The Well-Being of Future Generations Act - Where do I fit in?
A workshop for third sector groups and organisations to explore their contributions to Wales’s Well-Being Goals
Notes for Facilitators
Workshop Aim: To consider the full impact that your group or organisation makes to individual and community well-being (economic, environmental, social, cultural) and whether this is fully understood and recognised eitherby other bodies (funders, regulators, partners, etc) or perhaps the group itself.
Time needed: 30 – 40 minutes
Equipment: A flip chart paper with the 7 well-being goals in the centre, with lines radiating out so that each goal has its own ‘segment’. 2 blocks of different colour post-it notes e.g. pink and green. It is suggested that facilitators and/or delegates have copies of the Act’s ‘Essentials’ booklets for reference. These describe the Goals in more detail on page 6. These can be downloaded from
Background knowledge needed: It is assumed that everyone will be aware of the Act and its main goals and principles. It may be helpful to play the Megan animation as a reminder and/or to give a brief introduction to the Act. The animation can be accessed at
Content:
Part 1:At least 20 minutes
Explain that the activity is to map the different ways that organisations are contributing to the different goals andto consider how much of this activity is ‘visible’ and reported on.
For example, a befriending service might report against indicators for inclusion,loneliness or health but perhaps not for other potential benefits e.g. increasing confidence, skills or employability of volunteers contributing to a Prosperous Wales. It may also support a Wales of cohesive communities by bringing together people of different ages and backgrounds that may not have otherwise met or to its vibrant culture by increasing awareness of cultural heritage by organising outings to cultural venues.
For this, please ask people to think about their activities and howthey report on them and to whom e.g. funders, members, board, media – or perhaps no-one. If an activity contributes to a particular goal and this is currently reported against, it should be described briefly on a GREEN post-it and stuck against the relevant goal on the flip chart. If the activity also delivers other benefits that aren’t necessarily reported against or recognised, these should be written on PINK post-its and put against whichever other goals they also meet.
Encourage people to think not just about what they do but also how they do it so e.g. an organisation may contribute to a Healthier Wales not just through running a healthy eating programme but by creating a culture of work-life balance for its staff and volunteers. Or it may contribute to an Equal Wales not just through a diversity project but implementing its own robust Equal Opportunities policy and making diversity training part of its induction process. How an organisation stays true to its values internally and tries to influence others may be as important here as its activities externally.
You may have examples from your own organisation to bring in here or others that you know about that are relevant.
You can either work together to look at each Goal in turn or let people record their own thoughts individually.
Part 2: 10 minutes
If the table finds that not all of its activities are ‘visible’,ask them to consider if there is anything that they, as an organisation, or we, as the third sector, can do to change this e.g. do we need to be reporting differently or reporting to different people/departments or encouraging/equipping our staff/volunteers/beneficiaries to be advocates or ....?
This session may throw up ideas but also concerns, questions or challenges.
Please note down 3 key points from this discussion on a separate flip chartto feed back – either verbally at the end of the session or through displaying the flipcharts and ‘key points’ somewhere for people to read at leisure. Notes can also be typed up and circulated.
Anticipated Outcomes:
This exercise is intended to help groups think holistically about their activities and whether the true value of what they do is recognised and understood. It may flag up constraints e.g. funders that are interested only in certain outcomes or that there are things that the group is doing that staff or volunteers have not even thought about reporting before - even to its own Board or members.
It may highlight to groups that this holistic approach is what Welsh Government is now looking for – and that this is likely to influence other funders and supporters. It may cause groups to question whether they need to change the way that they share their successes and stories – both in reports and in future funding applications.
If certain goals are mainly pink and others are mainly green, it may help groups reflect on why some contributions are stronger than others and if there is anything they can do to change this. It is also an opportunity to share and pick up on ideas from others so that activities – and/or the reporting of these activities - can be broadened and strengthened and contributions to the goals increased.
This workshop has been run several times by WCVA and the insights and experiences from it are being collected to help inform WCVA’s review of how it can best support third sector groups and organisations in future. If you would like to help us in this work, you can send the results from your workshop to .
What if my group gets stuck for ideas?
If people get stuck for ideas about how they might contribute to the different goals, here are some examples to help prompt discussion.
A healthier Wales
- Providing staff /volunteers with opportunities for outdoor recreation/activity
- Helping people learn about/get access to fresh produce
- Providing opportunities to build self-esteem and confidence
- Raising awareness of health conditions and ways to avoid these
- Promoting ‘active travel’ – walking or cycling to improve fitness/reduce air pollution
An Equal Wales
- A robust Equal Opportunities policy – and influencing others e.g. part of induction
- Routine consideration of accessibility requirements passed downstream to e.g. venues
- Tailoring campaigns/activities to reach different audiences
- Helping to reduce inequalities in health/ education/income
- Educating or raising awareness of different rights
A Prosperous Wales
- Helping volunteers or participants gain skills or move into employment
- A training programme for staff / volunteers and a commitment to career progression
- Prioritising local/Welsh suppliers to keep money in the local economy and help keep shops/services open
- Actions around financial literacy
A Resilient Wales
- Environmental policies or management systems
- Consideration of e.g. climate change in purchasing, travel or ICT policies
- Board commitment to considering global environmental issues as part of strategic planning
- Actions or projects to enhance or educate about natural environment – even if the environment is not the primary concern e.g. gardening project to enhance community pride
- Supporting volunteers in ‘emergency response’ planning for e.g. flooding
A Wales of Cohesive Communities
- Supporting access to local decision making or community-control of resources/assets
- Building local capacity and confidence
- Providing opportunities/neutral space for people to meet and mix
- Promoting intergenerational / multicultural understanding
A Wales of Vibrant Culture and Thriving Welsh Language
- Implementing a robust Welsh Language policy
- Creating opportunities to visit/work in places of natural/historic/cultural heritage
- Helping staff/volunteers/participants access/understand/enjoy cultural activities
A Globally Responsible Wales
- Consideration of global impacts in day to day purchasing/travel
- An ethical investment policy
- Actions to promote international understanding or raise awareness of international issues
- Promotion of volunteer opportunities or campaigns to benefit developing countries
- Coordinating support for international relief efforts
Facilitator’s Role
A facilitator’s role is to try to:
Encourage constructive debate between group members
Support introverted or new members of the group to make a contribution
Maintain order of the group discussion, discouraging participants from talking at the same time, or dominating the floor or going off topic.
Protect participants - ensuring that all contributions to the discussion are treated equally and that no-one is rebuffed for their input
Managetime and keep to the task
Be Fair – view each contribution in a positive and accepting way
Lead by example – keep your own comments objective,on topic, and concise!
If you have any comments or thoughts about this workshop that you would like to share with WCVA please contact Clare Sain-ley-Berry at .
This workshop was produced by Environet Cymru,
WCVA with the support of the Welsh Government