GET ORGANISED: Strengthening our base and the impact of our action
A space for member-led learning, exchange and development co-organised with Dignity International
EAPN’s Learning Forum: 21-25 May, Laulasmaa, Estonia
Under the 2012-2014 Strategic Plan, EAPN decided to organise an EAPN Learning Forum in 2013. The Learning Forum was an open member-led meeting addressing core issues for EAPN’s development as a strong anti-poverty network. It was not intended as a space to develop new EU proposals, but as an open space to value the work of the members and to get inspiration from each other’s initiatives.
EAPN co-organised the event with its global partner Dignity International, learning from the GET ORGANISED study sessions which they have been holding for a number of years. Dignity International is a global anti-poverty organisation bringing together partners from different continents and areas of the world. EAPN is the European Partner in Dignity International.
For more information about Dignity International, please visit www.dignityinternational.org.
EAPN also coordinated with EAPN Estonia, the network which hosted this event, on the format of the programme, including its goal and objectives.
Useful documents
- Programme and background note
- Practical information
- List of participants
- Communications media – Capturing the good moments of the Learning Forum!
- Contact details of the organising team of the Learning Forum
- Draft evaluation form – to fill in still and send by email to rebecca.lee@eapn.eu
- Some information on the community project visits
Goals and Objectives
MAIN GOAL: Strengthen the base, build on the understanding and trust among members and develop a better collective vision and work as EAPN.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
- To strengthen the membership base of EAPN by involving new activists and learning from practices that have a direct impact on fighting poverty and social exclusion;
- To contribute to a bottom-up member-led agenda in EAPN and to give more visibility to the variety of actions and approaches that members carry out in their national realities, and connecting them better to the EU-level work;
- To give value to the participation of activists with direct experience of poverty in EAPN’s work and policy-making and take forward the implementation of Goal 3 of EAPN’s Strategic Plan;
- To strengthen the trust and cooperation between EAPN members including between National Networks and European Organisations.
Participants
The Learning Forum brought together
- 59 EAPN members
- delegations of 54 members from 24 National Networks. These included generally a person from the leadership of the National Network and an activist/person with direct experience of poverty who has become active in the Network.
- A representative from 5 of our European Organisation members.
The participants in the Learning Forum should be able to have taken home the learning and try to integrate some of it in the work of their National Network/European Organisation.
- 15 Dignity International members (from amongst its global partners)
Participative preparation & methodology
The Learning Forum encouraged an “action and solution” oriented spirit. Based on the Executive Committee endorsement of the framework of the event, a reference team of a representative from EAPN Estonia, the EAPN secretariat and Dignity International finalised the programme, and practical preparation of the Learning Forum.
Once the list of participants was finalised, they contacted all of them to see
- what they would like to learn
- what workshops they could run in the skills-sharing session
The Learning Forum was therefore planned and run actively by the participants. It was organised using non-formal methods and in English with participants providing each other with informal interpretation support, as practiced in other meetings of EAPN, to ensure that people who don’t speak English also got the chance to contribute.
We sought out links with local activists to strengthen the solidarity and learning and EAPN Estonia organised community visits to give a chance of learning about the local reality.
FOLLOW UP
Report
The complete report of the Learning Forum is now out!! Access all the presentations in it, ideas, quotes and more.
Videos
Hear the impressions of some participants – both from EAPN & Dignity International – and see what they learnt about:
- Fintan Farrell, EAPN Director, on the aims of the Learning Forum
- Sonja Leemkuil, member of the EAPN EU Inclusion Strategy steering group and her learning from an Estonian community visit
- Tijah Yok Chopil’s experience as global organising partner, Dignity International Malaysia
- Richard Finch, EAPN England, and what he will take back from the Forum
- Dignity International’s visual demonstration of their goals and working methods
Photos
Here are the collective photo-albums from the 4 days – with a big thank you to the photographers: Nele Hendrikson, Sasho Jovanov, Stanislav Mrozek, Alexandre Jutant, Goran Dahlberg, Rebecca Lee, Carmen Pamplona, Saviour Grima, Birgitta Oberg, Amana Ferro, Georgina Galanopoulou and Gianni Papa:
You can still upload your own photos too. Instructions are here.
Social Media
See the Facebook page of the event, and join the Facebook group set up by the participants, to continue to keep in touch.
You can follow all tweets about the Learning Forum by accessing Twitter and searching for #eapnlearning.
Any question?
If you have any question, don’t hesitate to contact Tanya Basarab tanya.basarab@eapn.eu – +32 (0) 2 226 58 53