Aylesbury Estate residents gear up for leadership

On 3 December 2009, 16 Aylesbury Estate residents were awarded certificates for successfully completing a five-month course in community leadership skills. Designed to equip the students to take leading roles in the community, the course was organised as part of the Creation Trust's Single Equality Scheme.

Click here to see a film of the event.


Two of the course participants, Patricia Lewis and Adenike Akinwande, received accreditation by the Open College Network, and gained two credits at level two, equivalent to a good GCSE.

For former librarian Patricia, the course offered a new lease of life. "I got everything I wanted, and more than I'd bargained for," she says. "I suffered a brain injury a while back, and this has really helped to exercise my mind and improve my thought processes."


She also appreciated the way the course brought people together. "The class was made up of people from all sorts of backgrounds with different beliefs and personalities," she says, "but we all followed the principle that you have to have respect for everyone's views, whether or not you agree with them."

Some of the students were already active in local community organisations. These included Zahra Abdalla, who runs Aylesbury EveryWoman's Centre. She comments, "The course will help me achieve my aims for the women's group, empowering women on the estate. In fact I think it will help to empower the whole community, because all of us will be passing some of what we've learnt on to others."

At 22, Akua Yeboah-Fordjour was one of the younger participants. Struggling to find a job after university, she decided to take the course to boost her employment prospects. Now, inspired by what she learnt about social justice, she's applying to study for an MSc in social policy and development.

One of the highlights of the course was an open networking event, which the students organised and facilitated on 20 May. Richard Bridge, chair of WaCoCo (Waterloo Community Coalition), commented, "The event was lively and the students were all vocal and committed. One or two gave excellent presentations that were well thought out and delivered with passion."

"Everyone was bowled over by the leadership skills the students displayed and some of the questions they asked," says Creation and NDC Director Richard McDermott. "For many of the students English is not their first language. The course has helped them feel equal to anyone else. As well as empowering them in their own lives it's given them the confidence to get involved in making decisions about the future of the estate."