As 2021 draws to a close, Scott has recently returned from facilitating a large hybrid retreat in Thailand for UN Asia-Pacific Region Education staff. Over 100 people from Turkmenistan to Samoa took part, 30 in-person and 70+ online.

The theme was “connecting and reconnecting” nationally, regionally, and with new plans for delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals. The main focus was on SDG 4: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. Scott noted:

The energy and commitment of the folks I had the privilege to work with was amazing. There was a real focus on how to deliver in practical ways that worked for local stakeholders and the donor community. Still, at a time when needs are even greater, whether COVID-related or conflict-related (for Afghanistan and Myanmar delegates especially) funding sources seem even harder to locate.”

Scott has written a follow-up report for UNESCO, and guidelines on how to run a large hybrid event. Feel free to reach out to us if you’re curious about how to run this kind of event in your own work.

Check out these useful follow-up references from our partners:

• 13 December 2021, The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery – https://en.unesco.org/news/state-global-education-crisis-path-recovery
• Global indicators for SDG 4. http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/11-global-indicators-sdg4-cheat-sheet-2018-en.pdf
• UNESCO Bangkok website. https://bangkok.unesco.org/index.php/content/unesco-bangkok

As a voluntary initiative, Mind the Gap recently completed a community consultation to contribute to the Land Management Plan for Balloch Woods being undertaken by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS).

Balloch Woods are 93 hectares of community woodland behind the village of Creetown, where Mind the Gap has its offices. The three main objectives of the management plan are:

1. Boosting local community involvement, including issues of access and contributions to people’s health,
2. Biodiversity goals that include conversion to broadleaf or mixed conifer woodlands, while
3. Restoring priority habitats such as Ancient and Semi Natural Woodland.

The consultation revealed high levels of community interest in Balloch Wood, appreciation for involvement in the LMP process, and enthusiasm for local engagement in decisions about the Woods. Some of the key takeaways from the consultation included:

• The woods are very popular and much appreciated. People have a variety of reasons for visiting them – often more than one reason. The main reasons given were to relax and get fresh air; mental health and well-being; and to be with friends or family.
• The woods are especially appreciated for being safe, local and accessible; for bringing a sense of peace and tranquility; connection to nature; and changing through the seasons.
• Top priorities for questionnaire respondents were clear. These were: to improve drainage on muddy, wet paths; better information boards/signage; replacing the old bridge; general maintenance and enhancing habitat.
• People are in broad agreement with the draft Land Management Plan goals and proposals, including:
  • Boosting community engagement and access for people’s health and wellbeing
  • Supporting proposals to remove the dead/diseased larch as soon as is practical
  • Generally favouring native tree species, and
  • Agreeing with FLS’s ambitions for priority habitat restoration and biodiversity.

A big thanks to all those in the village who completed questionnaires or took part in interviews and a focus group, especially given how the consultation was constrained by COVID regulations. Special thanks to friends at the Balloch Wood Community Venture and to FLS staff in Newton Stewart.

To learn more about the consultation and what we found, check out the report here!

Mind the Gap is pleased to be offering a free online training in project management at the Digital East Africa Cup 2021. Our training is on Designing Successful Projects: A practical introduction to project design and management and will take place on Zoom on Friday 26th June, from 13:00-14:30 EAT. In this training you will learn from Dr. Scott Jones about the essential elements of successful project design, running stakeholder analyses, and determining objectives, risks and indicators for monitoring and evaluation. Register for Mind the Gap’s session and the other EAC 2021 sessions by clicking here.

The East Africa Cup is an annual educational, cultural and social event held end of June in Moshi, Tanzania (and online during COVID-19). It currently involves 500–2000 youth participants and more than twenty organizations from up to nine countries, including South Sudan, Somalia/Somaliland, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Rwanda, Burundi, and Zambia.

The EAC provides a platform for cultural exchange, education and training in life skills to help young people understand their own potential to make a difference. These skills reflect the daily challenges young people – both able and disabled – face in their own respective environments. And the EAC provides a showcase of the various approaches to using sports and culture as a development tool in a deeply engaging and successful cross-cultural context.

Sessions at the EAC 2021 are based on the fundamental understanding that culture can be a tool for awareness-building and bridge-building between cultures. Other sessions besides Mind the Gap’s project management training include leadership training, conflict resolution, child protection, poverty issues, urban and rural (including making agriculture cool!) youth challenges, interfaith dialogue, inclusion of disabled in community development, media training and use of social media, film and animation, training in use of cartoons, cultural tools (drama, dance, music), HIV Aids awareness and WASH (hygiene/clean water etc.). Sports-specific sessions include coach training, referee training and first aid/sports medicine, both preventive and curative.