Alternative University

As part of SPEAK NEST Training we have developed an Alternative University, for training and support of different elements of Campaigns, Action and Prayer. We have an “Alternative’s” self-educational and skill-share approach, but we recognise that sometimes sharing information and skills in a structured way can help us all sharpen up.

TYPES OF TRAING AND EDUCATION SPEAK/ NEST OFFERS:

• Workshops at gatherings training events and festivals.
• Talks on request to churches and conferences on justice issues and/ or theology www.speak.org.uk/speakspeakers
• Onsite training to SPEAK groups which we aim to deliver every two years by designated regional speaker.
• Webinars- online Skype webinars on a variety of training topics
• SPEAK Internship direct training and mentoring in specific areas.
• Dedicated on line courses for SPEAK staff and nest volunteer  including:

I. Online reading material’s
II. Online video material’s
III. Online essays and exercises
IV. Mentoring  and tuition by a support worker

SPEAK TRAINING TRACK RECORD

Since 2000 SPEAK/NEST has been giving training and support to activists. We ran an annual event called Soundcheck for 14 years from 2000-14 Soundcheck has featured 100s of workshops on a wide range of issues from the Arm’s Trade, World Trade, Radical Theology and many diverse  topics related to SPEAK’s values. Every so often Soundcheck or the Network Gathering takes the form of a Festival, as it will do with the Peace Festival in September this year.

Since 2002 We have also  run Vocal Training or a September training event every year. This has involved more detailed training for empowering local groups, and includes “Training the Trainers”, and training the SPEAKers to then deliver onsite workshops and talks  to local groups in their area.

SPEAK has a network of  SPEAKer’s prepared to give talks to local groups.  We are currently looking to increase our number of sSPEAKer’s  from 7-25 over the next year, so as everyone has a regional SPEAKer near to them, to deliver training and information at reduced travel costs

Since 2011 SPEAK has run training for SPEAK NEST STAFF via online training course where they get tuition and support. We would like to extend this wider to committed local and committed flower model activists over the next  2 years. We may need to ask some people to give a voluntary donation towards these courses.

www.speak.org.uk/speakspeakers

On-line Webinar’s Programme

Future Webinars include and more detail will be shared nearer the time:

• April 16th 2015 -4.15pm To Be Repeated November 2015 - How to do a funding application for SPEAK - Jo Frew.
• Training SPEAKers- October/ November -Andy Flanaghan
• Ruth Valerio Feb 2016

Skill share Hubs

We are currently aspiring to build the “Build Skill Share Hubs” These are wooden pods  for dedicated places of sharing of the Speak values and skills for weekends. This involves a wooden Pod  which anyone can offer to host in their garden, and and which  offer’s a place of hospitality and skill share for SPEAK network members, throughout the year or just during dedicated weekends.

We are also currently in liaison with  “Mount of Oaks Monastic Eco-Village” in Portugal, to investigate the possibility of having  a warmer place of searching for all SPEAK European networks. SPEAK retreats would be great future if we can make partnerships work..

If you or others in your church are interested in hosting this space please get in touch !

Being a House of Hospitality ; Hosting a skill share HUB:

Static Skill Share Hubs
If you are interested in offering your house or extensive garden, as a base for training and skill sharing at agreed times of the year for SPEAK, and opening your home to having one of these wooden Pods built please get in touch!! at (email address) We are aiming to find 2-3 bases one in the North of England/UK and one in the South of England/UK  over the next 2 years.

Mobile Skill Share Hubs

We also have the following skill share tents which range in order of size

• Mobile Skill share Hubs:

• Tipi – (15-17 capacity)
• Yurt – (30-45 capacity)
• Gazebo- (15-17 capacity
• We can bring any of these tents to your local church, small group festival or event and host a series of workshops.
• We can also host a story sharing campfire with storys, talks music and poetry if you request alongside a technical day time training for you and your group
• We prefer to do tented visits from Mid-April untilMid-September due to the UK Weather!   but we are able to do indoor visits at anytime.  .
We may need you to submit your request ideally 4-6 months in advance if you require a whole week of training, and 1 month in advance if it is just a half day/ afternoon.

We may also need to ask you for a voluntary donation if the training is specific and lengthy we will be in touch by email about an amount apropriate for your group..

On Site training for SPEAK GROUPS AND LINKS

We are happy to deliver onsite training to all SPEAK groups and links and indeed we recommend they give a Saturday to this every 2 years.


Courses Requested and Courses we Aspire to Offer
• Being a Radical Activist
• Course in Climate Justice campaign
• Course in Arms and Peace campaign
• Course in “Training the Trainers” and being a Speak SPEAKer
• Lifestyle Activism.

Training Partners

Workshop and Noel Moels-

• Noel Moels has previously run workshop’s and provided some of the training received in our Internship Programme which was delivered 2001-6. He has also been a regular contributor to Vocal Training and other SPEAK training events. 

Peace School- we have collaborated with Peace School on a number of occasions and hope to build more of a long term partnership with them.

If you have workshops or webinars you would like to offer or you would even like to propose a course and offer tuition support as a course convenor please get in touch and send us your proposal.