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Conclusion
The Consultation Day generated extremely insightful feedback from social activists who work at
a grass-roots level and have an expert knowledge of the issues facing disadvantaged
communities. The flexibility of the workshops allowed discussions to open up to new ideas and
sub-themes; this provided a broader understanding of each of the topics. A number of repeated
ideas emerged throughout the event, highlighting an urgency to act on specific concerns and to
ensure training addresses the most critical issues. The most critical issues identified were;
financial exclusion of vulnerable people, uncertainties about the impact of new welfare
reforms, difficulties with engaging young people, insufficient confidence and skills required for
running community projects, and a shortfall of ‘soft’ skills i.e. communication and networking.
It become clear throughout the event that all of the themes are closely interlinked; therefore it
is important to think holistically when it comes to developing training.