £30
• Fertilizer, disinfectant, gloves, nets etc: £20
LIMITATIONS:
The initiative may be limited by restrictions on the conditions and resources, as described above.
LEARNED LESSONS: :
Thus far the lessons we have learnt include:
• We have found a new way to encourage healthy eating
• We have included the initiative as a therapeutic practice
• The initiative encourages the development of social skills
• We anticipate that participants will pass on their skills to their new relationships
SUSTAINABILITY:
The initiative is sustainable as long as there is funding (for new and replaced resources) and identified participants (to carry out the work)
REPLICABILITY:
The initiative is easy to replicate for a wide-range of age groups. It is especially useful for schools and NGOs.
CONCLUSION:
MSHA Management is delighted with the outcomes of the initiative and will encourage staff to repeat the mini-project. The core group of participants have applied for a council allotment (they will pay the annual fee) to take the initiative beyond MSHA.