CLD Talks

This week on CLD Talks Conor was invited to the launch of the Youth Sparks Tool Kit by Ryan McKay to help capture the day. Conor chats with Ryan about all things Youth Sparks from the beginning to the future. We also chat with Rudy, Sarah and Stuart who share their views about the event and tool kit. With the massive help from TJ and Ashton who captured the views of the guests at the break and aft...

This week on CLD Talks Conor sits down with Dr. Edward Beggan who is a lecturer at the University of Glasgow. He discusses where he started off his CLD journey, taking the opportunity to go to university as a mature student, choosing to complete his PHD including the concept of Heterotopia with in a CLD content, why he is a lecturer and so much more.  This is an open conversation and throughout th...

This is the final episode from the Highland and Moray Council Training Event in February. In this episode we speak to Jo and Sadie after their keynote presentation from the day. While both are not CLD Practitioners, I'm sure everyone will agree how their work and projects aligned with the values and principles of CLD. We discuss why true participation is so important, how they have used the Li...

This is episode 2 from the Highland and Moray Council Training Day we were invited to in February. In this episode we have two parts. First is we speak with four students who on the day of the event share their past and present experiences of University. We discuss what University meant to them as practitioners, how their skills and knowledge developed and include good practice examples. In the se...

Welcome to the first episode of CLD Talks of 2026! We were invited to Inverness to the Highland & Moray Council Training Day to record with some of the key note speakers and guests from 3rd Sector organisations tions as well as both Highland and Moray Council. The first episode of this 3 part series is with two CLD Works from Moray Council, Emmie & Fiona who discuss the Summer Employabilit...

This week on CLD Talks Conor sits down with Victoria, Jane and Iain to discuss their roles as Placement supervisors and expectations from both a University and College perspective. We have a full and interesting discussion thinking back to our own experiences as supervisors highlighting challenges and also how valuable students are to our work. There is lots in this and we hope you all enjoy! Find...

This week Conor sits down with Graham and Sue to discuss the Benefits of Practice Placements and why organisations should embrace taking on students from University and College Courses. We talk about our own experiences of students and how they can provide new and creative ideas into teams, the placement standards you can access from the CLD Standard Council website and a call for organisations to...

This week on CLD Talks Conor sits down with Dibya and Sarahfrom The Young Women’s Movement who discuss the work they have done with anamazing group of women to create their “Guide to AI”.   This is a really interesting conversation looking into theirunderstanding and impact of Artificial Intelligence, specifically on youngwomen and young people. We discuss the formation of the “Guide to AI”, learn...

This week on CLD Talks Conor and Ben go to the University of the West of Scotland to facilitate a workshop with the 2nd year Community Education students. We start this episode off with a panel discussion with Ainsley, Callum and Pearce (check spelling) where they reflect on this experiences at university and placement: After splitting the class into 3 groups, the students facilitated their own po...

In this weeks episode Iain chats with Sean Ewart about his work with New Gorbals Housing Association, his CLD journey and his recent time in the spotlight as one of Scotlands up and coming comedy stars. Thanks, as always for tuning in - let us know your thoughts! Please follow us on X (formally known as Twitter) @CldTalks

This week on CLD Talks Conor sits down with Liam McKenna who is a Lecturer within South Lanarkshire College. Within this conversation we learn about Liam's experience and how he got into CLD, how college is a gateway to other opportunities, the benefits of the working with communities course and so much more! Sites/ Links: South Lanarkshire College Working with Communities https://www.slc.ac.u...

n this weeks episode Iain chats with participants from the Young Women’s Movement who have been involved in the development of the “Lassies are no feart” toolkit. The project is a collaboration with No Knives Better Lives, with Emily Beever providing a foreword on the history and evolution of the project. You can access project resources here: https://www.noknivesbetterlives.com/resources/the-lass...

This week on CLD Talks Ben, Conor and Iain sit down to chat about 2024, our highlights, some plans for 2025 and so much more! Keep an eye out on our socials for more episodes and we hope you join us on the road to 100 episodes! Please Follow us on X (Twitter) @CldTalks

n this weeks episode we do things a little differently! We not only welcome back previous podcast guest Gary Brown of the National Leadership Network, but this time he brings with him some of the NLN steering groups and consultants to tell us more about the work of the NLN You can listen to Gary’s original episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Gd6NBlE59nS4aGBKhxDMa?si=gTV9k2uERO-lPecp0Ai...

This week on CLD Talks Conor meets with Kenny Cameron who is the Youth Work Manager for The Spartans Community Foundation. In this conversation Kenny shares his back ground in how he got into Youth work through sport, the difference that it has made in his life, plans for the future and so much more! TRIGGER WARNING! Please note between 28:18 - 34:00 there is a conversation around Suicidal Ideatio...

This week on CLD Talks Conor chats with Caroline O’Grady who is the Counselling Practice Manager for Glasgow Schools Counselling and Blues Service at Action for Children. We discuss why Early intervention mental health support is so important, current mental health issues young people face and how they are supported, what difference has the project made and so much more! TRIGGER WARNING! Please no...

This week on CLD Talks Conor is joined by Geoff Leask (What matters to you Co-ordinator), Nick MacCrimmon (CLD Manager - Dundee City Council), Natasha Henderson (Charleston Parent) and Dianne Calder (Kirkton Parent). They share the what matters to you story, the importance of working collaboratively and plans for the future.  Natasha and Dianne talk about the importance WM2U in their lives and the...

This week on CLD Talks Conor sits down with Jo Jarvis from ESOL Scotland (Formally Glasgows ESOL Forum) who talks about her role as Head of Funding and Partnerships and the work they do. We also discuss the national CLD review in detail, the need for action, the support they have in place for volunteer tutors and so much more! Follow us on X @CLDTalks to keep update with all future podcasts. See b...

This week on CLD Talks Conor is joined by Kate Still to Unpick the Independent CLD Review. Kate kindly joined us again to chat about the recommendations that she has set out in the "Learning: For All. For Life." Report that was published in July 2024. It was a real privilege to speak with Kate and we thank her for her time in both interviews and for the work she and her team put into thi...

Cld in Scotland conference - practitioner point of view This week on CLD Talks we are sharing view from practitioners across the country who attended the CLD in Scotland Conference in April. Our key points we wanted to ask was: •⁠ ⁠What was your one takeaway from the event? •⁠ ⁠Can you share 3 words/ statement you want to get out of the National CLD Review? For us it was a great opportunity to con...

This week Conor chats with Kate Still who is the independent reviewer for the Community Learning and development (CLD): independent review. Kate has over 30 years of experience within education and is currently a UK Board member of the National Lottery Community Fund and Chair of the Scotland Funding Committee. In this episode we discuss Kate’s role for the review, common themes that came out of t...

This week on CLD Talks Conor sits down with Karen McArdle who is a Professor at the University of Aberdeen and an Honorary Professor at the University of Dundee. As well as this Karen is also the Deputy President and Trustee of the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA). We discuss Karen’s career from moving to Australia and working within Aboriginal communities, coming back to Scotland to continu...

This week Iain sits down with Anthony Morrow, Community Connector Manager at Sanctuary Scotland. Anthony shares how he “fell” into CLD, the untapped potential of housing providers in community development, the power of ABCD and his role as a trustee of Sisco Recovery. You can connect with Anthony on X at: @anthonymorrow83 Thanks for tuning in! We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did!...

Happy International Women’s Day 2024! In todays episode Iain chats with Jenni Snell, CEO of the Young Women’s Movement, who talks us through her youth work journey, feminist leadership, allyship and becoming a CEO before the age of 30! You can connect with Jenni on X at: @jenni_snell1 or @youngwomenscot and the links to the resources mentioned in todays episode can be found here: https://www.young...

In this weeks episode Iain and Conor chat with Kirsty Forrester about the the launch of her new, co-authored book “Community Work: Theory into Practice”. To demonstrate how some of the research was conducted this episode features an exciting role reversal which sees Kirsty take the reigns and interview our regular hosts. Listen in for more information on the book and how you can get a discounted c...