The ALTogether programme ran from 2004-2007 and enabled people to acquire the skills and knowledge they need for their part in neighbourhood renewal.

The programme was designed to support innovative change in organisational culture, leadership and service delivery. It did this by focusing on the knowledge, skills and behaviours necessary to transform the relationships between public sector service providers, including community and voluntary organisations, and the communities and individuals they serve. The programme aimed to support learning and development for "change agents" in the field of service development. Self-managed action learning, known as SMAL, forms the core of the programme.

Toolkit

A toolkit was developed which offers basic principles and approaches to learning through self managed action learning sets.

It provides the history and philosophy of programme design and materials to support delivery at different stages and these provide a good way into understanding the programme as a whole. There are also a range of exercises which can be used by groups involved in interactive learning programmes.

The toolkit can be used by those working within the fields of service provision, community engagement and community practice. It may also be relevant to sustainable development professionals. It has particular relevance for those running training and capacity building programmes using action learning. Some of the exercises and handouts within could be adapted or used in their entirety by those working in the field.