forging futures

The Forging Futures project was an insular 15-week opportunity to provide a work-based learning opportunity as part of an iconsult training programme. It quickly became an integral aspect of our Effluent to Affluent(E2A) programme at Esholt and we have delivered four 15 week programmes to date. These programmes had a huge impact on individuals, and provided catalytic changes for both our and other Organisations, which link into our E2A aspirations and the potential for a sustainable social enterprise development.

Trainees were also involved in work on the boats, along the tow path and at the Lock Keepers House including: boat handling, knot tieing, litter picking, clearing the tow path, supporting the renovation of boats, woodwork, conservation, wildlife and nature studies etc

The young people enjoy the boat days, picking up boat skills and the ones that lock on to those tend to stay around longer. They are more relaxed on the boat, in part because there are not so many jobs to do so there’s a lot more room for relaxing and kicking back and watching the world go by. People muck about less, they’re more content to sit around a chat, and that’s a spatial thing, you don’t have room to muck about otherwise you’d be in the water. John

“One little bit of waterway can be a connector, a place people don’t know but has everything to everything else: engineering, architecture, the environment, work skills, leisure, well-being.

One little bit of waterway can give you a place in life, it is all about people, place and looking after the future. People learning from what they do and feel, feeling good about themselves and that they are making a difference, that they have a choice and are more competent, are more confident and have a future.

That’s what education is about.” Alan