The following article was generously contributed to us by Kenneth Fullerton of PlaNet Finance. kfullerton@planetfinance.org
On Monday 2nd February 2015, approximately 30 industry stakeholders gathered at the Sunlight Safehouse training room in the 305 Memorial Institute for Child Health and Development to learn more about United Way South Africa’s vision and strategy to regenerate Johannesburg’s inner city. Key to that vision is United Way’s belief that a good life includes a quality education that leads to a stable job and enough income to support a family through retirement and good health. As such their three key focus areas are Education, Health and Income.
Workshop participants involved in community debates.
United Way, the world’s largest privately supported non-profit organization, is a worldwide movement of nearly 1,800 community based United Ways in 41 countries and territories. It advances the common good by focusing on three key themes of education, health and income – the building blocks for a good quality of life. The United Way movement mobilizes millions to action – to give, advocate and volunteer – to improve conditions in their communities. It envisions a world where all individuals and families achieve their human potential. To date it has successfully raised over $US 5.14 billion through 10 million donors, and it has engaged with over 2.9 million volunteers all around the world.
The United Way “Live United” approach.
Hosted by Samantha Stern, a well-known facilitator and youth development consultant, the workshop proved to be very productive with interesting debate and lively contributions made by covering a wide range of organizations and development challenges and interests. Opportunities were given for participants to engage each other in one-on-one discussions, work in small groups and as a full group. While working together in small groups and focusing on United Way’s three core themes of education, health and income each group was asked to come up with different ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goals’ (BHAGs) as potential solutions to many of the challenges affecting youth, not only the inner city of Johannesburg, but also in many other under developed communities across South Africa and the continent. Participants were encouraged to share the names and details of other organizations and programs operating in the sector who were not present at the workshop in order to gain an improved understanding of what is currently happening in the sector, who is operating in it, and who else can contribute to the sustainable development objective.
Workshop participants discussing and debating issues, challenges and stakeholders in Health.
Workshop participants discussing and debating issues, challenges and role players in Education.
In keeping with United Way’s vision and mission, along with the stakeholders present, it was agreed that meaningful and productive collaboration is important in addition to the successful formation of cross-cutting sector partnerships. The setting and understanding of a common goal can enable different stakeholders – all with different specific skills and experience – to form a partnership and achieve a greater impact or outcome. This belief keeps in line with the expression, first used by the German psychiatrist Gestalt, that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’.
Discussions around partnerships, how they can be formed and how they can best be used led to further discussions around the Results Based Accountability (RBA) methodology. Charlotte Tervit of eTeach Youth Projects–a keen proponent of the RBA methodology–was in attendance and was able to explain RBA, how it works, why it is so simple to understand and master, and why it is beneficial. United Way South Africa, who also attended the inaugural RBA conference in South Africa held in late 2014, have expressed a strong desire to adopt the RBA methodology in many of the projects and programs that they support throughout South Africa. This process is currently ongoing but other participants at the workshop had also attended the 2014 South African RBA conference and were familiar with RBA.
For more information about the Results Based Accountability (RBA) methodology please contact Mrs Laureen Rwatirera, of Accelerate Performance, on laureen@accelerateperformance.co.za. Alternatively contact Clear Impact on info@clearimpact.com.
Article written on 05 February 2015 by:
Ken Fullerton (PlaNet Finance)
kfullerton@planetfinance.org
