02 Aug Collaboration With Other Organisations

The Centre is sometimes asked to collaborate with other organisations where there may be mutual benefit. The partnerships and links with universities are now quite well developed. The work with the University of Sussex is well established and we continue to discuss links with the University of Westminster. Middlesex University also features on our radar screen, in part through Ian Cunningham’s work with the National Centre for Work Based Learning Partnerships and the International Centre for Learner Managed Learning. More recently Ian Cunningham and Graham Dawes represented the Centre for SML and the South Downs Learning Centre at a seminar at the University of Brighton. This was linked with meetings with one of their new faculty who has developed approaches in keeping with our ideals for work with children and young people.

Outside the university sector we see potential benefit in links with other not-for-profit organisations. For instance we have had discussions with the Grubb Institute, which is well known for its work in a variety of settings. We have also worked through the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures and commerce) in their ‘Coffeehouse Challenge’. (See news item below.)

As a member of the Scientific and Medical Network, Ian is also active in creating a branch in Sussex which will provide a link between the Centre and this active and radical network.

We welcome ideas from members of the SML Network about other links that could be fruitful.