Dear all,

I’m reaching out as a global initiave I am supporting is looking for volunteers. Especially on the tech hosting side. Ideally it will be about 7 of us so each of us can cover 3 shifts in these 21 days.

Practical: from 1st of 21st of September, between 6.15pm to 8.15pm CET.
Needed: handeling waiting rooms and breakout rooms, share music/screens, recording and livestreaming on website, Facebook and or Youtube.?

I’ve offered to help out but on my own for 21days is a bit too much.

The movement is starting on Sept 1st, more info here: /

Please get in touch with me or Julian if you would and could support. Thanks in advance!

‘Especially PR, social media, technical facilitation, design, and harvesting are fields where you could help us a lot to increase the impact of our co-creational work. If you have some capacity and gifts that could support us please get in touch with me under julian@...

With gratitude,
Sara

Hello all,
I'm looking for resources to provide municipalities that are building climate justice committees. In this context, representatives of County government would appoint members to a climate justice advisory committee. As it is not an open, democratic process, I'd like to provide guidance to the Counties on how to ensure they engage a diverse populous to build the committee.

Any tips on existing resources? Appreciate it!

Sarah

We are currently exploring the options for this too - one challenge is the system security, so our IT dept is keen for us to use MS TEams, but it doesn't have the functionality in the same way as others.? But they are due to update the software later this year to include breakouts. Most IT depts. can also produce a front door to your chosen system that looks and feels like your company and conference, so possibly good to explore using a software you are familiar with as an organisation (so that individuals experience a software they are familiar with) and invest in the experience on the cover / front face to the conference that provides the signposting and access to the right? areas.? I will watch this thread with interest.? Thank you

Hi All,?

I'm conducting some user research in this area of large online gatherings. There's a fast growing amount of information on which platforms are 'better' than others for large scale interactive events, but I'm struggling to find anything that really breaks down the barriers and enablers to productive and enjoyable sessions for all (e.g. what aspects make a good virtual breakout room and why?). Can anyone point me towards any existing resources on this? I would also be happy to share my outputs with anyone interested.

Thank you,
Tom

Hi All,?

I'm conducting some user research in this area of large online gatherings. There's a fast growing amount of information on which platforms are 'better' than others for large scale interactive events, but I'm struggling to find anything that really breaks down the barriers and enablers to productive and enjoyable sessions for all (e.g. what aspects make a good virtual breakout room and why?). Can anyone point me towards any existing resources on this? I would also be happy to share my outputs with anyone interested.

Thank you,
Tom

Hi all, since there are more interests in trying out Toasty, we will be having a session this Thursday if you want to join.


This is what happened last week - had lots of fun tinkering with the community and exchanging thoughts on how to run better virtual meetings and workshops :)

I'm doing this right now. In order to ensure that I give the non-English speakers the same quality of experience that the English speakers get, I'm offering a separate workshop in Spanish, led by a native speaker who I've trained in the content (and is in my field so knows the lingo). I'll have a separate interpreter for ME so that I can stay on top of what's being said. I'll also have a note taker who can record in Spanish and translate after.?

Hi Ann and William.

We have been offering regular online facilitation training since 2012 primarily for colleagues across higher education in Africa though we have attracted a lot of participants from the training sector (and several others) this year. The course runs entirely online over 8 weeks and is part of the e/merge Africa professional?development network hosted by the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at University of Cape Town.?

Best wishes

:)

Tony

On Wed, Jul 29, 2020 at 12:16 AM William Aal <williamaal@...> wrote:

Anne,

?I would be interested to talk with you about both of these topics. I have been engaged as a volunteer with agriculture NGOs and networks that support agroecology on the ground and at policy levels and I am an opener and partner in two facilitation and event planning businesses.? So yes would be interested in partnering with others for the RFP.

On the second issue, in do believe there is a need for capacity building in online and in person facilitation.? ?I am also in contact with facilitation and participatory specialists on the continent. It would be interesting to develop? partnerships to innovate online processed and tools that come from the African experience in some kind of knowledge sharing. That could help the field as a whole.

Best,

Bill

On Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 1:31 AM Ann Hendrix-Jenkins <ann.hendrix-jenkins@...> wrote:

Hi all,

1. I am attaching a call for proposals which might be of interest to some of you.??

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Africa Regional Services (ARS) / Bureau of Africa Public Diplomacy (AF/PD) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out virtual and in-person thematic programs in Africa.??

?Deadline for Applications August 17, 2020

2. As I work with colleagues across Africa, I am wondering what the group thinks about the future of remote facilitation as a career option for individuals,?or an important capacity/skill set for civil society organizations to?make sure they have. Any thoughts about the demand and value of such capacity?

Best,

Ann

--

Tony Carr?

Educational Technologist

Convenor of the e/merge Africa Network

CILT -?Centre For Innovation in Learning and Teaching

Centre for Higher Education Development?
University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa?
tony.carr@...?
+2721 6505033?
?

Twitter: @tony_emerge; @emergeafrica

2. As I work with colleagues across Africa, I am wondering what the group thinks about the future of remote facilitation as a career option for individuals,?or an important capacity/skill set for civil society organizations to?make sure they have. Any thoughts about the demand and value of such capacity???

I think it is a core capability and it is essential to have local capacity. For years I have been trying to find the business model/niche as I've helped build capacity, only to have the practitioners fail to find internal or consulting work beyond those serving the business sector (with their bigger scale/budgets) and while facing uneven connectivity/power challenges. With COVID there may be a turning point where these skills?make sense in every way. But building the capacity is not enough. There also has to be a sustainable business model/practice model.?

The other thing that I SENSE might be useful (sense, not KNOW!) is a network where we can refer people to find practitioners. I can easily refer to the handful of people I know and can recommend, but that is such a tiny micro sliver. Directories? Communities of practice at country, regional, language, domain levels? What would be useful? For example, within the global network we are trying to hold space for Africa based practitioners. There is an immersion workhop in Ghana starting soon which may be a good seed. What more is needed?

Nancy

On Tue, Jul 28, 2020 at 3:16 PM William Aal <williamaal@...> wrote:

Anne,

?I would be interested to talk with you about both of these topics. I have been engaged as a volunteer with agriculture NGOs and networks that support agroecology on the ground and at policy levels and I am an opener and partner in two facilitation and event planning businesses.? So yes would be interested in partnering with others for the RFP.

On the second issue, in do believe there is a need for capacity building in online and in person facilitation.? ?I am also in contact with facilitation and participatory specialists on the continent. It would be interesting to develop? partnerships to innovate online processed and tools that come from the African experience in some kind of knowledge sharing. That could help the field as a whole.

Best,

Bill

On Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 1:31 AM Ann Hendrix-Jenkins <ann.hendrix-jenkins@...> wrote:

Hi all,

1. I am attaching a call for proposals which might be of interest to some of you.??

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Africa Regional Services (ARS) / Bureau of Africa Public Diplomacy (AF/PD) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out virtual and in-person thematic programs in Africa.??

?Deadline for Applications August 17, 2020

2. As I work with colleagues across Africa, I am wondering what the group thinks about the future of remote facilitation as a career option for individuals,?or an important capacity/skill set for civil society organizations to?make sure they have. Any thoughts about the demand and value of such capacity?

Best,

Ann

Hi Helen

for me the key thing would be the depth of participant engagement. But I wrote to you separately anyway.

Best wishes?

Andrea