Delhi Knowledge Fair: The innate Knowledge of the Community

[Dr. E. Mohamed Rafique]

Dear All,

Every CLCP event from the biggest Knowledge Fair to the weekly SALT visit or even a opportunity to talk to a person in the community is to me a learning experience, and a positive one at that too.

 

During the recent Knowledge Fair, Shyamalai the Bangladeshi lady wanted to ask me a question. However, I could not answer her during the session. So, I sought her and with Moushmi as a translator started talking to her. She stated that she did not have much to ask me, and that I had replied her question in the subsequent sessions. So, I asked her about herself, and her dreams as a Bangladeshi in India.

 

She stated that she wanted to join all the Bangladeshis in India who were without legal papers like her, and make one big association. I asked her how she was going to do that as there were about 10 to 12 million illegal Bangladeshis in India. I also asked her how much time it would take, and she replied ten years.. I was taken aback when she detailed the method of snowballing as a technique though she did not know it was called snowballing.

 

Also, I had only a couple of months ago visited a Federation of sex worker CBOs in Andhra Pradesh called NARI-SAKSHAM. I was indeed surprised to see Shyamalai describe this structure exactly as if she had seen it. She stated that she was the leader of a small CBO of Bangladeshis, and she knew a few others who like herself headed other CBOs, and who in turn would know others. Thus by asking each one of them, she would be able to do a listing!

 

We often underestimate the power of communities, as well as their innate knowledge.

 

With best regards,

 

Rafique

[Gaston]

Great Rafique. Thanks a lot. Can you cross-post (the link might be enough) to this group: http://sites.google.com/site/constellationsuitcase/home/transfer/q25. First click to join. Thanks!

[Dr. E. Mohamed Rafique]

Dear Gaston,

To continue I must state that we did not follow the agenda that we India Competence, and EMPHASIS India had proposed! Only the KF part, namely the first half of the first day was followed to the dot. After that there were changes. I am sure Rituu can tell us the followed agenda.

With best regards,

Rafique

[Dr. E. Mohamed Rafique]

The References links are:

Agenda for Knowledge Fair

or http://tinyurl.com/3zatvm5

KNOWLEDGE FAIR.ppt

or http://tinyurl.com/3u4m22n

[Dr. E. Mohamed Rafique]

Dear Gaston,

We did not start as a Knowledge Fair (KF). We were completing our second year and there was budget for an Annual Review Workshop (ARW), wherein our five NGO partners in India would present their year's work, in a typical Management Information Systems (MIS) format which is required for every Targetted Intervention (TI). As the TI format misses out on the qualitiative aspect, as well as on the process, we felt the need to include the KF immediately after the ARW. Therefore, after discussion with supervisors, we piggy-backed the KF on the ARW.

From previous experience on KF, I knew the list of invitees had to be well chosen. We in CARE India, our partner NGOs, and Community Representatives totaled just under thirty. In addition, we had seven facilitators from India Competence of which five were coaches.Moreover, three facilitators from UN, Knowledge Management Project (KMP) Solution Exchange (SE) joined us.

We had about twenty guests: three from CARE's SAKSHAM team, two from UNAIDS Russia, of which there were a few known skeptics.

The agenda we hit upon was:

AGENDA of Knowledge Fair: Journeys of Joy

 

Day 1: 11.05.2011

Session	Activities	Facilitator	Start time	End time
KF: Our Journey till 2014	Welcome and introducing the Format for the KF	Nabesh	10:00	10:10
	Walk around and queries		10:10	11:00
	Discussion at side table (first round)		11:00	11:30
	Discussion at side table (second round)		11:30	12:00
	Panelist present in Plenary, Comments,  and wrap up		12:00	13:00
Lunch			13:00	14:00
Introduction to CLCP	Self Introduction and are we human?	Indumathi Ravishankar	14:00	14:30
	CLCP & TI  Role Play	Joma	14:30	15:00
	Introduction to India Competence	Rituu	15:00	15:15
	Strengths	Hanumesh	15:15	15:45
	Dreams	M L Prabakar	15:45	16:15
	WOW & WOT	Sanghamitra	16:15	16:45
	What is After Action Review?	Maii	16:45	17:00
Cultural Program	Presentation of Traditional folk songs, dance, and skits, by participants to bring out the diversity of various countries.	Anchored by Hanumesh and CARE team	1900 Onwards

 

 

DAY 2: 12.05.2011

Session	Activities	Facilitator	Start time	End time
	After Action Review of First Day	Maii and Hanumesh	09:30	10:30
	How to do a SALT VISIT	ML Prabakar and Joma	10:30	11:00
	Brief Introduction to the communities to visit during the SALT visit	Moushmi	11:00	11:15
	Dividing into groups for the SALT visit	Moushmi	11:15	11:30
Lunch	Packed Lunch Provided		11:30	12:00
	Field Visit & AAR in the community		12:00	16:30

 

 

DAY 3: 13.05.2011

Session	Activities	Facilitator	Start time	End time
	After Action Review of Field visits	Maii and Hanumesh	09:30	10:30
	Self Assessment	M L Prabakar	10:30	11:00
	Walk through - CLCP in EMPHASIS	M E Rafique	11:00	11:30
	Sustainability and CBO Mgmt	Indumathi Ravishankar	11:30	12:00
	Prize Distribution		12:00	12:15
	The Journey Ahead	Sanghamitra	12:15	13:00
	Lunch		1300	1400

 

 

I will upload the process for conducting the KF which is in a power point. The link for this power point I will  provide in my next comment. Then I will elaborate on the process of the agenda.

So, will continue after that on the lesson learnt from facilitation,which I have presently written as just one point in the AAR of the KF.

Till then,

Rafique

[Gaston]

Thanks Rafique. How did you set up the Knowledge Fair in terms of process? I'd be interested in your outline and lessons learnt on the facilitation. You can also share the reply on question 25 here: https://sites.google.com/site/constellationsuitcase/home/transfer