The WEA has recently been awarded £500,000, by the Government's Communities and Local Government (CLG) department, to help fund work in local communities. The funding, which was given from the CLG's Community Empowerment Fund, will support the WEA's three year Learning for Community Involvement (LfCI) project.

The project will start this year and will focus on a key theme of the 'The Learning Revolution', the Government's recent white paper, - empowering local people. The grant will enable the design and delivery of community based adult education programmes that will help people learn how to become more involved in their local community and provide some of the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence to become active citizens. The key project outcomes will be the design and delivery of cross regional community empowerment programmes and activities to promote community development. This will enable WEA to contribute more effectively to the empowerment agenda.

Project activities will take place across all WEA English Region but the project will be coordinated by the WEA West Midlands Region. Howard Croft, Project Coordinator says:"As a provider of community based adult education developed through partnership working, the WEA is well placed to help people identify information and networks and develop the confidence and skills that can enthuse and underpin greater social and civic action. We look forward to delivering this for CLG".

You can find out more information on the WEA's Learning for Community Project from the WEA West Midlands Region. You can email the region at westmidlands@wea.org.uk, phone on 0121 237 8120 or visit the region's website here.