Launch of Audio Walks

The resources from an innovative project which used audio walks to create a sense of community in one of Cardiff’s inner-city neighbourhoods, are being launched at an event next week.

The ‘Sounding the Way: Audio Walking in Cardiff’s Urban Neighbourhoods’ project was funded in 2010 by the Beacon for Wales and led by Dr Kate Moles at WISERD Cardiff University and Dr Angharad Saunders at the University of Glamorgan.

As part of the project, residents of Grangetown in Cardiff were encouraged to explore their neighbourhood through producing audio walks.

This project had at its core the idea of engaging young people in producing audio walks about their communities, about where they like to go. The work involved enrolling the young people not just as participants in producing these audio walks, but as active contributors, developers, researchers and producers.

The work also involved intergenerational interactions, with young people working with older people in the exploration of their shared neighbourhood, thus empowering the residents and making them engage with and think about their areas in new and exciting ways.  

The maps and audio walks that have been produced are now available to the entire community as a resource to use and enjoy. The event next week will launch these resources and attendees will have the opportunity to listen to the audio walks, watch a film about the project and read the audio walk guide.

The launch event is open to everyone and takes place on Monday May 14^th at 3.30pm at The Deck Coffee House, Harrowby Street, Cardiff.

For more information please email Dr Kate Moles: Molesk@cf.ac.uk 

New website links social policy experts across European Union

Cardiff School of Social Sciences has officially launched the European Commission funded NESET website – NESETweb – a Europe-wide online resource aimed at supporting the development of better and fairer education across the European Union.

NESET, which stands for the Network of Experts on Social aspects of Education and Training, has launched the website to provide a valuable tool for policy makers and practitioners interested in promoting equity and inclusion in education and training across the EU.

 The website draws together the expertise of the European Commission funded NESET Network, consisting of over 50 leading researchers from across the European Union and beyond, which is coordinated by Cardiff University and which advises the Education and Culture Directorate-General of the European Commission.

Available in four languages, English, French, German and Welsh, the website contains links to the latest debates and robust evidence relating to social aspects of education and training. These cover issues such as the costs and benefits of cross-sector working, the strengths and weaknesses of different ‘recovery’ strategies for children and young people and how best to foster transitions from school to work or further education, and widening access.  NESETweb also provides information about relevant news and events so that policy makers and practitioners can keep abreast of the latest developments in Europe and elsewhere.

Although designed to be a resource for stakeholders and policymakers, it will also be an important reference point for education researchers in particular and social scientists more generally.

Professor Sally Power, from the University’s School of Social Sciences and Director of NESET, said:  “We believe the NESET website will provide an invaluable website for all those interested in promoting educational equity and social inclusion in Europe.  It has the potential to make a really important bridge between the education research committee and the policy-makers and practitioners who face the difficult task of trying to make education not just better but fairer.”

To view the website, please click on the following link: http://www.nesetweb.eu/