This linking and learning facilitation managed by CLICK  spans 2 years and puts forward the voices of individuals too often relegated to the margins, telling untold stories, and empowering the public with the correct perspectives. The project brings together all Voice grantees and other stakeholders in Laos in communities of practice, communities of stakeholders, learning sessions, and online/face-to-face meetings, and platforms. It also supports the Voice country team to gather data on the effectiveness of the grant making, and on the learning agenda of the individual grantees, including financial and logistic organisation of events and exchanges. Furthermore, it develops initiatives to address the gaps, and enhance participation and visualisation of the marginalised groups in national development processes as part of efforts towards realising the Leave No One Behind agenda. All this aligns with the strengths of CLICK  as they have been espousing process and learning as main drivers of its capacity building programme to bring about change and at the same time share best practices among units, groups or sectors.

Linking & Learning facilitation based on openness and new ways of thinking 

Competitiveness in the civil society sector acts as a deterrent that prevents organisations – even those working in the same sector – from building networks for sharing and learning from each other. Even organisations receiving grants from the same source may find it difficult to share their experiences and collaborate with their peers. With its Linking & Learning (L&L) facilitation project, CLICK experimented with a different approach and found that grantees improved their methods of working with their rightsholder groups, such as being more gender sensitive, inclusive, and participatory. The testimony below speaks volumes: 

“By encouraging openness and new ways of thinking, Voice allows CLICK to try new things. The monthly online meeting serves as a space to learn from other countries’ work and experiences. Attending a Regional Workshop on Mindful Inclusion in Siem Reap, Cambodia, opened up mind sets and provided new ideas for event planning. Trainings provided by the Voice country team were also beneficial, such as on Photo Voice and Outcome Harvesting.” – The CLICK team 

The CLICK team’s sharing above emphasises the primary issue of achieving the project’s goal of supporting and fostering learning among and between grantees. Positive changes were seen within the CLICK team as well as the larger Voice community of grantees and rightsholder groups CLICK works with. Importantly, the project assisted CLICK in improving its facilitation services, but also the organisation’s performance in technical and management areas. 

CLICK also stated that as L&L facilitators, they have done things differently, which shaped and benefited their future work. Ideas and/or innovative approaches used by CLICK in its role as L&L facilitator: 

1. Ensure participatory event design, by consulting participants and key partners on their interest and learning needs to design appropriate content, methodology and logistics. 

1. Enhance story sharing via online platforms, based on capacity strengthening and providing tools for grantees to write their own stories:  

www.panya.online 

1. Pilot outcome stories using video format in talk show style:  

https://oxfam.box.com/s/dsrug3l1m6fu7cgh272tqdjdauabq8fn 

1. Use graphic notetaking and records to wrap up events. 

1. Be more innovative in facilitation styles, engaging grantees to contribute when organising events. 

1. Improve financial management and coordination. 

1. Use new concepts and tools, such as community of practice, context analysis, info graphics, photo voice and outcome harvesting.
   

Overall, CLICK learned that its efforts to foster learning and growth among various grantees and rightsholder groups via various facilitation approaches, methodologies and tools were worthwhile based on visible impacts on the grantee’s work. CLICK discovered what worked and what did not in various contexts, with various rightsholders, and in various time periods. Following the completion of the project, CLICK did not only initiate, provide support, and foster learning among to grantees, but also within its team. As an example, CLICK developed a training program for grantees on ‘Saobaan Research,’ a community-based approach to conducting research for development. The process included the formation of a community-based research group, the collection of data, the production of a report, and the use of research findings for development purposes. CLICK incorporated these priceless lessons in its future development work.  

Voice Laos impact stories videos: 

https://fb.watch/bVlmDKwjZC/