Learning? That's so 2007!

I've lost count of the number of times I've heard people who are passionate about improving their communities complain about how quickly officials take their eye off the ball.

Here's another example: the regional centre of excellence for regeneration in northwest England, Renew Northwest, ran an 'examplar learning programme' to highlight what works and what doesn't in regeneration.

The centres of excellence were set up as a result of the Urban Task Force report in 1999. They were a bit slow getting off the ground, but by the mid-noughties most English regions had them.

In 2006 I was one of the judges for Renew Northwest's examplar learning programme, and the following year I was commissioned to write the report of the 2007 programme. I thought it an important opportunity to examine not just the technical approaches to regeneration but the behaviours needed to make it stick.

The following year it was decided Renew Northwest was no longer needed. Is that learning no longer required? Are we so much better at doing regeneration in 2010 that the lessons of 2007 can be dispensed with? I don't think so. So here's another document I'm making available in the hope it will be of use to someone.

If you don't fancy reading it all, here are the key behaviours I felt deserved highlighting:

• Build on evidence but be ready to reinvent: the most successful projects learn from what has gone before, but are sensitive to context. Knowledge and expertise must be adapted to meet the unique challenges of places and people.
• We learn by listening: the programme highlighted the importance of thorough preparation, listening to those who have been involved in similar projects and to the concerns and aspirations of local people.
• We learn by doing: meeting and overcoming expected and unexpected challenges enables practitioners to learn what works and what doesn't. Flexibility and pragmatism are vital to success.
• We learn by daring: the most effective projects don't stick to the obvious. They venture into the unknown and set themselves challenges that are beyond the call of duty.
• We learn by valuing: overcoming conflicts and building relationships of trust and respect enables partnerships to work effectively.
• We learn by reflecting: evaluation is an essential learning process, especially when used to adjust priorities and practice during a project.
• We learn by owning: when participants feel a personal responsibility for a project, it generates an energy and will to succeed that turns obstacles into opportunities.
• Sharing the learning is important: while some projects put systems in place at an early stage to share what has been learned, others appear to approach this as an afterthought. Learning may be lost unless specific provision is made.
• The Egan principles need an underpinning ethos: the most effective and convincing projects don't just supply the elements of a sustainable community.They reveal an ethos that marries energy and values to vital professional skills. A successful project is more than just a job.

Perhaps when it was decided to close Renew Northwest, officials hadn't read as far as the bit about sharing the learning.