Autumn 2025 SHEP Foundation Part 2
(Certificate in Social Awareness and Community Empowerment)
– a journey to transformation and understanding yourself, transforming your world.
Our next Foundation Part Two (SACE ‘Training for Transformation’) courses will commence in Autumn 2025. Applications can be emailed to info@socialandhealth.com or inquiries to course co-ordinator liam.mccarthy@socialandhealth.com
Application Form and Information
The next course will commence in Spetember 2025. Applications are now being taken up to Friday 29th August ’25.
DOWNLOAD Application SHEP Cork Foundation Part II SACE Autumn 2025 >> Click Here <<
Some of the Themes explored
- Roles within groups
- Working co-operatively in a group situation
- Behaviour in groups
- Dealing with conflict constructively
- Leadership styles
- Talents, skills and strengths in leadership
- Why society is the way it is now
- Values
- Community Building
- What changes are needed and what we can do
- What the important issues in our community
- How do realities of Gender, Power, Diversity, inter-culturalism, justice … impact our lives
- Development, environmental challenges and sustainability
Approach used
Personal, supportive, non-academic through listening, reflecting and sharing, participants find meaning and gain knowledge from their own experience and the group becomes a learning community. This helps people to learn new skills, new attitudes or even entirely new ways of thinking. There are no exams!
Entry Requirements
No special prior qualifications are needed, just an interest in community, a willingness to use critical thinking and to interact with others. People on the course come from all sorts of backgrounds, meet as equals, learn from each other, become empowered and begin to dissolve social and cultural barriers.
This course along with the SHEP Certificate in Personal Development, together comprise SHEP’s Foundation level of training. Graduates of the foundation level can go on to do further training with the Social and Health Education Project, including training courses in Group Facilitation, and other SHEP’s practitioner trainings.
Progression Options
A large amount of participants progress to do the Cert. in Continuing Personal Development or the Cert. in Facilitation. Although this the logical pathway through SHEP,s training programme, participants are also entitled to apply for SHEP’s array of Short courses, Reflective Practice or the Introduction to Advocacy Course
Who is this course for? The training is designed for
For people who have already completed SHEP’s Certificate in Personal Development, this course being Part Two of the SHEP Foundation Program in Social and Personal Health Education. For these, it is a continuation of their personal journey of growth and development, through deepening awareness of the wider social relationships with which we are all involved.
For people from the twenty-eight Cork area Community Gardens. This year again SHEP and Green Spaces for Health have sought funding to facilitate access for a number of people from the Cork-City Garden communities to undertake the program towards developing community building and leadership capacities and who want to bring deeper awareness to that involvement.
For people from Community who would like to explore their experiences of engaging with the themes explored in the course. using an experiential learning groupwork approach.
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What are the aims of this course?
The course aims to develop and deepen awareness of how we relate and co-operate in groups and communities, how we are shaped by the society we grow up in and how we, in turn, shape society through our lives and actions in response to the world we experience individually and collectively. As such the course is a continuation of a journey of awakening awareness, as to how we are in relation to ourselves and those around us, however with a widened focus for that inquiry. Through facilitated experiential exploration of these themes the course aims:
- to develop awareness of how we are shaped by the society we grow up in and how we, in turn, shape society through our lives and actions
- to deepen awareness and knowledge of the impact of wider systems on our personal development and wellbeing
- to enhance participants’ ability to work on, and explore themes together, especially in relation to finding ways of working towards a better society for all
- to develop understanding and confidence to act in ways that represent a balanced response to both individual and group needs
- to develop awareness and the skills required for effective participation as active citizens
- to provide a focus and a starting point for those who aspire to be more involved in community, whether it is at a local, national or international level
- to develop capacities (awareness, understanding and skills) for community building and leadership
- to develop connections to our natural environment
What participants say;
Joanne, SHEP Participant speaks about her progression through the SHEP training programme. Joanne started a number of years ago and returned to Social Awareness. Joanne will go on to do the Facilitator training next year.