ActionAid Denmark has produced a new guide on how organisations can use skillshares as part of projects working with humanitarian projects. The guide is free to download below.
The guide’s production is funded by the EU Aid Volunteers Initiative (EUAVI) and is a part of AA Denmark’s Gender Sensitive Humanitarian Aid Volunteering (GESHAVO) project.
The skillshare guide is intended to be used by anyone with an interest in running skillshare activities as a means to share learning and insight within projects or wider work. While its content can be applied to skillshares in a wide range of topics, it is particularly relevant to those working in the humanitarian field. Examples of skillshares and links to other documentation and resources in this guide are primarily drawn from the work of Federation members, especially those who participated in the GESHAVO project (ActionAid Denmark, ActionAid Hellas, ActionAid International Kenya, ActionAid Zambia, and ActionAid Zimbabwe).
The guide is structured around the following sections, all of which are designed to give a feel for how skillshares can be used to share and embed learning throughout projects, teams, and organisations: what is a skillshare and when can it be used; tips for running skillshare events; examples of skillshare events; and further resources for undertaking skillshares.
The guide draws on the experience of the GESHAVO project in which ActionAid Zimbabwe hosted a skillshare towards the end of the project which was also attended by staff from ActionAid International Kenya and ActionAid Zambia. As with many skillshares, the event focused on highlighting good practice, experience, lessons, and insight from the project and the wider work of the partners. A further example drawn upon in the guide is another ActionAid event, held in Amman, in which partners used the skillshare approach to help define a position statement (another common way in which skillshares can be used), this time on their approach to protection and resilient livelihoods in protracted crises.
The EUAVI is a long-term volunteering initiative for citizens and residents of EU countries to volunteer overseas to support humanitarian work. The programme provides practical support to humanitarian aid projects and contributes to strengthening the local capacity and resilience of disaster-affected communities. It was launched in 2015 and has since sent nearly 400 volunteers to countries throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America for periods between one and 18 months. Volunteers are hosted by a local organisation in country during their placement.
For more information on the project, please email Nick Ockenden.