Social learning and commitment to learning

Theories around social learning suggest that there is an intimate connection between knowledge and activity, with relationships playing a crucial role in

179 encouraging and strengthening learning. For the purposes of this analysis it is enough to note the many instances of respondents learning with others, through personal contact, in contrast to the limited explicit reference to group learning in the development education literature.

Examples can be found in a variety of settings, from the formal, where groups exist with the purpose of learning, to the more informal. Rebecca notes the importance of friends to her learning from school onwards; “they encouraged my faith and also encouraged me to think about putting my faith into action.” She reflects that it’s always been her friends who have “encouraged me and made me question and think about what I’m doing.” Her friends have supported critical reflection, while also helping her to “get engaged”, for example in organising the fair trade fashion show. At university she surrounded herself with a friendship group she describes as “hippyish” (discussed in 5.2), continuing this process of supported/encouraged learning. Her networks included others engaged through global justice organisations (such as People and Planet), who spent time together learning “to grow more confident with arguing and debating about different issues.” Her reaction to the absence of such groups after university draws attention to their importance for her learning and ongoing engagement: “I feel I’m slipping and I’m not as awake and aware as I would have been before around more people who are similar, similar mind-sets.”

Malcolm’s stories emphasise a similar contrast regarding group learning, this time between his teenage years and being a university undergraduate. When he was younger he noted that as none of his friends were interested in reading or were “in any way politically engaged” he wasn’t either. At university, on the other hand, he met like-minded and engaged people, for example at the NUS Black Students’ Conference, which he says “really kind of broadened my network and my understanding that, yeah, it's not just me.”

Examples of groups with a formal purpose of learning can be found in Leena’s and Ayo’s stories. Leena participated in a series of training sessions in order to become a Development Ambassador for AFP. She found the social learning aspects particularly helpful, noting that: “You’re not just sitting and listening, you’re taking part, you’re doing group discussions. And everyone has opinions.

180 And you learn a lot from your peers.” After moving to London for university, Ayo joined an Afro-Caribbean society with the purpose of exploring “Black identity”. This group was both social and political, doing things together, including dancing, club nights, discussions and attending demonstrations. She felt the group was “a place where people of colour go and talk, and it sort of festers all of that kind of anger and sense of justice and sense of injustice”.

More informal learning through group membership can be seen in Leena’s discussion with the British Indian lady who had just returned from volunteering in India through AFP. They met and talked during a “night out” following introductions from mutual friends. Similarly, Jules recognised that being challenged about sexism in sport by another counsellor, “active in terms of feminist issues”, during a summer camp led to “an impact” on his thinking and values. These examples are different from the previous set in that the groups were not formed with the express purpose of encouraging learning. Instead, the learning which takes place is incidental, but still would not be possible without the group.

Two other forms of social learning are highlighted in Malcolm’s story. He combines discussing the influence of a particular Black activist academic he met through the NUS Black Students' Committee with talking about how he (Malcolm) learns from those he works with (see p. 162). Although Malcolm avoids calling this academic his mentor, he clearly privileges this relationship. At another point he describes him extremely positively, using words such as “inspiring”, “humble” and “compelling”, and emphasising his length of commitment to “environmental justice, global justice, loads of solidarity stuff”. At the same time Malcolm also makes clear his own commitment to learning from those he is ‘educating’. This reflects the practice of participatory and critical forms of education and youth work, perhaps influenced by the work of Freire. Malcolm recognises that although he has things he can teach young people, he can and should also learn from them and their experiences.

Although learning in groups appears significant (see above), some of my respondents also tell of ‘seasons’ of reflection and individual learning. In these ‘seasons’ they took a step back from ‘action’. For Leena it was while studying

181 for her MA in Anthropology, a time in which she asked critical questions about development and its potential to do harm. Twice in Jules’s story he mentions “checking out” or “taking a step back”, usually after a period of intense engagement. When discussing engaging with a potential new project he reflects: "A lot of me would like to drive it forward, I'm trying to figure out how much time, how much I'd really want to, I guess create something new. It could be incredible and exciting, but it also can take a hell of a lot out of you.” It seems that he is familiar with a pattern of intense work, burn out and recovery. Malcolm "took a break from activism" for about six months after completing work at a think tank after university. In this time he “started to get quite introspective”, reading about feminism and Black masculinity and “just like therapizing myself about, deconstructing my identity basically.” He then speaks of “emerging” from his “cocoon”, and re-engaging with global justice issues. This language is powerfully symbolic, speaking of a time of growth and transformation. Learning is therefore seen to have taken place at different times both through personal commitment to reflection and in groups.