Levelling the Playing Field has completed its first phase of learning for delivery partners with Compassionate Integrity Training (C.I.T) receiving rave reviews from all attendees.
C.I.T is a certified training programme for all ‘educators’ (teachers, mentors, youth workers, coaches and social workers) which improves mental health by developing skills including self-regulation, resilience, compassion for others and engagement with complex systems.
The idea is that these acquired skills have a positive knock-on impact on colleagues (i.e. the wider LtPF workforce) and ultimately the 11,200 children on the Levelling the Playing Field project.
That has certainly proved the case for Joe Jackson from NPV Football Development, our local delivery partners in Wolverhampton. “For me, it was a really, really great exercise,” he said. “It showed how working on yourself as the practitioner can benefit those you’re working with so much.
“Sometimes when you’re delivering stuff constantly, you feel like a hamster on a spinning wheel. The biggest benefit for me, crazy as it may seem, was to step off that wheel for two hours, reflect and ponder with other people on the project.
“There was lots of stuff that will help me in situations when, for example, I’m challenging a kid or their parents about behaviours. It made me reflect on how to show compassion, forgiveness and discernment. I’ll get better as a practitioner, and therefore have a better impact on the kids in my care, if I have a good understanding of those things and the ability to take a step back and reflect on them ‘in the moment’.
“I’m a Christian anyway so a lot of this is what we practise in our faith, but to hear it being put across in a more mainstream environment was interesting. Some people run a million miles from this stuff, but it made sense and everyone embraced it.”
Whilst at the Adverse Childhood Experiences Hub, Laura Tranter developed the training package on sport and ACEs which is used on LtPF’s mentoring training. She now works for mental health charity MIND Wales. She was another who benefited immensely from the C.I.T training.
“Without sounding corny, I hope, the C.I.T course was brilliant at working out how we can be the best version of ourselves, so that we can give the best to our colleagues and participants,” said Laura.
“A lot of its impact was about the connection with like-minded people from so many different backgrounds all wanting to better themselves for the benefit of others. There was a very warm feeling being part of it. It felt like you were part of a movement. Frankly, I’m gutted it’s over!”
Laura explained that the training had made her reflect on her emotions, reactions and values when interacting with others.
“It definitely challenged me to think about how I interact with others and has given me more understanding into where they may be coming from.
“For example, if somebody says something to you and you immediately feel upset, hurt or challenged, the C.I.T course has helped give me insight into those reactions. It looks into what happens to your body and thought processes and how you might react differently, and with more compassion and deeper understanding, in the future. This will help me at work, but also with my own family!”
Lucy Donovan, Senior Development Officer at our local strategic partners in Gwent, Newport Live, said: “I looked forward to the training every Tuesday morning. The group was really diverse and I took so much from the thoughts that people shared.
“It’s great to have such an opportunity for reflection during the working day. I often found myself aware that the session was approaching and to be more mindful of stress levels and my responses.”
The next stage for C.I.T and Levelling the Playing Field is for selected learners who passed the course to train as C.I.T trainers themselves who can then pass the skills on to others.
Course facilitator Shane O’Connor, Education Programme Lead for the Centre for Compassion, Integrity and Secular Ethics, reflected: “We were very grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from such a diverse, passionate and genuine team of individuals. There was a fun element to every session because folks shared their sense of humour as well as their experiences and honest reflections.
“We hope the LtPF team learned a lot but still feel they have lots more to learn and that it is very much a case of progress rather than perfection. We also hope they can practise the skills on a daily basis, embody the learning and understanding in their professional, home and community environments.
“We were delighted with how the training went overall and are very much looking forward to the next steps in this collaboration. There seems to be a shared vision between our organisations. I´d say this is why it seemed like such a good fit over the past months of our CIT journey together.”