Overview
Despite our love of formal training, much of the evidence suggests that learning happens between people and is best facilitated by peers. Creating a learning environment is key to all our work and, although never directly funded, our focus during our work in Newsham Park was to create an enabling network. This meant that we worked hard to foster relationships between different groups within the local community.
These differences in ethnicity, age, and socio-economic status were only reinforced by the ways in which funding was targeted at particular groups or particular problems. To overcome that, we deliberately sought to keep all activities open to everyone, not only on paper but in spirit. We also sought to create a safe psychological environment that enabled people to connect across perceived differences and find common ground between them.
The evidence of the success of this informal network can be found in the number of ongoing friendships between former participants and the extent to which the network-enabled people to share resources, help, experience and advice in ways that did not encourage dependency or foster shame.
The Enabling Network
NEWSHAM PARK
The following organisations and initiatives Tree House is either working to support or aligns with their values around social prescribing, social wellbeing, mindfulness and connectivity.
The following organisations and initiatives Tree House is either working to support or aligns with their values around social prescribing, social wellbeing, mindfulness and connectivity.
SERVICES
About Tree House
Project Delivery
Overview
The Tree House Liverpool philosophy is that we have far greater capacity then we realise to transform our own lives and the lives of those around us. Furthermore, many of the resources we require to do that are readily available. They just need to be facilitated. Nothing exemplifies this more than the annual Feel the Love? Show the Love Festival which Tree House Liverpool hosted between 2014 and 2018. The basic premise of the event is that people want to get involved. They just needed the opportunity to do so and, therefore, all we had to do was create that opportunity. So it proved.
Over the years, people came forward to lead, or contribute to activities as diverse as litter picking, painting park railings, planting flowers and shrubs, crafting, as well as taking part in discussions about what we might do together to make the places we shared safer and more beautiful. As well as the annual event, Tree House Liverpool also attracted, and supported people who wanted to run other, openly accessible, activities in the park. These included Film Nights at the Bandstand, Meditation, Thai Chi, Dog Shows, a community market, Tree Walks, and a local photographer’s wildlife master classes.
