More, Different and Better

The final guest blog as part of Adult Learners’ Week is written by Ruth Bond, Chair of the National Federation of Women’s Institute (NFWI).

It was a great honour to be asked to sit on the NIACE panel to determine the Learning through Arts, Craft Skills and Culture Individual Award winners for Adult Learners’ Week. The National Awards ceremony was held on Monday 20 May at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Hall, where I was very proud to also present the two awards in this category. The first was presented to Dean Short, who has overcome severe dyslexia to achieve a distinction in a Film and Television Foundation Degree. He is now dividing his time between working at Pinewood Film Studios and studying for a BA (Hons) degree. The second was presented to Artspace, a project that occupies town centre properties to offer art-based learning workshops and exhibition space for local amateur and professional artists, as well as the general public.

As an educational charity, learning and development has always been an integral part of the WI, and the NFWI has been campaigning for the continuance and development of adult education since the organisation’s inception in 1915. Originally, the NFWI was formed to revitalise rural communities by educating and connecting women and encouraging them to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. Since then the organisation’s aims have broadened and the WI is now the largest voluntary women’s organisation in the UK, with over 212,000 members in around 6,600 WIs.

The WI is not only interested in the education and development of our members, it also has an important role to play in the education and development of members’ communities. Every year, WI members put forward a range of issues for national debate at the AGM, which, if passed, go on to become the mandates that form the basis of the organisation’s campaigning and awareness-raising activities in the years ahead. The resolution process is wholly democratic, meaning that members play a central role in defining policy and bringing issues onto the WI’s national agenda. 

The WI also offers a variety of courses at our adult residential centre in Oxfordshire, Denman, for members and non-members alike. Courses cover many topics including food and drink in the WI Cookery School, art and craft in the WI Craft School, and a range of others from health to history.

Other opportunities for learning within the WI include:

1) WI Moodle: An exciting online environment developed to train and support WI members in a range of topics integral to the organisation.

2) Let’s Cook Local: A nationally-led and managed project delivered locally by trained WI volunteers, which gives young parents (from disadvantaged backgrounds) opportunities and access to the skills and information needed to provide basic, healthy and economical family meals using high quality and locally produced fresh food.

3) Craft Clubs: WI members are encouraged to volunteer to run Craft Clubs in their local schools, libraries, museums, galleries or community halls. In collaboration with the Crafts Council of Great Britain and the UK Hand Knitting Association, volunteers in the scheme receive training manuals and handbooks, goody bags, attendance sheets and stickers for the children. All Craft Clubs are logged on the Craft Club map enabling potential students to find Clubs in their area – over 586 Craft Clubs are run across the country by 273 trained tutors. The Craft Club initiative was celebrated at the 2012 NFWI AGM where the Guinness World Record for the most  number of people knitting simultaneously for fifteen minutes was won by 3,083 members; a true celebration of knitting, craft, and the links formed by WI members in their own WIs, federations, communities and nationwide. 

4) National Competitions: WI members can take part in a wide range of competitions as part of their membership subscription. Competitions are devised not only to bring fun and motivational opportunities to members, but to also act as a learning tool to develop members’ skills and encourage them to try new activities. There are competitions available to suit all members; cookery, craft, writing, design, sport, competitions that require members to work as a team, and others as individuals.

There are also a range of roles available for WI members to undertake either for the NFWI or within their local federation. These include:

• NFWI Judges: NFWI Judges have sound technical knowledge in specific areas such as cookery, preservation, craft, floral art and staging and interpretation. The NFWI trains members and non-members to be tactful and courteous ambassadors, who show an understanding of the needs of the exhibitor and show committee.  The role of a judge is to act as an educator and to help improve the standard of entries.
• WI Advisers: WI Advisers are responsible for forming, suspending and closing WIs. They are also communicators, counsellors and mediators who make sure that members know what opportunities are available and help them make the most of their subscription. WI Advisers are trained and appointed by the NFWI to work under the direction of their Federation Trustees.
• Skills Co-ordinators: This role is to encourage and promote the development of learning opportunities available to WI members, both locally and nationally, within her federation and act as a link between the NFWI and members. A Skills Co-ordinator aims to raise awareness of accreditation, encourage and support fellow members in following accredited courses, arrange classes as necessary and recommend tutors, arrange assessments within the federation, support members working on certificates, and investigate funding support.
• Federation Representatives: Federation Representatives are volunteers within their federation who act as a liaison between the NFWI and members in promoting and raising awareness of sport and leisure, combined arts and science matters within the WI.