Photo: Adam Singer
While it is not a new approach to capacity development, but rather a valuable reminder of what it takes to do capacity development well that this blog from Jonathan Harle published by INASP offers us. Among the many valuable points he makes, it is worth remembering that capacity already exists (“start there, not with what you bring”) and that we must get beyond the training workshop format: i.e. embed digitally enhanced and blended learning, peer learning, coaching, and mentoring.
I long lost count of the number of CVs I have been asked to check and review for friends and colleagues and it is an exercise we can always get better at: this blog from John Tipper on LinkedIn offers very practical tips of those that would work for me as a HR practitioner, my favorite being his advice to arrange CV per skill-sets.
Trust should never be taken for granted, even and especially not in our sector. An inspiring TED Talk on this topic by Onora O’Neill (a philosopher and crossbench member of the House of Lords in the UK) offers some key takeaways and reflections that we can all benefit from.
While a lot of research has been undertaken to document the links between aid work and high levels of stress, I recently came across a study published in the Journal of International Humanitarian Action that captures aid workers’ views on stressors and coping strategies. It involved a wide range of aid workers living in 63 countries, including previously under-researched groups such as development professionals and national workers. Amongst other things, they use the findings to inform practical stress reduction recommendations at the individual, organizational, and sector levels.
Another interesting piece of research on wellbeing from New York University, “From a Culture of Unwellness to Sustainable Advocacy” included key findings pointing to several obstacles for incorporating wellbeing and care into human rights work, among them:
DisasterReady.org just launched a new collection of micro-learning resources: these Mobile Guides are short, interactive, smartphone-friendly guides developed with experts from across the humanitarian and development sector to help you perform critical tasks and build essential skills on a variety of topics (such as Security, Safety and Wellbeing, Professional Development, Leadership & Management). They are currently available in English and Arabic, and later this year will be available in French.
The SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) speak to all technical sectors and support functions within the aid world (and beyond) and much more work is needed for all of us to understand, advocate for, and embed them in our work. The SDG Lab has developed a living document, the “SDG Lab Toolkit: Accelerating the 2030 Agenda”. This toolkit was developed in response to many requests for a “how-to” guide on replicating the Lab model; a request that came to from governments and organizations alike in their quest to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
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