Workshop 2: Mapping the local community
Purpose – Rationale
The second workshop focuses on techniques that teachers, as community facilitators, may use to help promoters map the local community and identify stakeholders that can help towards promoting CQL.
Objectives:
Participants will
Identify key institutions and individuals in the community who may assist in a joint venture for the promotion of CQL.
Analyze their relationships and their importance for the promotion of CQL.
Investigate local solutions, list and explain the strengths and weaknesses and investigate how stakeholders as partners could support transcending problems.
Plan actions to involve key stakeholders in the process.
Target Group/ Audience/ Participants:
Promoters
Promoters will be students, parents and other members of the community who will be actively involved as a core group in the PAR project.
Promoters will participate in a series of participatory activities that will enable them to identify the root causes of the problems hindering CQL and plan actions to resolve the problems identified in the process.
Facilitators:
Teachers/Teacher Trainers
Materials:
Computer and Projector
Post it notes/ paper sheets
Flip charts/ Whiteboard
Computers with internet connection
Duration:
3 hours
Activity 1: Stakeholders Mapping/Venn Diagrams
Description
– The facilitator asks participants to identify, in groups, key institutions and individuals in the community relevant to CQL and record these on a list (see the presentation).
– A discussion is then used to prioritize stakeholders.
“Which are the most important stakeholders?” “Which of those are relevant to our purpose?” “Which are easily accessible?” “Which may differentiate their operations to fit out purpose?”
– Participants, in groups, draws circles to represent each institution or individual.
– Bigger circles indicate more important stakeholders or those with whom the group has the most contact.
– Next, a discussion is used to identify the degree of contact and overlap between each circle in terms of decision-making.
(a)separate circles = no contact,
(b)touching circles = information passes between institutions,
(c)small overlap = some cooperation in decision-making,
(d)large overlap = considerable cooperation.
– The facilitator draws the diagrams, based on the participants’ input and adjusts the size or arrangement of circles until the representation is accurate.
Activity 2: Local Solutions
Description
After having identified, in activity 1, the community stakeholders, participants are asked to analyse why a problem in terms of CQL still exists. The facilitator asks each group of participants to focus on one stakeholder and fill in the diagram on the right.
Groups provide suggestions for strengths and drawbacks of current practice, and how these may be improved using a blend of other skills and knowledge in the community.
Participants should identify:
how such changes could affect knowledge and practice, or people’s perceptions and use
how these changes may influence school and family
All identified local stakeholders are prioritized in terms of their ability to provide assistance for the promotion of CQL and the potential for collaboration with the school and the families. Based on the prioritization, participants collate a hierarchical list of potential collaborators.
Activity 3: Preparing the outreach
Description
Participants are asked, in groups, to:
gather information on one or two potential collaborators
develop a strategy for communication
prepare a communication script with key points on CQL
After the finalization of the scripts, promoters will contact the selected stakeholders and invite them to visit school, or any other venue deemed appropriate, and attend a focus group meeting.
Based on the list compiled in activity 2, participants are asked, in groups, to gather information on one or two potential collaborators among the stakeholders.
Internet is used to find further information about the targeted stakeholders. Based on the analysis made in activities 1 and 2, participants are asked to develop a strategy for communication with each organization and securing their participation in a consortium for the promotion of CQL.
Groups are asked to prepare a communication script with key points on CQL, the importance of developing community actions and possible ways that each stakeholder can assist. This activity, if necessary, can be concluded after the end of the session. Groups will share their scripts with facilitator for feedback.
After the finalization of the scripts, promoters will contact the selected stakeholders and invite them to visit school, or any other venue deemed appropriate, and attend a focus group meeting.
A webquest is offered to help you facilitate this activity.
