Table Of ContentsNext Page

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

Previous PageTop Of PageNext Page