Social Impact and Skills Sharing
EBUKI are using the outcomes of ECVET Earth and JUMP! Projects to engage hard to reach learners with earth and construction.
Project Lead: Becky Little
2019-present, Scotland, England
Social impact and skills sharing: EBUKI earth building courses with ‘hard to reach’ groups began in 2019 thanks to funding from the Tudor Trust.
The tactile nature of the material makes it ideal for crossing social barriers
Building finished structures also builds trust
We are delighted to be reaching out to people to create positive and meaningful experiences that give hope and encouragement. We have developed a course that has been received very positively in Scotland and we look forward to rolling it out around the UK in due course.
We are working towards a longer term programme on a more substantial build but that needs significant resources. This might be something we can consider at EBUKI and with our developing partnerships in the future.
“Contact EBUKI if you want to bring earth building training to your social impact organisation”
Simple projects build confidence
In an ideal world we might create the earth builders of the future but, for now, we are giving people who really need a break, skills, knowledge and awareness to make some positive changes, to give them confidence in their abilities, and to help them look after both their own well-being and the health of the wider world.
The social impact and skills sharing project was initially funded by The Tudor Trust giving Ebuki the confidence to initiate discussions with other organisations to match fund the practical workshops. This combined funding has allowed us to both deliver the workshops and develop the materials for further training.
2019 - TCV Grangemouth and Simple Shelters project Falkland - a redacted version of the report is here
2021-2022 - Uplift! maximised funding from the Tudor trust to bring together a group of earth builders working in Social Impact to help trainees expand their earth building skills and also develop their expertise as trainers for community and social aims.
May 2022 - Build School bursary places at the Falkland Estate were offered, enabling attendance by those who would’ve otherwise been priced out of the opportunity. Watch the short video about the inspiring Build School here:
2022 - Earth Training with ReWilding Youth in Hull provided training for trainers for the team and local associates
Nov 2022 - Steppe Oven training at ReWilding Youth added to the trainers’ skills - see the report here
2023 - ReWilding Youth are using more earth building in their Community Feasting work to engage local hard to reach groups
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Groups who appear to be marginal to entry to mainstream opportunities can achieve a sense of accomplishment through earth building.
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Work with marginal groups to share the approach of earth building to address a number of personal, educational, employment and social issues.
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Funding from Tudor Trust and matched partner funding resources.
Trainer or trainers.
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Short courses with groups such as young people (not in education employment or training) and refugees to for example build clay ovens.
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A sense of wellbeing and confidence in the individual learners through the experience of the working group, facilitated by the trainer or trainers
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The participants achieve a qualification if they wish to be assessed for it, and they leave with increased skills and a sense of capability.
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Often the change is measured by the partner organisations through their willingness to repeat the process or activity.
EBUKI has a core skill in earth building and in training, and these are positive tools for working with hard to reach groups, but it is the partner organisations who are the conduit to those people.