Training
workshop on 00rocess documentation for learning alliances and action
research00/b>
Organised
by the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, the SWITCH project
and the EMPOWERS partnership
Lodz, Poland (1-5 July 2007)
First announcement
Background
There are many reasons why
we document. Most importantly, we aim to improve the quality and impact
of a project, and to share and disseminate relevant knowledge and experiences.
Process documentation is a tool that helps project staff and stakeholders
to carefully track meaningful events in their projects. Process documentation
not only describes what happened, but it also explains how it happened
and investigates why things happened the way they did. These insights
are crucial in taking innovation processes to scale and adapting them
to other locations and contexts.
Objective of training workshop
The objective of the training
workshop on 00rocess documentation for learning alliances and action
research00is to equip participants with the necessary skills to undertake
high-quality and innovative documentation of learning and change processes.
This documentation will have advocacy and policy impact and lead to
the improved dissemination of research results and uptake of findings.
The training workshop will develop the skills of participants through
hands-on experiences with appropriate methods. It will enable participants
to undertake appropriate documentation for multi-stakeholder focused
research processes or learning alliances that are now becoming accepted
approaches to improve the uptake of research.
Who should attend?
The training workshop is aimed
at professionals involved in facilitating or documenting action research
processes that typically involve a wider range of partners than traditional
research. You will be interested in documenting not just what happens
in your work, but also how innovation happens 00or why it does
not happen. It is not necessary to have attended any previous courses
to be able to participate. A maximum of 20 participants are expected
and places will be allocated on first-come first-served basis. The language
of instruction will be English.
Training methodology
The training workshop will combine specialist presentations from key resource persons with practical exercises in groups where creativity will be encouraged. Participants will put theory into practice using a range of media to document an ongoing action research process. This will involve undertaking interviews, visiting field sites and documenting activities through photography, video, writing and voice recording. The workshop is convened with the SWITCH research project that is focused on urban water management, and the activities currently being undertaken in the city of Lodz in central Poland will provide the focus of the practical aspects of the training.
Urban water management in Lodz, Poland
The presence of 18 streams has been a key factor in the history of Lodz. Providing an essential water resource, they were part of the reason why Lodz was transformed from a provincial town to major manufacturing centre. Rapid industrialization and growth of the textile industry in the 19th century led to the city being nicknamed 00he Polish Manchester00 Lodz has seen times of feast and famine. The 1930s depression and collapse of the Soviet empire after 1989 both decimated the eastern markets for the cities products. None of the 50 major textile mills enterprises are left. The population, still almost 800,000 persons, is declining.
Efforts to revitalize the city are again looking to water to provide inspiration. The polluted streams that were once canalized and buried underground are being recovered and cleaned. A city whose symbol is a boat, is searching for its rivers. Alliances of city managers, academics, activists and investors are aiming to utilize the power of these restored rivers as an attractive centerpiece for new development. Ecologically-focused restoration of rivers and associated green spaces will help to reduce flooding risks, improve the water quality of streams and habitat for wildlife, and provide a spur to economic development and regeneration.
On the final day of the course, participants will exhibit their work to communicate their findings to co-participants and residents of the city of Lodz.
Outline programme
Day 0 Participants arrive in Lodz. Evening welcome event. Day 1 Why, what and how do you document? An introduction to the rationale for process documentation Key process documentation concepts and principles Field visits in the city of Lodz Presentation and discussion of examples including from the EMPOWERS project in the Middle East (Jordan, Egypt and Palestine) Day 2 (am) Methods and tools for process documentation? Planning what to document How to use information for communication (including the use of web-based platforms for dissemination) Tools for capturing process, for organising information, for analysing findings, and for disseminating information Group work in parallel streams focusing on specific media and tools Day 2 (pm) Photography group Introduction and planning Video group Introduction and planning Writing and voice group Introduction and planning Day 3 Practical work in Lodz city Practical work in Lodz city Practical work in Lodz city Day 4 Practical work in Lodz city Practical work in Lodz city Practical work in Lodz city Day 5 Sharing skills and experiences Exhibition of work by participants (in collaboration with city of Lodz SWITCH learning alliance) The politics of process documentation: how will you handle sensitive information? Becoming a process documentation 00pecialist00 discussions on personal skill development after the course what skills do you need to further develop and how will you work?
End of workshop social event
Workshop organisation and expert resource persons
The training workshop is organised by the innovative communications group at the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (
download Outline plan for SWITCH training course on 0earning Alliance ...
