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By Martin Gilbraith in London
ICA International (ICAI) is the global network of the Institute of Cultural Affairs with member organisations and related groups in over 40 countries. Increasingly, online gatherings play a key role across the network. ICAI convenes such gatherings three times per year for three regional time zone groups – Asia/Pacific, the Americas, and Europe/Middle East and North Africa/Africa.
These gatherings are open to all ICA members, staff and volunteers, who can also attend the gatherings of a region other than their own if they wish. The initial gatherings this year were held on March 25 and 26, and attracted 25 people from 17 countries.
The aims of the gatherings are to link up ICAs and their members, facilitate peer to peer support and collaboration, build and strengthen relationships; share information; hold ICAI accountable; seek input and support to strengthen the network; and advance our mission.
The agenda this time included introductions, activity reports with questions and discussion, a brief review of the latest ICAI business plan and a preview of draft plans for a global ICA network survey, and a closing reflection.
Topics discussed included:
- New groups emerging in France and Colombia, and ICAs re-emerging in Guatemala, Croatia and Brazil
- Peer to peer support & collaboration between UK & Spain, UK & Togo, Taiwan & France, Taiwan & China, Japan & India, Cote D’Ivoire & Japan, Tanzania & Canada, Guatemala & Chile, Chile & Colombia, Brazil & Colombia
- New projects and achievements in Ukraine, Spain, Kenya, Zimbabwe, USA, Nepal, Peru, Guatemala
- The face-to-face annual ICA European interchange held in Paris earlier in March
- Translation of curriculum and materials into French and Russian
- The impact of financial constraints on programmes and operating structures, and the challenge of sustaining core funding & sales of services
- Challenges of defining and communicating identity, mission & strategy, sustaining focus on both local and global priorities and managing skills development & transition of people
- Developing relations between ICA and IAF
- Global co-ordination on ToP facilitation and training, as more and more markets overlap
- A proposed new ICA Americas network for sustainable development
- Proposals for international ToP facilitation training of training initiatives in Europe and in Latin America
- Confirmation that ICAI’s UN consultative status remains valid with ECOSOC, FAO and UNESCO
- Draft plans and questions for a thorough survey of the global ICA network, to gather & share basic information as a platform for expanding peer to peer support & collaboration
Comments by participants included:
- Very good facilitation
- Great conversations before and during the call
- Ran smoothly – a good survey of what others are doing at their ICAs
- Appreciated quick introductions with what people are currently doing/thinking about
- Great to connect with you all
- The ICAI business plan is broad and yet specific enough to measure what you plan to be doing
- Great UN status report and actions already moved forward
- Adobe Connect is excellent
- Great to hear what is going on, and to think about potential partnerships
- Great to talk, listen and exchange ideas
- The technology is great and ever easier to use. VERY well organized meeting!
- It would be nice to have more present, especially from other countries - please all invite others to join next time!
- Maybe a little more next time on brainstorming regional activities- what are clear regional next steps?
- Need to look at topics across the regions as well as within regions - host meetings on ToP expansion, IToPToT etc.
- Please continue to connect with each other between meetings
- THANK YOU all, good night, hasta luego!
A full transcript of the gatherings has been circulated – please ask if you’d like a copy. You can also watch & listen to recordings of the three meetings online by following the links below. They are each around an hour long, but you can fast forward, rewind and navigate from section to section as you wish:
The gatherings also provide an opportunity for us to develop our expertise in virtual meetings and virtual facilitation, to the benefit of our work with clients, partners and each other. They use Adobe Connect online meeting software, the platform of choice for many virtual ToP facilitators. Each meeting is preceded by time for an orientation to the technology for newcomers and technical support for those who need it.
ICAI is grateful for the technical support volunteered by the US-based Sisters of Virtual Facilitation in developing and hosting these gatherings over recent years. The online training in virtual ToP facilitation offered by ICA USA (the ‘bootcamp’) is highly recommended for anyone interested in a more thorough grounding in the tools and skills – details are at www.ica-usa.org.
If you weren’t able to join the March gatherings, please look out for the next in July. Please also let me or another ICAI Board member know if there is anything that we can do to make these online gatherings more valuable and accessible to you.
Below Screen Shots from the sessions show the variety of interactive components available to facilitators and participants to use during their on-line conference.
Click on each thumbnail to enlarge
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