SPYWDP Action

Handbook

THE PLANNING MODELPlanning models are designed to show clear evidence of all the considerations that you take when you plan a piece of youth work. During placements, they are essential in order to meet certain criteria. Also, as more and more authorities look to promote careful planning of work with young people, it is good to have sound knowledge and experience of using planning models.

This Planning Model was designed for the 1st edition of the TOT in Structured Participation of young women in Democratic Processes and will be explored in this handbook.

The framework requires evidence of you identifying the:

Needs

Aim

Objectives

Strategy

Evaluation & Monitoring

1st Concrete Step(s)

of a piece of work/action that you intend to do.

It will clearly show, in an easy-read format, that you have taken all these into consideration when planning actions. Below are some questions under each area of analysis – hopefully you can start to work out ways in which you would answer them.

The NEEDS

Why are you thinking about doing this activity? What are the needs of the young people who will be part of this action? What are the needs of the action as a whole? Will the “fulfilment” of this action really change something or maybe just to mobilize others or move the problem.

There are different types of needs:

Institutional (or organizational) – for example your NGO’s aim (or ‘mission’), or co-financers of your action (Council of Europe annual priorities, or Anna Lindh Foundation funding Programme objectives);

Social (target group, local community, country)

Personal motivation.

Make sure you address all of this needs - everyone involved in your action haves needs!

The AIM

What is the ‘dream’ that your action pursuits? What is your action for?

Aims generally have the following attributes:

1st high rational moment in the action; Comes directly from the needs;

Only one aim per action;

Doesn’t change! Changing an aim is changing the entire action;

Illustrates the change the action pursuits (or the issue being addressed);

Not measurable;

Should identity the target group;

Should identity the area concerned by the action;

Some indication about Methodology or/and values transmitted.

Example of an aim:

To provide young women from MENA with opportunities to learn about Democracy in order to involve them in the decision-making structures of their local community.

The OBJECTIVES

What exactly are you going to do to in order to achieve your aim?

Make your objectives SMART:

Specific - Objectives should be written in a concise form that clearly states when, how, and where the situation will be changed.

Measurable - The achievements or process of the objectives can be measured.

Achievable - The objective has to be challenging in order to motivate people but it also haves to be affordable so as to avoid frustration.

Realistic - The objective has to focus on the needs and priorities.

Timed - The objectives shall include a time framework in which it will be achieved.

Remember that establishing concrete objectives is the only way to evaluate accurately your action.

Examples of objectives:

- To initiate a campaign in Mollina about Democracy addressing young people in 2016;

- To provide and organise 10 weekend discussion circles on Democracy in Mollina;

- To train a group of 8 young people to act as peer educators and leaders in their schools.

The STRATEGY

How exactly will you achieve your objectives?

What, when, where and through what will you implement your action?

It’s a detailed plan of everything that will happen in your action implementation phase, having a practical approach to the activities that will extract results from the action.

It can result on a calendar, often the most ‘visible’ part of the action to the public at large.

The strategy is often influenced by:

- The means available (instead of a TV campaign, we can only afford a poster campaign)

- The experience and expertise of the organisation and partners (we focus on what we are good at: organising holiday camps and small group activities, for example);

- The philosophy and values of the organisation and the action (for example, we favour a direct personal approach that values the individual person rather than large scale events);

- The calendar and the time available;

- The type of public and social environment we address (from small local group to an anonymous national audience);

- Our own approaches to young people, education and actions.

Features of a strategy:

Defines the social, educational or organisational process through which the objectives will be pursued;

Determines the type of activities to be organised and their sequence;

Coherence – the different components of the programme have to make sense as a whole and to respect the framework provided by the aim and objectives. Coherence in timing is also required (ex. firstly information, then training);

Consistency – what you do has to be consistent with what you stand for. (ex. Your campaign about gender parity will be in serious trouble if people find out that there are only men in your organization);

Effectiveness – make the best out of scarce resources, and the best out of potential generated by the action and its timings.

The EVALUATION & MONITORING

Evaluation: an exercise that concentrates on looking at achievement of results and objectives, verifying larger impact of the program/action/process/activity, run after a larger period of time (mostly at the end, also mid-term)

Monitoring: a periodical exercise that helps to control the development of the action / program / process / initiative; it concentrates on overseeing the development of activities, their accordance with planned timing and budget

Participatory monitoring & evaluation (PM&E) is a process through which stakeholders at various levels engage in monitoring or evaluating a particular action, program or policy, share control over the content, the process and the results of the M&E activity and engage in taking or identifying corrective actions. PM&E focuses on the active engagement of primary stakeholders.

Examples of Qualitative Indicators of Participation• Organizational growth at the community level • Growing solidarity and mutual support • Knowledge of financial status of action

• Concern to be involved in decision-making at different stages • Increasing ability of action group to propose and undertake actions • Representation in other government or political bodies with relation to the action • Emergence of people willing to take on leadership • Interaction and the building of contacts with other groups and organisations • People begin to have a say in and to influence local politics and policy formulation

If you reach this point it means that the aim of this handbook is being achieved Good luck and have a joyful action!

WHO is running the action? (names of organisations and people involved in the action)

Remember:

Check if other participants are planning to do the same actions as yours and discover the opportunity of working together!

The more you plan the luckier you get.

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The TARGET GROUP – for whom is this action addressed? (Young people, local community, ages, gender, etc.)

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The TITLE & LOGO of your action (if you have one)

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Intro

The NEEDS – Why is your action needed?

a) Your community/target group needs:

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b) Your NGYO needs:

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c) Your co-financers needs:

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d) Your partners needs:

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e) Your personal motivation:

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Step 1

The AIM – What is the change your action pursuits?

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The OBJECTIVES – What exactly are you going to do to in order to achieve your aim?

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The STRATEGY – How exactly will you achieve your objectives?

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Step 2

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Step 4

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The ACTIVITIES – What, when, where and through what will you implement your action? (Workshops, campaigns, meetings, etc.)

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The RESOURCES – (materials, people, time, financial, technical, strategical partnerships, etc.)

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Step 5

Step 6

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The ACTION PLAN – What will happen after you come back home? (it may help to draw a time line to see the tasks together towards eventual deadlines).

Which step? Who? By When?

Step 6

The EVALUATION & MONITORING – How will you evaluate and monitor your action?

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The MULTIPLYING EFFECT – how is your action being to be replicated by others after its implementation?

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Step 7

Step 6Step 8

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The IMPACT – What is the impact you expect to create with your action in your context? (in your participants, local community, young people, partner organisations, youth sector, youth workers, multipliers, non-partner youth organisations, youth policy)

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The VISIBILITY – how will you ensure the visibility of your action? How will the external communication be structured?

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Step 6

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Your 1st steps – once you return from this training course, what will you do in order to prevent your follow-up action not to happen?

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