First Thematic Learning Programme up and running

Learning practices in social change

PSO, VSO and CDRA are planning an action research programme in 2010 and 2011 on learning practices in social change. This programme will culminate in a second Barefoot Guide to Organisational Learning and Social Change; as well as simple, adaptable course modules with a growing resource of learning and support materials: designs, case studies, tools, methods, etc. All will be made freely available through the website www.barefootguide.org.

This programme aims to make a direct contribution to the capacity of civil society organisations to learn more effectively from experience in order to enable more effective practice and therefore impact.

What the programme involves

Through an action research programme, involving a diverse range of social actors and organisations, we will develop a varied and growing range of approaches, ideas, support materials, courses and local communities of practice that will support innovative learning practices.

Practitioners and organisation will be able to share and use these materials individually or collaboratively amongst their own organisations and groups, helping them to develop the skills, confidence and will to invest more consciously in organisational learning.

In the spring of 2010, we will recruit a diverse collection of civil society organisations from North and South who are willing to learn about organisational learning. Their needs will be analysed and used by PSO, CDRA and VSO to write and develop a new social change guide, helped by relevant literature. Using the materials thus developed, ‘learning facilitators’ from the participating organisations will work with their own organisation to further develop their learning practices. The aim is for them to derive knowledge about what it takes to enable good organisational learning; to improve the materials through their own experience; and to collect evidence about the impact of organisational learning from real situations.

Aims beyond 2011, include publishing all materials that have been thus far developed; developing and supporting communities of practice to take the approaches forward through various activities. We will also run ‘learning facilitator’ courses in different regions and do further research and development (2012). Our initiatives will also help to inform and influence discourse and policy on organisational learning.

Should you be interested in taking part in this process, please get in touch with Arja Aarnoudse (aarnoudse@pso.nl).

Recognizing the need to learn

Social change practice is proving to be more complex than imagined, defying academic theories and instrumental manuals, models and tools. This complexity requires social actors and organisations, from the ground up, to invest in conscious ‘thinking and learning processes’ informed by their own and each other’s experience.

The idea and need for organisational learning seems to be regaining ground among practitioners and donors. There is, when it comes to planning, monitoring and evaluation, a general shift towards an authentic learning-centred approach, that enables honest reflectivity and provides ongoing learning, directions and ownership throughout.

Recognising the need to learn is not enough. How to make useful learning really happen and then to translate new learning into improved practice that leads to better impact, is not well understood. Learning and change in civil society organisations has proved to be challenging for many varied reasons. This programme aims to make a significant contribution to addressing this challenge.