BTCV : Changed Places, Changed Lives : A BEN perspective

A BEN perspective on BTCV's journey

The Black Environment Network (BEN) was heavily involved in this work and carried out evaluation with three of the case studies. This paper sets out their views on what has been done.

BTCV and BEN have had a long history of joint working . This work ranged across a spectrum of disadvantage, with a focus on opening up BTCV's programmes to ethnic communities. BTCV has undertaken a journey in which it has arrived at the recognition of the significance of the social impact of its environmental activities and the essential role of an socio-environmental approach in engaging our most disadvantaged social groups.

The thinking underpinning sustainable development intrinsically recognises this. BTCV and many other organisations have, over the years, noticed that social outcomes result to some extent within all environmental activities. The present difference is the recognition that there is a need to understand what is happening in order to maximise socio-environmental outcomes.

Moreover, it is important to identify in which particular way BTCV is providing specific solutions to address disadvantage - one of society's most urgent problems. Understanding what is happening will also enable BTCV to more purposefully empower disadvantaged social groups.

The collaborative research intends to:

• Identify some of the social impact of BTCV's work
• Explore how aspects of social and environmental activities relate to different kinds of social outcomes

Mental health - a key aspect of a state of health and well-being

Well-being and health have become major contemporary themes. Physical health is a component of well-being, but one can have good physical health without good mental health. In the context of BTCV's work and its clients in terms of work with the disadvantaged, it may be useful to consider the outcomes in the context of mental health as a key aspect of health and well-being. At the same time this piece of work is aimed at lay environmental practitioners. It is therefore focuses on framing concepts and ideas in a way that is accessible to them.

When is a person said to be mentally healthy?

Erikson proposes that we do not need everything to be perfect in order to experience mental health and well-being, but things have to be 'good enough'. This description 'good enough' is a very powerful concept that makes us look at what we do in a very pragmatic way. Mental health is a state of balance. The best way to frame it as a personal measure is that “Life is good enough”. For this to happen, there are key factors:

• External to the person, what life offers has to be “good enough”
• Internal to the person, key abilities have to be “good enough” in order that he/she can manage the “good enough” external situation for it to become ‘good enough” for oneself. The most commonly named indicators of personal growth are confidence, motivation, competence (appropriate knowledge and skills), and resourcefulness.

When conditions are favourable, most of us meet the challenge of life as a 'normal' stage of personal growth - the so called growing pains. But, when the complexity or undue demands of situations are not met with appropriate support, individuals lose their balance and become at risk of mental illness. Some of us have also missed out the stimulus of a variety of normal situations so that we may not have developed the abilities needed to deal with each life stage. Others have such unfavourable life situations that positive personal growth is possible only by going into alternative situations to seek a balance. Many people, without being mentally ill, are troubled and distressed, and are continually at risk of mental illness.

The provision of a setting for personal and communal growth

BTCV provides a range of stimulating environmental and social activities, with varying degrees of support. The knowledge and skill giving components of environmental and social activities are obvious gains that can be clearly recorded. These in themselves can build the capacity of individuals to access opportunities within society, provided that they have good enough interpersonal skills. The situation created are settings for personal and communal growth. It is important to note that the setting facilitates interaction between members of a group as much as the interaction between a group or individuals and the BTCV worker. Often it is the group situation that plays the key role, sometimes without the direct intervention of the BTCV worker. At times, the group simply gets on with it, but it is important to acknowledge that the group knows that the BTCV worker and BTCV itself is there to be called upon if needed. BTCV has a crucial 'holding' function. It provides a safety net within which a mutually stimulating and supportive group situation can emerge. The social impact of BTCV's activities take place context of the creation of 'good enough' alternative situations that enable the personal growth that many vulnerable members of society need.

Some of the successes revealed by the research are dramatic and important. The groups that BTCV have been able to identify for us to work with are, of course, the ongoing successful activity groups. Some of the observations provide clues as to why some other situations have failed, resulting in the fragmentation and disintegration of activity groups.

An analysis of BTCV's activities

BTCV's activities fall into the following categories:

• Environmental activities
• Non-environmental activities
• Arts/crafts activities
• Exploring/sharing cultural identity
• Other

It is interesting that the category of exploring and sharing cultural identity has emerged out of all 3 groups in very different contexts. The presence of this category of activities points to the contribution made by BTCV activities to enable members of society to explore the current preoccupation of society with issues of cultural identity and social cohesion through bringing people together around positive activities in supportive settings.

Overall analysis

Qualitative research work such as this time and resource limited research project draws out patterns, insights and observations from a small sample. The individuals involved have widely varying backgrounds and individual histories that are in the main inaccessible. It is our opinion that these conclusions are valuable indicators, but further research would determine their implications for understanding the social impact of the work of BTCV, and how the new knowledge can inform its future work.

A proposal for a psycho-social way of looking at disadvantage, mental health and well-being

Disadvantage, well-being, and privilege in terms of access to life opportunities is a continuum. Life does not have to be perfect for one to have well-being. Well-being is a state of balance, just as mental health is a state of balance, in which the individual is able to manage the ups and downs of life so that life feels ‘ good enough’. While it is a fact that the individual’s ability to grow in order to deal with life situations needs to be ‘good enough’, a ‘good enough’ external situation is also essential in terms of access to opportunity and support.

Social or communal well-being is an outcome of the dynamics of individual well-being. Given a set of favourable alternative opportunities, people with a range of life problems can be stimulated and supported to make efforts to heal themselves in the company of others within a setting of supportive activities. The improvement of individual mental and physical health are inextricably meshed with social and communal well-being. There are many different indicators that are used for identifying personal growth that underpins individual well-being. The key indicators commonly named are:

• Self-confidence
• Motivation
• Competence - Kknowledge and skills
• Resourcefulness

For one to maintain a state of balance/well-being, one has to be 'good enough' at these.

The outcomes from the BTCV programmes of activities with Saanjjhi relate to a group of people who have suffered severe mental illness necessitating long term hospitalisation. The scenario is about how troubled individuals need to and have to find their way in the world again beyond professional psychological care by being given the opportunity and support to be in the real outside world - interacting with the different people in different settings. The meaning of the activities revolve around addressing:

• Connection with the outside world
• Faith in people and the world
• Ability to communicate
• Ability to build relationships
• Moving away from negative life experiences

The solution to all of these issues depend on something simple and powerful - it is about being occupied and in the outside world. As a result of working with other groups with degrees of mental health and well-being issues through using the outcomes of the BTCV activities with Saanjjhi, BEN observed that the groups with better mental health and well-being have the same needs, but those with better mental health have grown in such a way that they need less and less of what is on the list.

In a nutshell, different types of socio-environmental activities (such as those offered by BTCV) with different meanings contribute to well-being in the continuum of mental health and well-being. As people progress in self-development they need some of these less. At the same time, self-development is important throughout life and needed on an ongoing basis for people to maintain their mental health.

See: ???Analysis Matrix I, Analysis Matrix II and Working Model???

The training and research done by BEN has resulted in:

• Putting a community researcher into place within Saanjjhi through training and support provided by BEN as part of this BTCV initiative.
• An in depth insight into the social impact of the socio-environmental activities facilitated for Saanjjhi by BTCV through the Saanjjhi report written by Balbir.
• A format for participatory workshops aiming to identify the social impact of the activities of BTCV.
• The outcomes of 2 participating workshops (done with the BTCV Glasgow Gardening Group and the Calthorpe Project Gardening Group)
• An analysis of the social impact of the activities of BTCV
• A working model for looking at BTCV activities and their social impact

Although the sample is very small, there are insights and observations of trends in the context of social impact that can lay down the basis for the development of a way of looking at how to maximise the social impact of BTCV activities with communities. It is hoped that resources may be found to extend this area of work.

Visit their website for more information on the work of BEN

Contact for further information:

Judy Ling Wong CBE
Director UK
Black Environment Network
judy@ben-network.org.uk