Exploring Opportunity Freedom with Mental Health Service Users: Applying a Widening Participation, Capabilities and Situationist Informed Framework for Transformational Learning. (1st March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Richardson, Mark; Llewllyn, Penny; Andrews, Graham; Godwin, Nicholas
• Is Part Of: Widening participation and lifelong learning. Volume 21:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 71
• Page End: 93
• Publication Date: 2019-03-01
• Subjects: Adult education -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Adult education -- Periodicals; Continuing education -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Continuing education -- Periodicals; 374.005
• DOI: 10.5456/WPLL.21.1.71
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1466-6529

Abstract

Members of the Widening Access, Research and Mentoring (WARM) group have noted a longstanding lack of attention to engaging mental health service users in meaningful and enriched learning opportunities such as widening participation (WP). They suggest that this may be due to a lack of understanding and knowledge of how approaches might work practically for those who have experienced mental distress. It may also be due to the reciprocal dilemma of stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness alongside the suspicion and even fear that some 'non-traditional' learners have of education.This paper will explore, through members of the WARM group, this lack of attention to WP and mental health target groups. It will also explore how WARM members' activities have now evolved into a seven-point action plan: 'Co-CREATE', the elements of which they, and other partitioners, can explore further and use.Co-CREATE forms an analytical relationship between practitioner and participant. Each point of the plan demonstrates the use of strength-based apporoaches which are used alongside an interpretation of stealth engagement. The points are contextualised withing Amartya Sen's capability approach, for social justice and opportunity freedom, which are actualised through situationist practice informing critical pedagogy/engagement. These are framed through a bespoke action research approach, retrospectively reflecting participant-defined outcomes. The paper concludes that the use of the Co-CREATE Framework can support participants to use bespoke action research approaches to enable them to achieve outcomes decided by themselves.