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Effective Meeting Skills |
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2 |
Volunteer Education Workshop (Parallel) |
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2.1 |
Education and Literacy Projects |
Page 5 |
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2.2 |
Effective Use of the Media |
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2.3 |
Watershed Development |
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2.4 |
Web Workshop |
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3 |
Open Mike Session |
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Taken directly from the PowerPoint presentation File. (http://www.aidsfbay.org/conf2002/minutes/EffectiveMeetingsv1.ppt)
Running Effective Meetings
Presented by
Nishant Jain
nishj@umich.edu
Session Outline
Common Problems - 5
min
Planning a Meeting - 5
min
Running a Meeting - 5
min
Wrap Up a Meeting - 5
min
Discussion -
10 min
TOTAL - 30 min
o
Just throw out
ideas
o
No judgments
until later
o
No “silly
ideas”
o
Iterative
diverging and converging
o
Determining the
criteria for voting
o
Voting on most
suitable options
Handling
Differences
·
Last 15 minutes
of each meeting
·
Tie up loose
ends
·
Identify Next
Steps
·
Formalize
Assignments
·
Critique the
meeting
Date: 10:15 am - 11:15 am, Sunday, May 26, 2002
Place: Room 15, History Corner, Stanford University
Meeting chair: Netika (netika@hotmail.com)
Present: About 15 volunteers, representing AID-BA, AID-Boston, AID-Austin, AID-Milwaukee, AID-Cincinnati and a couple of other AID chapters, Asha-Silicon Valley and Asha-Stanford.
Netika said she was filling in for Neerja, who was not well, and so had prepared this presentation in a bit of a hurry.
AID-Asha collaboration has been ad hoc so far; mostly focusing on collaboration that starts off on a personal basis, where one AID volunteer knows an Asha volunteer, and they both hit it off.
AID-Asha has co funded about 15 projects so far, not always engaging proactively on that.
There are various groups working to help collaboration between various groups in the US - the Serve India Forum is one (sif2002@yahoogroups.com).
Asha gets projects thru cold calls, leads, proposals etc. Asha raises about 1.2M and distributed 850K. Sanat (AID-Minn) and Ashish (Asha-Stanford) repeatedly mentioned that both organizations - AID and Asha - share a similar background. Asha was started in 1991 with the mission statement to catalyze social change thru education of underprivileged children in India. While the interpretation of the charter is left to individual chapters, Asha would not normally fund something that is as removed from education as watershed development. One suggestion was that AID is more centralized compared to Asha. Asha started in ICA (Indians for Collective Action) before it got its Section 501(c)(3) status.
AID and Asha could work together on the tactical front right now. Joint efforts in fundraising, sharing best practices as well as coordinating fund raising and project administration (such as site visits) would be the starting point.
On a strategic level, the two organizations can proactively engage each other, evaluating proposals together as well as understanding the impact of their work jointly.
There was some conversation on 'impact metrics' also.
This way, we could avoid problems such as the Amjad Ali Khan concert last year. The artist's agent negotiated separately with AID and Asha for his nationwide tour, a process that could have been handled better had AID and Asha coordinated and used leverage with the artist. Asha Silicon Valley and AID-Cincinnati briefly discussed Manik Sarkar's upcoming tour in September.
On the funding end, AID and Asha have in the past collaborated:
Some problems that can be prevented with collaboration are that Asha had blacklisted an organization (Alternatives for India's Development) after Sandeep's visit, and AID still continued to fund the project. Collaboration really helps in monitoring projects.
33% of AID's projects were in the education area.
Asha-India also has the FCRA clearance and has sometimes helped other groups get one-time prior permissions. Asha is also launching its own projects in several places in India with Sandeep working full time. Those who are returning to India are starting a chapter with part-time volunteers in Bangalore.
On the fundraising front, collaboration can be achieved at the local level. Similarly, on the projects front, local projects should meet regularly to identify people to collaborate and to exchange news, best practices etc. Once a quarter, it was felt, is the best frequency for meeting. Project proposals should also be posted on the Serve India Forum.
The current collaboration is in the Vanasthali, Kond and Bihar phase of the Hundred Blocks Project.
One idea was to exchange volunteers for 6 months to learn more about each other's practices.
AID has learned from Asha's site visit document templates. There are other documents available at the Asha website.
Asha Seattle, and Mona Sehgal (Asha-Washington DC) work on projects such as translating children's storybooks.
arun@sorceron.com - Asha fundraising coordinator
aidnews@aidindia.org
aidcoords@yahoo.com
bhaskar@cs.berkeley.edu - Asha projects database
netika@hotmail.com - Meeting chair
raghavan-anand@yahoo.com
Presenters: Savitha and Prashant
S: This session will cover effective use of various methods, tools and techniques for communicating about development, AID activities and our partners. Goal is to set the tone so that people can train and learn
about effectively using media
S: Some q's we will address are:
- Communication with donors
- Targeting media - formatting as much as possible
- How effectively do we communicate across AID? Newsletters , for e.g.
The session will be interactive
Q: Does it make sense for AID to have a common publicity front?
S: This will be done in the workshop session this afternoon
P: I attended SPIN session - it helps non-profit orgs to communicate with media. Book - $20 called SPIN works. Explains what reporters expect.
S: We'll talk about development space, our partners. For e.g., Aruna Roy's speech - alternative radio was interested. Unfortunately equipment was not available.
Relevance of media
- Media in our lives
- Reaching out into the community
- Making our voices heard
- Going beyond our CSH
S: From our viewpoint, how do we communicate? We have to get across our view, make our voices heard, especially if other voices are hogging the airwaves. We have to let people know we exist.
Agenda
- Understanding media
- How and what
- Tools and training
- Resources
Media
- Establish the news
- Identify the news
- Target your audience
- Frame the issue
- Craft your strategic media message
- CREATE A MEDIA PLAN
- How to bug reporters
S: example. Bhopal: News is people suffering. Target audience: Indians in Bay Area and elsewhere.
How our issue appeals to audiences depends on how we frame the issue. If we frame it as a corporate issue, it will appeal to some people and as globalization others.
Donors like the developmental angle.
First few paragraphs of the article should catch attention
Think about what you want to get published and what you want from media.
S: Some issues can be framed around diff perspectives. Once as human tragedy, another time as corporate mishandling with Union Carbide/ Dow etc.
Q: Getting media attention is very difficult
S: Write an interesting story – very important
- First and last paragraph should be attractive
- PR relations and contact: One person should develop constant relationship with media
- Press is interested in bio write-up. Send AID write-up with any event announcement, issue article etc.
- Use a ‘hook’
Developing message/story:
- The problem
- The solution
- A call to action
Our message should be clear in our mind.
Place op-eds. Use the Internet –
Tools/equipment for producing content for radio, TV etc:
- Focus on mobile kit
- Mini DV camera
- Content for Internet
Terms
- Mini disk
- MP3
- Quicktime: general type of file for visual media
- Mono most common format for radio, stereo for music
Radio
- Use community radio
- Recording systems: DAT, analog, mini discs, newer digital recorders
Community radio usually covers progressive issues.
Record all sessions with invited speakers
Analog recorders – hard to edit
Mini disc – can take in mike inputs. Use mixer to send output to mini disc. Connect mini disc to audio card of PC and convert to MP3 etc.
You can produce content if reporter is not present. Mini disc -$100-$300
Suggestion: Use univ resources for recording
Q: Mixers?
S: Mixers usually available. So no extra equipment required.
Q: Content is not a problem – 2 CD’s about HBP have already been developed
Q: What issues should we concentrate on? Should we develop teams to further promote issues?
S: Content is the issue. It is important to develop a media kit and good broadcast quality content.
Q: how do we use media to create a concrete mage?
Q: Advocacy in media – any side effects? What impact?
P: Branding – answer should contain message. Use ‘sustainability’ 3 times in a sentence!
Q: How do we get our content out?
P: South Asian Journalist’s association (SAJA): saja.org. Link into them. Try Indian orgs in your geographical area.
Suggestion: AID-Troy conducted a live project discussion. They used univ resources (radio) and even got call-ins. They collected groups to listen in to discussions.
Websites
Suggestion: Send press releases for EVERY event. Put your chapter website on every search engine.
(A film Savitha made on a
Farmers’ market was shown)
S: It is important to develop a story, a script. There is some essence of creativity involved along with some specific skills. Something specific with making video – it is a collaborative effort. When you are holding the camera, people won’t talk to you. You need to have someone else conduct the interview.
People can help you edit the content. Have them watch the video, write about what happened, what was said, at what time etc.
Key points: Have a team.
Take a radio-journalism course.
A lot of recording software freely available: www.minidisc.org
Poster from AID Dallas on different aspects of drought – why it happens, solutions etc.
How do all of us relate to water ?
Several litres of water to wash ourselves…etc. we relate in a certain way
Water availability is not an issue for us at all
But <picture1> shows that water scarcity is something they have to deal with on an everyday basis. We can also relate to this since we have come from India.
What is the water used for ?Can we relate to <picture2> Where the soil needs the water.
Talk is about use of water for agriculture and maintaining the natural resources of the village. This is an alien situation for us.
This is something that’s very important for everyone, particularly AID volunteers to be able to look at an issue from the point of view of farmers, and those who are engaged in agriculture -- from the point of view of people who are dependent on natural resources for their daily livelihood. But 80-90% people whom we try to target fall under this category.
Issue of globalization – the things that come to our mind are coke,nike etc…but the important parameters for people in villages has to do with what’s happening with water, govt. policies on agriculture etc. This will take us closer to the rural development work we want to do.
<picture3> - Alwar district…work of Tarun Bharag Sangh in Rajasthan . Key point behind that change is water
Say there is a canal flowing -- there are always regions which get water from the canal, and those which don’t. Where the land exists determines the economic status etc. Even if we abolish untouchability, the situation of land will determine many other factors. It will determine whether I have to migrate seasonally, whether my children will get higher education, whether my family will have enough food.
<picture4>. Sukhomajhri – village in Haryana . Low rainfall – 400-500 mm per year. By mid 1970s, land was barren, degraded, deforested etc.
That’s when change started happening – P.N.Mishra initiated the work. First step towards greening the area is to stop the water in the village. Located in hilly area, and water runs off. Also avoid uncontrolled grazing. These two points are the starting point. Then, forest department gets convinced to allow the people to manage watershed themselves. Villages levy fee for collecting fodder. Tree cover went up from 30 per hectare to 1272 per hectare (100m x 100m).
It’s not just the rules, but how the formulation and implementation happens. Their approach is chakriya vikas pranali – the output generated from the work is used as inputs back into the system. How timber extraction is done while water is regenerated ?
Hill Resource Management society formed in late 1970s.
Types of trees - Khair trees. HRMS ensures equity in distribution of water from watershed management. The use of water is restricted by social fencing, and is collectively enforced. Forest department shares the wealth with the villagers. People who had land will contribute to the common pool, so community will make use of it so that even landless will get a say in the usage of land. Govt. used to lease the forest to couple of private companies to sell bhabber grass. Then it was given directly to villagers.
But then there were some unpleasant developments too.
Tarun Bharat Sangh. Well known efforts in Rajasthan – worked on where johad should be constructed etc. Women involved in construction. Water is stopped, which retains and recharges water in that area. General approach is that community should be allowed to manage the resources.
Land situation in India. About 300 million hectares of land we have data for. 1/3rd used actively used for agriculture. 1/3rd cannot be used for some reason (mountains, rocky areas, urban areas). But there’s about 1/3rd is not used for agri. Again different categories – land which has become degraded because top soil is gone. Also includes areas which is technically forest area, but currently have no trees.
Arid, and semi-arid areas are expanding.
Drought situation – very bad…though we hear only about very few places. 9/16 districts drought-prone in Chattisgarh, 31/32 in Rajasthan, 21/36 in Maharasthra etc.
Exploitation of groundwater is also extensive (Punjab, Haryana)
Couple of points made about water table becoming lower, and groundwater poisoning.
Is there a water problem? India has one of the highest average annual rainfall (1150 mm).
Out of 400 mi. ha m, only 100 is retained in the soil.
Can we catch water where it falls? Not only from the perspective of human use, but also the perspective of returning it to nature.
What is a watershed?
About looking at and doing development planning in a different way. Devt. Planning is right now done based on social and political units. There’s village, panchayat, block etc. But the ecology or environment does not come into picture necessarily. So, watershed development is not just techniques for water conservation, but also on different units of development. A unit has to be tied to the eco-system. Watersheds can be of different sizes. Micro-watersheds can be a unit for planning development. (500-1000 hectares is considered unit of planning). There are higher and lower elevations, and certain ways the water flows. So based on this, how and where to plant which trees etc.
<picture> - Treatment of slopes….Grow different trees on different altitudes – called treatment of slope.
Techniques for soil/water conservation:
Terrace bunding: (<picture>): Build bunds using local material using stones etc. When water is flowing, it is stopped and it seeps in. The soil also erodes and collects.
Next generation terrace bunds.
Reduce height of bund to build. If slope is steeper, build more bunds.
Trench-bund system: Dig trenches at strategic points. So water when it flows down has opportunity to seep in. Trench is 3-D structure.
Staggered trenches: If very big hill, lot of digging to do. So little trenches not going all across the hill. But at each level, trenches only at certain sections of the hill. Depth seems to be just a meter or so.. Depends on water flow etc. In Ralegon Siddhi, trenches are not too deep. In Khammam dist., it is quite deep. Over the years, trench also gets filled and generates its own soil. But trees and bunds will still be stopping water.
But, watershed development is not just about techniques – but how the community is involved in the work and who controls how the water should be used and distributed. Using watershed development as a unit of planning brings ecology and environment into picture. Equity in water distribution – when new water resources are developed, there’s scope for determining how water is distributed.
When dam is built, and canal takes water….water distribution reinforces inequities built already. Those who have the land. Determine that every family gets water. Can build an institutional mechanism where the water can be used as a right to earn other leasing rights etc.
How you store water determines who controls it ? Small checkdam – community which built will have control. For large dams, its state controlled. How watershed work is done – whether it is govt. programme and top-down. Local institutional mechanisms adopted for distributing water.
Community arrangement examples: Gram sabha has resolutions on how water is going to be used BEFORE the water scheme is implemented.
i) Enough water for domestic use for everyone
ii) Kitchen garden of ¼ acre for everyone
iii) protective irrigation for 2 acres per family. When you build check dam and hold water, if rain fails there should be some backup for irrigation.
iv) Commercial plantation – last priority.
This particular list was from a place in Sholapur, where they are practicing low-input agriculture.
What are the current trends in terms of water management ?
All the experiments and new developments have been happening in last 2 decades. In many cases, this is pioneering work and is revolutionary world class in India. Now, what are we doing in the larger policy agenda ? We are doing things exactly in the opposite way ? These people are working to remove the control of water from central/state govts. to community. The WB is also identifying that govt. is inefficient. But how to address it – the WB
Meeting Attendees
Apur Mody - Atlanta
Priya Ranjan - College Park
Ajit Natarajan - Bay Area
Shawn Jain - Austin
Arvind Raghavan - L.A.
Vinod Srinivasan - Texas A&M
Anand Narasimhamurthy - State College
Siddharth Rele - Bay Area
Arun Kumar Srinivasan - South Florida
Shanthan R Toodi - Kansas
http://www.vedas.com in Boston - Linux server with Apache, capable of handling Perl scripts
Server down time - their ISP went down - moved to register.com
Self-managing server - concern about hackers?
Only one security measure - telnet access, move to SSH.
Someone sending AID news virus email. Consider hosting own web server.
Treasury being web-based.
2 1.6 GHz PCs from HNS (Hughes Network Systems)
Two servers - one in Vedas & one in volunteers house - look into by Naga
High-grade encryption, server now won't handle
Right now, we have 700 MB, used already 500 MB, need to obtain more
Host website at http://www.aidindia.org/sandiego
Multiple system admin - only Jitin right now knows root password, send to Naga
1) /home/httpd/html/sandiego - only 5 MB to each chapter,
scripting capability in cgi-bin directory - not right now.
projects database, forums,
how much space with new server? decide on quota
100 hits/day, higher disk space - maybe 20 GB
PPT files, word files need to upload.
AID chapter identity of own, move most of information to AID homepage or
AID chapter info in local chapters
2) redirection html - include in index.html
AID coords - move out of yahoogroups.
Invest more money for system,
One should write proposal, make sure money is well spent.
Invest in hardware, one time costs,
4 servers - 2 older ones.
New treasury system - very powerful database needed
Email to sandiego@aidindia.org - put office bearers in list
Edit with .forward (limit to number of aliases - one)
One email to contact donors (21 mailmans - one for each chapter)
Now in yahoogroups - moving to mailman
Comparison between mailman and yahoogroups
Mailman - mailing & archives, moderator, etc
Yahoo Groups - more than mailman, database, photos, chat
How do you create mailman? Email Webmaster to create account
Forward agenda GUI based interface (PERL script) to all chapters - Naga/Priya
Check out at MD website
/chapter.pl - chapter contacts
should we store minutes locally - options, decide later.
Events
events@aidindia.org (alias comes to webmaster & two other portals)
www.aidindia.org/chapters/chapters.html
Too much information on the main page
shouldn't have to scroll
searches go to empty pages
Need content editors
Technical
Content editors
HBP - Gopal - 3 people
44 people - only 10 technical leads - need management people
Separate into 3 groups
Donors database - online - very few people know they can update- provide Hands on tutorial (Priya)
Start using existing features
SSH - agenda
Search
Volunteer
Feedback
Main page - should not scroll down, highlight main points
Scrolling news page to go over upcoming events - Boston chapter
Survey - what do people want
Navigation should be easy
Not design, should be usability
Send web page format to Naga - Nishant Jain from Austin
AIDers Zone - make secure
Split main page into two main customers
1) Volunteers
2) Interested in joining AID
3) Companies/Donors
Need people who are not affiliated with chapters
Keep timeline
Nishant - Overall walk-through/critique
Look and feel - Aravind Nagaraj
Priya - Donors tutorial
GUI based interface - Priya/Naga
New chapters/ accounts - Aravind
Content editor - Apur
Projects Database - Suresh
Treasury System - Suresh & Murali
Survey/Feedback - Naga
Portals for publicizing events - Aravind/Malini (Boston)
Section lead for publications - Aravind
Write problem description for phone forwarding - Priya/Vinod
Clear Quest or Bugzilla Tracker - Arun & Priya
First to communicate, then to respond
Treasury system - space for complaints
Computer to direct to chapter phone numbers
Preliminary analysis of cost
Phone donation/credit card -
Interdepartmental communication - not effective
Projects Database - Suresh
Implemented at Boston
viewing a database, add to database, update, search, sign_in
Link photos and gallery system - Suresh
Visit coordination - add to system
Minutes section link
Check request link, online approval with treasury
When project received date
When project discussed date
Use projects proposal summary for new pages
Doc to pdf converter
Photos with caption
Convention for ID
Approval Issues(Priya)
More than one chapter involved in approval
Approval over phone
Many-to-one mapping from project to chapter
Two proj. coordinator mapped to each project - backup system
Project transition
Take existing data from old system into new system
Accountability is an issue. How do we deal with it?
Grameen bank: make one person responsibility, also make a group responsibility. Somebody from the group. Someone can be complacent. You have to be strategic. Moral contract, not a written one.
Ann arbor: used a theatre. Group cohesion. We should fire them up!
Gokul(Austin), Lot of people are not committed?? Give responsibilities to new volunteers and let them do all the work. If they need help do something.. Come up with standard roles.
Om : two questions, how does the work get done. One solution, documentation.
Second solution: have a backup.
Third solution: How to have it work.
Rajeev
Natarajan: ecological footprint
Ecological footprint
What is EF?
Some common questions..
How to ?
Caveats and other interesting observations.
What is EF?(redefining progress)
Defined as the land and water area required to support a required human population and material standard indefinitely.
Fair share value 1.5 ha = 3.7 acres
If everyone lived like today’s NA , we would need at least two Additional planet earths!!
Some common questions:
Isn’t it too pretentious? I mean, we still don’t know how a single-cell bacteria works.
How can we claim complex interactions.
How about trade? Are you totally against it?
Based on 2 law of thermodynamics,
Technology: why don’t we simply efficiency of our machines?
EF calculations
Food footprint
Takes 3000 miles before it reaches the person, good and service footprint.
Transportation (we came 3500 miles to come and discuss “sustainable development”, housing , energy use, location and climate : national index will include the trade practices of the country you reside, the amount of pollution in the countries you reside. For the instance you live in the US will increase it by 1.5 times.
,green practices, others like work, income, population, pollution.
Caveats and interesting observations
Accuracy
Medha/aruna and an AID volunteer
Slavery ( most efficient use is to walk or animal power. If you use human power, you are
Energy efficient, but it has more far reaching observations It is not a
Individual vs. collective
Check out:
Anupa: talk about communal
violence.
After an informal talk we had, this is something we like people to think about. I know aid has a sustainable development with grass roots development as a vehicle.With all the communal violence in Gujarat, it has brought the divisive forces of religion. It is important to think about funding projects or funding seminars for inter religions event.
What I feel each one of us grow with certain values. We are taught certain values at home, we imbibe more values . there will be an individual value and a community value.
Live, let live. Encroaching on somebody’s territory. It brings out negative ness in people.
Should we take a secular stand? Whether we get artists. Should we have formally drafted?
Sewa is a critical needs of the component. We have to be very clear about the kind of organizations we are supporting in India. Organization do not spread certain kind of hatred or indifference.
Secular should mean acceptance not tolerance.
Malini: the whole thing starts when you are a kid and it gets built up. When we deal with the projects, we can have NGO’s have a special session for communal harmony.
(Uma)I think we should we cannot eradicate divisioness. I was raised as a Hindu. There is one god, why are we even talking about religious.
I don’t want to bring the concept of religion.
Srini (Cincinnati)US, we can take a pledge for tolerance. National campaign,. We are all human beings, and we need a root. Civilization has somehow brought religion into this. How do we deal with be able to walk together. For 2 people to walk together, they should be either weak , or 2 strong and recognize each other in each territory. We should go in the path of strong people.
Should AID take an active role. Not taking a stand is a stand itself.
Rachna and John (Form
theatre)..whole Bhopal.
No more Bhopals, no more Bhopals, no more bhopals, no more bhopals, ( with a chant)
We went to protest, Dr.Trivedi came, and he gave a great speech. Sathyu ( member of clinic).
Local papers carried the protest. We want to do it next year, bigger. More awareness of the issues.
John: I am doing evaluation of video project. Really want to do a project. I was working on putting together lot of NGO’s want to make a videos for them. I want to spend couple of months in each village. (people clapped)
Aid arbor, is doing a form theatre tomorrow. It involves some role playing and stuff.
Not being Indian an AID. I am having a good time.
Form theatre ( designed by brazil) using dance and drama to help cope with violence.
It is from 10-12.
Personal demographics, there is no Muslim. Only 5 Gujaratis. have lots of undergrads.
We need to encourage having an young people. Who have the time, who have creativity. It is important to reach out to undergrads. Lots of people born in the US. We care about the culture and preserving it. These are all untapped sources .
I have some personal connection with Bhopal. We are questioning the government
How do we spend the money. Arrest the warren Anderson? He is naturally gone to hiding.
We do know the other side of thing. We know the entire picture of Bhopal. Protest for contamination.
Each one is AID and never forget that. As long as your associating with the concept.
Alka roy: sharing poems, I wrote.
Looking for those old and new answers. Just finished it 2 minutes ago.
……[ need to get it from her ]
It was just an amazing narration ..
sastry varalamani: (play the flute)- Bombay theme.
aid Austin tells me to use this as a fundraiser.
Introduce music to the chapter. I will play a small tune which I just have picked up.
Came to the conference because of the AID Austin chapter.
Karuna Muthiah ( short pitch
for oneforaid)
Thanksgiving - started.
Similar to work an hour.
We will leave up to the individual to determine how much we can give.
Dr. Bhagat pledge his whole house for AID last year.
We are going to do it this year also. Thanks for participating. We want to make it a co-ordinate effort. Last time we raised $10,000.