CHALLENGING PRACTICE: Essentials for the social production of habitat
Who?
ASF-UK are part of an Architecture Sans Frontières (ASF) European partnership funded to develop a training to teach built environment professionals to work and engage with the low-income majority in the urban context. The Leonardo project involves five European ASF organisations: Arquitectos Sin Fronteras-España, Architectes Sans Frontières-France, Architecture Sans Frontières-Italia, Architecture Sans Frontières-Sweden and Architecture Sans Frontières-UK.
What?
We have been partnering on this project for the past 18 months developing a training programme called Challenging Practice: Essentials fo the Social Production of Habitat. This training hopes to provide professionals with the appropriate competencies, skills and understanding of how to work effectively with margialised communities to ultimately address the problems of urban poverty. Why? This ASF European partnership recognises the growing desire of built environment professionals to engage with marginalised communities, and believes there is a need to train these professionals to equip them with the adequate competencies, skills and knowledge to engage effectively in this complex context.
For Who?
This course will be aimed at professionals working in the built environment (architects, engineers, builders, planners, urban designers, etc) and will be delivered in English, in every partner-country participating in the project. The training will be delivered online for working professionals to be able to study in their own time.
How?
We have developed different stages to this training integrating a short and long-term approach. Our short term approach is to deliver, test, evaluate and edit Stage 1 of the training, which will be completed by the end of July 2012. Each partner, specialised and experienced in particular fields, has selected specific modules to develop for Stage 1. We are seeking assistance from expert professionals to achieve and deliver the most relevant and successful training standardised across Europe. The graphic below outlines the overall training including the short and long-term approach.
STAGE 1
This stage is a composed of 12 modules (see next page) providing an overview of the knowledge required to engage with vulnerable groups in the urban context. At this stage, each module provides a summary text and compulsory readings which adds up to a total of 50 hours of learning. Further readings and videos are suggested to deepen the learning.
STAGE 2
The second stage is a weekend seminar and will be delivered 4 times a year (once in each partner-country). This stage will allow reflection and discussions on the learning from Stage 1, through interactive scenario building, and role plays.
STAGE 3
This stage is delivered online and will allow more in depth learning of each module. Each module will provide further literature and more technical data to complete the learning outcomes. This stage will also measure the learning of trainees through an evaluation.
PRACTICAL – INTERNSHIP OR WORKSHOP
The ASF partners involved are either specialised in running national and/or international workshops (ASF-UK and ASFIT) or in delivering projects nationally and internationally (ASF-Spain and ASF-France). This final stage will allow practical hands-on experience, to put into practice the theoretical learning of previous stages.
