This year CAG Devon are excited to be partnering with Eden Project Communities to run our annual Skill Share event.
The aim is to bring together community groups and individuals from across the CAG Devon and Eden Project Communities networks to share skills, knowledge and ideas and forge useful connections. We will also be opening up the event to other people and groups from across Devon who are interested in connecting with our networks or setting up new projects in their communities.
As well as a range of more traditional workshops we will also be running a number of more creative sessions to help people get to know each other, facilitate connections and create the space for imagination and inspiration. We hope you can join us!

We are asking people to pre-book their places on workshops due to limited space in some rooms. So please look at this link to the programme and workshop options (which is much more colourful and attractive) or look at the list below and then choose from the options on the order form.

Morning workshops

Food Surplus Practical (limited spaces)
Join a lead cook from the ReROOTed Community Food Surplus Café who run monthly meals using excess from supermarkets, farms and shops. Work with them to create our Skill Share lunch using a bunch of surprise ingredients collected the day before. You will leave with practical experience of what is involved in running a community food surplus meal and the confidence to run your own, plus ideas about what to make using common leftover ingredients.

Engaging the wider community
Whether you’re looking to recruit more varied volunteers or reach a wider audience for your group or project – this session will give you practical ideas to help. We will also look at why it’s not only desirable but essential to fully represent the communities you work with. You will leave with a better understanding of your community, a theory of community engagement, a strategy template for your group, plus the chance to hear from those present about their own successes.

Playful and creative engagement
Whilst there is a big place for serious messages in environmental and social campaigns – sometimes the public reaction is fear, apathy and sticking our heads in the sand. We will look at examples of playful, fun and eye-catching methods to engage people – including craftivism, flash mobs, art and performance. We’ll create ideas for how you might use some of these techniques for the projects you are working on in your own communities.

Looking after ourselves: from burnout to resilience
Whether we are undertaking community events, activism, business or any other project, looking after ourselves often takes a backseat. But none of us are immune to burning out.
Join this practical session to discuss the symptoms and risks of burnout, and use tips and tools to help build resilience into our daily (and busy!) lives, as well as how we can all support each other towards well-being.

Introduction to Safeguarding
In this awareness session we will look at Safeguarding guidance, using fictional case studies, and how it may impact on us as leaders of or as volunteers in community groups. This is not an easy topic to discuss but the session will be informal and supportive; hopefully it will help us all to play our part in promoting the right attitudes and culture in organisations, to ensure safeguarding takes place and that we as individuals fulfil the responsibility we all have in society. You will leave with a better understanding of Safeguarding issues that may cause harm to a child or vulnerable adult; and what actions to take if you have a concern, in the community volunteer sector.

Afternoon workshops

Community Sharing Projects to connect and empower
Join the Network of Wellbeing (NOW), a charity supporting a UK network of people and organisations who care about the wellbeing of people and planet, to explore how sharing is affecting our communities nowadays. Learn about practical initiatives NOW has set up in Totnes, such as the Community Potlucks, the Share Shed - A Library of Things, and the ShareFest - a festival to celebrate sharing, making, repairing and swapping, and reflect on what you can do to support a sharing culture in your own community.

Waste and worms: promoting composting in the community
Throughout 2018 the Soil Group of Tiverton Area Communities in Transition have been promoting soil health and composting through farm walks, talks, workshops, school visits, allotment tours and an exhibition. Around 30% of the content of Devon’s black bins is made up of food – most of which could have been eaten or composted at home or locally. Come and hear about the Soil Group’s experiences, find out what resources are available and generate ideas about how you could encourage more composting where you live.

Tackling plastics: developing a refill culture
Last year’s Blue Planet has created a huge change in people’s attitudes towards plastics. Social enterprise SESI Refill (part of CAG Oxfordshire) has been at the forefront of plastics reduction for over 10 years – providing access to loose dried food and even developing their own UK produced washing detergents. In this workshop, Rina Melendez – founder of SESI and Kerry Lock from Resource Futures will explore how you can start developing a Refill culture in your community. We’ll share examples of what has successfully worked elsewhere, what is currently available in Devon, ‘tools’ for action in your community, ideas for collaboration and influencing local businesses and discuss scalability.

Community Food Surplus projects
Around 40% of food grown globally is never eaten, and in the UK much of the food we buy ends up in the bin. A wealth of grassroots projects have emerged which tackle waste and bring communities together to share food and friendship. Hear about examples from near and far including community fridges, food surplus cafes and workshops bringing back lost skills in cookery and using up leftovers. Hear about the joys and challenges, the support, links and resources available, and explore ideas for your own community.

DIY videos on a smartphone (that people actually watch)
Making (and sharing) videos can be scary. But it doesn’t have to be! We carry in our pockets a tool which can be incredibly powerful if used in the right way. Join our workshop to learn the tips and tricks which will help start making your own videos which look good, have a clear purpose, and get results.