Workshop C – Confluence - coming together

The participants working in the same streams (across industries and enterprises) as in Workshop A explored the approaches and tools that will help implement the ideas developed so far.

Stream 1: Approaches, methods and tools

• Active listeners and reflectors
• Rights based approach
• Small scale trial run to learn from and owned by end users
• Understanding power dynamics in client groups
• Kate’s information pyramid
• Community capacity measurement as capacity building approach – deliberative forum
• Deliberative forums
• Change our extension skills (re Stuart Hill). Using the approach: ‘what have you been doing?’ (to celebrate their success), ‘what do you want to do’
• Aim to influence non decision makers. More group learning and discussion
• Celebrate success
• Experiential learning. Learning from experienced people. ‘Teaching’ stakeholders
• Informing team/stakeholders of the importance of extension
• Getting back to basics – adult learning principles

Stream 2: Multiple scales of practice change

• Open agenda, communications, visible change and non visible change, needs of others – needs of self
• Feel – international/relevance. Issues, contract work
• Trust – people, groups, farmers. Increased individual relationships, validate peoples knowledge and experience, their vs my, revealing to the landholder their vision, NRM relevance to landholdes and decision makers, higher value systems
• Participative learning and exploration of information needs
• Feel good, multi stakeholder
• Have honest conversations about why engaging at different levels/scales in a project
• Multi stakeholder partnership approach
• Values based approach
• Participative approach (where they are at)

Stream 3: Partnerships/networking and institutions

• Design programs/projects to deliver agreed outcomes
• Matching appropriate theory with appropriate actions in design
• Creating the environment for co-learning so it is a valid investment for government
• Check assumptions about why people are at the table and ask who is missing – trust integrity
• Consolidate approaches within sectors/silos – then enable a process across sectors placing equal value on respective knowledge which are brought to the table
• An institutional framework that allows time to thing (time to learn)
• Understand the social context of institutions/organisations/networks
• Increased engagement between institutions/organisations (push the links beyond what exists already) – expand horizons
• Creating a transparent environment to achieve outcomes (using innovation to get there) with inclusive ‘community’/holistic
• Advocate innovation (risk) and holistic risk aversion (funding models can stifle innovation)

Stream 4: Social context

Time was spent reflecting on the messages from Stuart Hill’s address. Participants in this workshop reflected individually and in small groups on their learnings.

Stream 5: Evaluation/Reflection

• Keep evaluation in context
• Building a portfolio of evidence. Formative (during) or Summative (end) about process, content or impact
• Keep it constant, continuous and simple
• Social learning based approach
• Alignment between knowledge, action and values approach
• Responsive to multiple levels approach
• Be clear of objectives – it will impact greatly on evaluation program
• Use participatory evaluation approaches
• Consider the before, during and after evaluation stages throughout the project/activity

Stream 6: Sustaining the Practice

• Letting loose – do not just tie learning to tasks – holistic
• Make more time to think about how we do things
• Understanding and meeting needs of all people involved
• Managing upwards for the funders
• Small steps of change – target
• Follow through with people to continue the journey
• Be an ‘enzyme’, ‘catalyst’, not the key figure ‘facilitator’. Tap the ‘group intelligence’ first before ‘telling them all I know’
• Value every experience – good or bad. Why always focus on success ie numbers
• Break the inner circle – open the possibilities
• Intentionally – gaining commitment, creating and maintaining momentum
• Organisational alignment about sustaining our changed practice