A Programme and Advocacy training Seminar for Programme Directors took place in Lisbon, Portugal, on 23-24 February 2018. Programme Directors from 18 Unions within SIE were represented.
The Seminar dealt with four different topics followed by an interactive part. The participants were divided into groups and, the groups were rolled over for each new subject. It was a very good opportunity to get to know all participants.
Part 1: What is the current situation within the various unions? – Two participants teamed up to share the projects of their respective Unions, the areas of focus and special topics within the programme team. The answers were presented in the plenary session.
Part 2: Focusing on the biennium theme “We Stand Up for Women” – The task was to develop an exemplary project from the “bank of ideas”. The idea was to engage Unions/Clubs to become dynamic project developers. This time four unions cooperated to present their projects and to discuss how to move forward.
Part 3: Project matching, cooperation between Unions – One group suggested a project and indicated their requirements to another group. This by implementing a project on the elimination of violence against women.
Part 4: Presentation by the Advocacy Team – The organisers presented a business plan and bullet points about Advocacy. The interactive part centred on case studies. The different unions had the opportunity to present some of their Advocacy projects. Participants then discussed what is an exemplary project. There was an inspiring presentation and an exchange that demonstrated how different our situations are.
The programme closed with an excellent presentation by the SIE Administration on Programme Focus Report (PFR), which is a very important part of the Programme Director’s responsibility.
We look back on a weekend with a lot of inspiring people and many new ideas. The seminar was held in an open and inclusive setting. A warm thank you to PD Ingeborg Dietz, Assistant PD Inge Withof, SIE VP Advocacy Elizabeth Otieno Nyadwe and not to forget the SIE HQ team from Geneva.
Centre: Elizabeth Otieno Nyadwe, SIE VP Advocacy, and Oddveig Stevning, PD Union of Norway
This article was written by Oddveig Stevning, PD Union of Norway