Finding a Pathway into Learning
June 2006
Zeina Ekuban is a Course Manager in Lambeth College’s School of Learner Support. Over the past year she has been our representative working on a joint project with Lewisham Community Education and the College of North West London in finding new ways of providing and promoting learning opportunities for Black and Minority Ethnic communities with mental health support needs.
She recently spoke to delegates about Lambeth College’s ‘Participation Project’ at the annual NIACE (National Institute of Continuing Education) and NIHME (National Institute for Mental Health) Conference in Nottingham. The project involves working with a Black community group at the Fanon Centre in Brixton to try and understand why some people may resist accessing education and training in a large college setting and how colleges can readdress this.
Says Zeina: “Our project involved finding ways of promoting learning opportunities for people who may have had less than positive experiences with education in the past or who feel they don’t have anything more to offer by returning to learn. I have been holding workshops at the centre to find out what subjects or projects people would like to get involved in and to try and promote programmes either in the College or at other centres which may interest them. Music classes have proved a great way of stimulating a positive educational experience so far and helped to promote a much more positive image of our College.”
The project was conducted for and resourced by NIACE and NIHME.
If you would like to know more about this project please contact Zeina by email: zekuban@lambethcollege.ac.uk. If you have experienced anxiety, depression or other mental health difficulties you may be interested in our Return to Learning classes. Please click here to request our Return to Learning Courses 2006/07 Brochure.
