INTRAC Influencing and Supporting Change in Complex Contexts - October 2014

<a href="http://intrac.org/events.php?action=event&id=599"><b>13-15 October 2014</b></a>

Building on INTRAC’s extensive experience of strengthening advocacy capacity and civil society voice at the national level, this course provides an opportunity for participants to build their knowledge and skills and reflect on the specific challenges of these approaches in complex political contexts, situations and environments. Recognising that there is no blueprint for change, this course combines the use of practical tools, relevant case studies and peer learning to build the knowledge, skills and confidence of participants.

<b>Objectives of the course</b>

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Be able to understand the role that advocacy and strengthening civil society voice can have in supporting change in complex environments.
• Understand how to adapt planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches for the challenges of complex environments.
• Be familiar with a range of approaches that have been shown to be effective in complex environments or ‘fragile states’ and how these can be used.
• Understand how to develop organisational capacity for continual learning and the flexibility to adapt to changes in the context.
• Be able to develop practical approaches to managing key relationships (with donors, government or partners) in these contexts.

<b>Course format and costs</b>

This course has two parts: a 3 day face to face course which will take place in Oxford, UK; and a 50 minute one-to-one coaching session after the course (via Skype) with the course trainer, focusing specifically on your needs. This individual, tailored coaching will support the individual to apply the learning from the course to their work, and offer the opportunity to work through current challenges, difficulties and opportunities with a highly experienced practitioner. The available dates and times for coaching will be provided by the trainers in advance of the course. Coaching terms and conditions will be provided upon application. The cost of the course will be £699 (non-residential) or £850 residential (including 2 nights’ accommodation).

<b>Intended audience</b>
This course is intended for staff or consultants who are engaged in advocacy, civil society capacity building, governance and transparency and accountability programmes in complex environments or ‘fragile states’. It will cover the role that international actors can play in leveraging change in these environments but the primary focus is on change at the national level rather than international. This training draws on elements of the INTRAC ‘Advocacy and Policy Influencing’ and ‘Advocacy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation’ courses but recognises the specific challenges and opportunities of these contexts. The course will attract an international group of experienced practitioners, providing a rich environment for learning and sharing experiences.

<b>Core content areas</b>

The content of the course will be shaped by the learning needs of participants but could include:

• Understanding the challenges of change in contexts with high levels of complexity and fragility.
• Tools to analyse the context for change and how they can be practically used.
• Use of theory of change and impact planning methodologies to support planning, monitoring and evaluation.
• Working within contexts where there is limited space for civil society to engage with government.
• Developing an organisational culture that supports learning and adaptation.
• Managing relationships with donors and civil society partners.
• Use of advocacy and civil society approaches in these contexts (research, popular mobilisation, building networks, coalitions and movements, use of media and engaging with decision makers).
• Peer ‘clinic’ sessions offering opportunities for shared reflection on participants’ own cases studies.

<b>More information</b>

For more information about this course and our other courses please contact the INTRAC Training Team:

Phone: +44 (0)1865 263040/201851
Email: <a href="mailto:training@intrac.org?Subject=INTRAC%20Influencing%20and%20Supporting%20Change%20in%20Complex%20Contexts%20course">
training@intrac.org</a>
Web: <a href="www.intrac.org/pages/en/training.html">www.intrac.org/pages/en/training.html</a>

INTRAC is accredited as a non-collegiate provider by the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education.