Thanks for the link to Peter Ballantyne, who is going to garden in ILRI from September. He'll be sorely missed from the Compart programme.
Pete Cranston
Friday, 7 August 2009
Online Community Building: Gardening vs Landscaping
We talk about the 'Compart Flowers' and use the metaphor of gardening when we discuss how to use the tools to work with different communities. Here's a link to a blog that uses the same metaphor and discusses the issue of how to support community building emergence. A quote: "So what's the secret to successfull community building? You guessed it: be a great gardener and avoid the temptation to landscape"
First blog training session receives participants´applauses
Just when you think that you have everything under control… technology never fails! Despite the technical difficulties we experienced this afternoon, we are proud to say that the first training session on blogs went really well… at least we hope!Most of the registered participants attended the session and we also had a few more unexpected people, but we were happy to have them. The introduction about blogs that Diego prepared was interesting and with lots of details and information. But the best part came later with hands-on demonstrations on how to create blogs and how to post an entry on Blogger.com. We were very pleased to have so many questions and see how engaged people were. Didn´t anticipate that at all! Even though Diego had some problems with his head-sets and couldn´t listen to other people’s comments, he was able to conduct the training session really well and he answered most of people’s queries. The fact is that time went by super fast and there wasn´t enough time to address all the important comments and concerns people had.
Well, that just means that there is great demand from people to learn more about web 2.0 tools and great opportunities for the ComPart approach. We are glad to contribute to this and help people get involved.
Overall, I think this was a real team effort! Getting organized to overcome the technology shortcomings, exchanging headphones in the middle of the sessions so Diego could hear what others were saying, asking participants what their questions were and passing them on to Diego and getting a list of participants and their organizations and countries were some of the tasks that Virginia and I did for this first session.
But the results were great and most importantly people felt they gained something from the session. We gave them homework, though, and we really hope they go to the training blog and start posting. If they do, we’ll post them here pretty soon!
Monday, 3 August 2009
Using wiki for linking and learning in Indonesia
During the meeting ‘Working with wiki’s in development organisations’ I was inspired to also use a wiki in an upcoming conference I was co-organising in Indonesia. From 23 until 28 of June this conference was held and I think it was a success, also the wiki part of it, although the wiki still needs to prove itself…
I proposed the wiki to the organising committee three months b
efore the conference as an instrument for the participants to keep in touch and exchange information after the conference. Everybody was immediately very enthusiastic, but were also a bit hesitant about the computer capabilities and internet facilities of all participants. In the end we decided to introduce the wiki to participants interested and capable of working with computers and internet; so voluntary and not an official part of the program.
We found an IT specialist from a partner organisation that was willing to guide and prepare the wiki process. This proved to be essential. He translated the wiki tutorial into Indonesian and trained a group of young people that would write the reports during the conference how to use the wiki so they could upload their reports on the wiki. He is now also the one people can ask questions to if they have a problem with the wiki.
By sending all participants the tutorial we tried to get people to use the wiki already before the start of the conference, but this was not a big success. Without training or introduction the step to start working on the wiki is too big. During the conference this was fully compensated though. Many participants liked the idea of a wiki, especially for its possibility to keep in touch with other partner organisations and to share information with each other. Almost all participants joined the (voluntary) wiki workshop, signed in and read the information. Some also placed comments or made their own page.
People are still a bit hesitant th
ough with placing information on the wiki. One of the reasons for this is that people are not sure who else are reading all the information they put up there. We discussed closing the front page, so only people registered can see and join in on the wiki, but this only partly solves the problem and it also makes the information less accessible for people interested.
So introducing the wiki was a success, but whether it is useful for the future will depend on whether people will keep on adding information to it. By the way, if you want to check out our wiki, go to: diakonia.pbworks.com
I proposed the wiki to the organising committee three months b
efore the conference as an instrument for the participants to keep in touch and exchange information after the conference. Everybody was immediately very enthusiastic, but were also a bit hesitant about the computer capabilities and internet facilities of all participants. In the end we decided to introduce the wiki to participants interested and capable of working with computers and internet; so voluntary and not an official part of the program.We found an IT specialist from a partner organisation that was willing to guide and prepare the wiki process. This proved to be essential. He translated the wiki tutorial into Indonesian and trained a group of young people that would write the reports during the conference how to use the wiki so they could upload their reports on the wiki. He is now also the one people can ask questions to if they have a problem with the wiki.
By sending all participants the tutorial we tried to get people to use the wiki already before the start of the conference, but this was not a big success. Without training or introduction the step to start working on the wiki is too big. During the conference this was fully compensated though. Many participants liked the idea of a wiki, especially for its possibility to keep in touch with other partner organisations and to share information with each other. Almost all participants joined the (voluntary) wiki workshop, signed in and read the information. Some also placed comments or made their own page.
People are still a bit hesitant th
ough with placing information on the wiki. One of the reasons for this is that people are not sure who else are reading all the information they put up there. We discussed closing the front page, so only people registered can see and join in on the wiki, but this only partly solves the problem and it also makes the information less accessible for people interested.So introducing the wiki was a success, but whether it is useful for the future will depend on whether people will keep on adding information to it. By the way, if you want to check out our wiki, go to: diakonia.pbworks.com
By Miriam Nagtegaal
Friday, 24 July 2009
ComPart trainers satisfied with first session outcomes
ComPart trainers at Rimisp (Chile) thrilled at the end of the first online session this afternoon
The first ComPart online training session (Latin America) took place this afternoon and it went incredibly well! Thanks to the cooperation of technology, we had the participation of 18 people from Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, and Holland who were keen on learning about the ComPart approach. This first session was mostly about how to use the virtual conference tool (AT&T), a general overview of the ComPart Approach and how it's making a difference in people's daily work. After the first 10 minutes of training, people seemed comfortable using the main features of the conference tool and fortunately nobody seem to have major problems with technology!
Nobody had a sad or boring face after 1 hour and a half of being in front of their computers. We hope that the next training sessions go as smoothly as this one or even better! And that people really take advantage of all the material that is available for them not only during the training, but also only at http://compart.pbworks.com/main_es and http://compart.pbworks.com/Trabajar-con-ComPart
About one hour after the end of the online training, our email inboxes are getting full with so many registrations from more and more participants. And we are thrilled! You can also register for the next training session in the following links:
El fascinante mundo de la blogosfera: http://www.doodle.com/ferbwgq7y5zzmdfw
Como trabajar con una wiki y no morir en el intento: http://www.doodle.com/6y9ztkef76h4i4vr
Herramientas para ensalzar tu web: http://www.doodle.com/wcqz488db95urb75
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Huge demand for ComPart training sessions in Latin America
An overwhelming response received the organization Rimisp when it publicized its calendar of training sessions on the ComPart approach a few weeks ago. The Rimisp-ComPart team will deliver a series of online training workshops to ICCO staff and partners in the region. The topics selected for these workshops range from blogs, its use and management, to collaborative work using wikis. An overview of web 2.0 tools available online will also be part of the training sessions offered by Rimisp online, free and in Spanish!
Diego Reinoso, from Rimisp, processing registrations from ICCO partners interested in ComPart online traning sessions
The first session will take place tomorrow Thursday at 3:00pm (-4:00 GMT) which will have the participation of 40 people from various organizations based in countries such as Peru , Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Nicaragua.
Diego Reinoso, from Rimisp, processing registrations from ICCO partners interested in ComPart online traning sessions The first session will take place tomorrow Thursday at 3:00pm (-4:00 GMT) which will have the participation of 40 people from various organizations based in countries such as Peru , Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Nicaragua.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
ComPart goes to Zimbabwe
Thetha – an Nguni verb meaning to talk, discuss, debate and share opinions/ideas. This is the name of SANGONeT’s information communication technology (ICT) forum, which provides NGOs with a platform to discuss challenges facing the sector broadly.
The overall objectives of the Thetha project is to raise awareness and inform a wide range of national, regional and international stakeholders about the expected ICT challenges and opportunities that will face the Southern African region in the next 10 years.
The five countries involved in the project are Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Thetha is kicking off on Wednesday, 22 July 2009 and is being organised and implemented in conjunction with E-Knowledge for Women in Southern Africa (EKOWISA), a Zimbabwean organisation. Representatives from government, the ICT industry, NGOs and the donor community will come together to discuss key “ICT for Development (ICT4D)” challenges and opportunities relevant to the future development of Zimbabwe.
The discussions will be informed by the “Contextualising ICT for Development in Zimbabwe” report that EKOWISA prepared in support of the event.
The forum will also promote practical applications that form part of SANGONeT's broader objective to increase the use and awareness of ICTs within the NGO sector in the region.This will be accomplished by introducing participants to the SANGONeT and African Commons Social Media for NGOs training. The one-day, hands-on training programme will teach participants of the wonderful world of web 2.0 tools and how they can be effectively used by you and the organisation to enhance operational practice.
As part of the partnership between ICCO/Euforic ComPart and SANGONeT, Zimbabwean ICCO partners are invited to this event, where they will learn how they can incorporate various social media platforms into their work and where we will introduce them to the ComPart approach and toolset!
In the non-profit sector where the scarcities of time, money and resources are always playing catch-up to our inspirational strategies, social media platforms can be really helpful tools. These free digital spaces can assist us with connecting, networking, researching and fundraising. It's time that we began to engage with them!
More information on the Zimbabwe Forum Discussion can be found here.
We are looking forward to meeting ICCO partners in Zimbabwe!
Nicolle Beeby, on behalf of SANGONeT
The overall objectives of the Thetha project is to raise awareness and inform a wide range of national, regional and international stakeholders about the expected ICT challenges and opportunities that will face the Southern African region in the next 10 years.
The five countries involved in the project are Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Thetha is kicking off on Wednesday, 22 July 2009 and is being organised and implemented in conjunction with E-Knowledge for Women in Southern Africa (EKOWISA), a Zimbabwean organisation. Representatives from government, the ICT industry, NGOs and the donor community will come together to discuss key “ICT for Development (ICT4D)” challenges and opportunities relevant to the future development of Zimbabwe.
The discussions will be informed by the “Contextualising ICT for Development in Zimbabwe” report that EKOWISA prepared in support of the event.
The forum will also promote practical applications that form part of SANGONeT's broader objective to increase the use and awareness of ICTs within the NGO sector in the region.This will be accomplished by introducing participants to the SANGONeT and African Commons Social Media for NGOs training. The one-day, hands-on training programme will teach participants of the wonderful world of web 2.0 tools and how they can be effectively used by you and the organisation to enhance operational practice.
As part of the partnership between ICCO/Euforic ComPart and SANGONeT, Zimbabwean ICCO partners are invited to this event, where they will learn how they can incorporate various social media platforms into their work and where we will introduce them to the ComPart approach and toolset!
In the non-profit sector where the scarcities of time, money and resources are always playing catch-up to our inspirational strategies, social media platforms can be really helpful tools. These free digital spaces can assist us with connecting, networking, researching and fundraising. It's time that we began to engage with them!
More information on the Zimbabwe Forum Discussion can be found here.
We are looking forward to meeting ICCO partners in Zimbabwe!
Nicolle Beeby, on behalf of SANGONeT
Friday, 10 July 2009
Public accountability in a nutshell
Reneé Speijcken is a researcher at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance. She conducted a research on 'the role of civil society organis
ations in public accountability' for the ICCO Alliance. Special attention is paid to programmes that relate to education and democratisation. Yesterday, she presented her results at the ICCO Alliance head office.
Numerous debates are held on the effectiveness of development aid, whereby Civil Society Organisations are held accountable. This research focused however on Civil Society Organisations holding their governments into account. CSOs, for example play a role in ensuring that governments are on track in reaching formulated objectives like the Millennium Development Goals.
Renée Speijcken describes in a short interview what public accountability is and what it could mean for ICCO:
"Accountability is a way for citizens to hold their government or service providers into account for their behaviour or their performance. ICCO is in an excellent positions with its partners to strengthen citizen organisations to work on these issues."
The research results will contribute to the elaboration of ICCO and Kerk in Actie future vision and policy on public accountability.
I wonder what your government is or isn't doing to realise the MDGs? Can you blog about it (in any language) and hold them accountable?
By Stephanie Zwier
Read more on the End poverty campaign.
ations in public accountability' for the ICCO Alliance. Special attention is paid to programmes that relate to education and democratisation. Yesterday, she presented her results at the ICCO Alliance head office.Numerous debates are held on the effectiveness of development aid, whereby Civil Society Organisations are held accountable. This research focused however on Civil Society Organisations holding their governments into account. CSOs, for example play a role in ensuring that governments are on track in reaching formulated objectives like the Millennium Development Goals.
Renée Speijcken describes in a short interview what public accountability is and what it could mean for ICCO:
"Accountability is a way for citizens to hold their government or service providers into account for their behaviour or their performance. ICCO is in an excellent positions with its partners to strengthen citizen organisations to work on these issues."
The research results will contribute to the elaboration of ICCO and Kerk in Actie future vision and policy on public accountability.
I wonder what your government is or isn't doing to realise the MDGs? Can you blog about it (in any language) and hold them accountable?
By Stephanie Zwier
Read more on the End poverty campaign.
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