1.This question is an assessment of your Applied Community Based Research Methods as a development competency. Do you feel that the applied research training you received during your Pre-Departure Training has translated into applicable skills in the field? How have you found engaging in a participatory applied research project in your host country?
The community based research project analyzing our NGO was completed with the tools given during the pre-departure training. Our research was very participatory and involved many members who are part or have been part of Nexos Voluntarios. When conducting the researching I heard many variations of what NeVo was to each actor. The process of achieving consensus on each detail with the NGO was a fun and interactive process that benefited the whole community.
2.This question is an assessment of Support Community Leadership as a development competency. What has been your experience been thus far in empowering community leadership? Have you found that you need to work on this skill set or that you already have well developed skills with respect to supporting local leadership?
When dealing with the support of community leadership it was very evident how important it was with our projects success. If the partcipants in the community did not feel a sense of ownership with the project they also did not participate. Therefore, ownership and responsibility was placed on them to create further progression with the projects and we worked with them. When times progression became slow we held meetings to re-establish what the goal is, communicate concerns and ideas, and re-establish who’s role is who’s.
3.This question is an assessment of Facilitate Groups and Workshops as a development competency. In your experience thus far how would you evaluate your group facilitation skills in an overseas setting? How you been able to carry out a workshop? If so, did you find that you already had the skills necessary to hold a workshop or it is an area you need improvement in?
I feel that we had a great introduction to facilitating groups and workshops during our pre-departure training which really gave us the confidence to implement workshops and group facilitation. We also had our materials to reflect on and the knowledge that there were staff present in Canada to aid if needed. This gave us confidence in the delivery of workshops. For one project we had great attendance levels during the workshops. However, this was not the story for all. We did have some troubles with attendance levels in other workshops. We anticipated this and gave an abundance of notice but still faced difficulties. When this happened it was important to communicate to everyone involved with the project and also evaluate what we could change in our approach. This brought forth ideas like strengthening the relationships with the community.
4.This question is an assessment of Community Economic Development and Empowerment as a development competency. If you have had the opportunity to engage in empowering community economic development, what has been your experience?
I have had the opportunity to be engaged in the empowerment of economic development of a community. These efforts were with the community of Media Luna. It was very important to have the community acknowledge our presence in the community and have all participating members feel as if they are owners in the project also. Meetings were held to determine who had the responsibility to do what and how we will progress. Everyone needed to work as a team, this was very important. The great concept of this project which was to create a Experiential Tourism package is that all members we asked to utilize their strengths.
5.This question is assessing Participatory and Gendered Community Development as a development competency. What has been your experience with consensus based approaches to community development? Have you found that the pre-departure training you received was an adequate introduction to participatory approach and gender inclusive planning, if yes, how?
The main goal in creating consensus is to accept input from all that are involved in the group and do this with active listening. It is also very important to try and anticipate this and have ready a list of ideas to bring to the table for the purpose of saving time and creating an agreement amongst all members. This is easier said than done. With our projects, we have one project that has two men and four females and all members express their concerns and seem to have a level of mutual respect. With the other project, we exercise caution with how we approach or express opinion. We work mainly with females when in the cooking element, and men with the construction element. There are some cultural differences in belief as to who should be doing what. Also with this project it comes down to who has the most experience dealing with each topic. However as the project progressed, I witness females aiding in the construction at times and men helping in the kitchen. These changes were very little but they existed.
6.This question is assessing Project Management Using RMB and Outcome Mapping as a development competency. Thus far, what has been your experience engaging with RBM and OutCome Mapping? How would you rate your competency in using RBM and OutCome Mapping?
Using the RBM and Outcome Mapping was a great learning experience that allowed myself and my partner to structure all of our findings and work in a structured way. Like anything in life, working on these measurment tools is a process of continual improvement. I was given training on these tools prior to leaving and access to resources that would help while using them in the field. Now, I feel more comfortable having applied the tools to our field experience. Our experience was very positive and we had full cooperationg and participation from our community in our workshops and interactive phases.
7.This question is assessing Networking and Advocacy for Community Development as a development competency. Reflecting on your experience thus far as a field worker in international development how have you found networking in cross cultural environments? How has it been similar or different to the way you would approach networking in your home country? How have you found building advocacy for development work in your host country?
While working in Peru I found that networking worked a little differently than in Canada. In Canada you would meet someone either randomly, through someone or at some industry event. You give them your elevator pitch discuss the industry and exchange information. Once this is done you now have a contact who can personally help you or point you in the right direction to further succeed in your work. In Peru this did not operate totally in the same manner. It was a little harder to get people to help out with a project than originally expected. We were told many yes's, however, when the time came to helping it was frequent to be stranded with no help. We then realized that more relationship biulding was of need in order to help out. What even helped more was when the processs was mutually beneficial or one party helped the other in different ways. The process of networking in the area we were posted was almost always done face-face and in Spanish. These added elements increased the time it took to complete a task. It was a great experience to witness how different processes to the same outcome could be in another country.
6.This question is assessing Project Management Using RMB and Outcome Mapping as a development competency. Thus far, what has been your experience engaging with RBM and OutCome Mapping? How would you rate your competency in using RBM and OutCome Mapping?
Using the RBM and Outcome Mapping was a great learning experience that allowed myself and my partner to structure all of our findings and work in a structured way. Like anything in life, working on these measurment tools is a process of continual improvement. I was given training on these tools prior to leaving and access to resources that would help while using them in the field. Now, I feel more comfortable having applied the tools to our field experience. Our experience was very positive and we had full cooperationg and participation from our community in our workshops and interactive phases.
7.This question is assessing Networking and Advocacy for Community Development as a development competency. Reflecting on your experience thus far as a field worker in international development how have you found networking in cross cultural environments? How has it been similar or different to the way you would approach networking in your home country? How have you found building advocacy for development work in your host country?
