The IPN in Action?.PARTNERSHIP LEARNING WEEKS

Background

The development of the first Partnership Learning Week emerged from a think-tank session involving leaders of a number of partnership organizations from South Africa meeting in 2002 with IPN leaders in France. The mainspring of the concept was the need to promote wider and stronger understanding worldwide of the imperatives driving the development dynamic in South Africa in recent years.

Key issues explored in South Africa by a team of 22 partnership leaders thus included the impact of the HIV-AIDS pandemic on education and local communities, the emergent skills needs and shortfalls in the changing economy of SA (e.g. leisure and tourism) and partnership strategies to tackle rural and urban poverty and deprivation

Out of this experience, there are detailed reports, which are available by contacting Alex Blackwood, CEO at alexblackwood@live.co.uk The following precepts and guidelines have been formulated.

Looking Forward

The inspiration gained, lessons learned and evaluations of the first learning week in South Africa in October 2003 are being invested in the planning and development of further Learning weeks, the first of which is in October 2005.  This will be held in South India in Chennai and Bangalor, through a partnership with the Aseema Trust and World Education in collaboration with South Indian partners.

Organizational Aims and Criteria

1) A program to look at a specific country?s issues where partnership between educators, government, non-governmental agencies and/or business is used as a strategy to address them and an in-depth insight into these issues is a benefit to both local and international participants.

2) The recommended duration of the program to be 5 nights and 5 days and to take place in at least two different regional settings but these are variable factors depending on local circumstances.

Participants

·        A core group of 24-30 participants who work and travel together for the full program

·        Participants to include a balance from among business, education, ngo?s, government leaders in partnership

·        Approximate balance of home country and international participants

Planning Structure

·        The Partnership Learning Week to be attributed as an IPN event working with local partners

·        A local team in charge of and responsible for administrating and financing the program

·        Support to be provided by the IPN as advisors/consultants

·        The local team to decide on the delegation of administrative detail such as conference coordination and other consultancies

·        The budget to be an open document and to include contribution to IPN from International delegate fees

Program

·        The general themes and specific issues to be related to local partnership agendas

·        The program to provide opportunities for people to explore on the ground case studies/partnerships in action

·        A commentary and interpretation of national and local trends to be provided by local and national partnership leaders

·        Time to be allowed for reflection and sharing by the core group facilitated by members of the group of participants

·        Introductory and wrap up events to be included with speakers and introductions/debrief

·        Peoples? insights to be captured on video as an integral element of the program ? ask participants to comment during week

·        One or two cultural experiences ? dance, music, drama, story telling, art

·        ?University for a Night? concept with core participants contributing ? ?giving back? to community ? as experts

·        Opportunity for investors/sponsors to be participants in full week and/or explain involvement in partnership

Contact: Betsy Nelson at wsouthport@msn.com or

Alex Blackwood, CEO at alexblackwood@live.co.uk

Website: www.theipn.org