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Keeping In Touch Sessions: The value of coming together online
In our earlier blog we outlined our approach to providing learning support to the 23 community projects who were part of the Space to Connect programme funded through the Coop Foundation and DCMS. Through online ‘Keeping In Touch’ (KIT) sessions, this learning support was for project leads to share their reflections and practical responses to the challenges posed during lockdown in 2020/21. The KIT sessions provided a peer-to-peer network where participants could contribute ideas, share experience and seek insights on developments and responses that could inform their neighbourhood project and evolving support to communities.
The KIT sessions
The KIT network had two phases, the initial phase (January to March 2021) was seven online meetings where the agenda for discussion was fluid and self-directed by members; the second phase (March to May 2021) of five themed sessions on topics identified in phase one as being most challenging to projects e.g. use of digital, new partnerships, sustainability, and covid recovery.
The KIT sessions were informal, with members providing a supportive and encouraging conversational dialogue when inquiring about ideas for change or posing queries on overcoming issues and constraints in projects. The time together also created opportunities for sharing success stories, the value of coming together as a community of projects had a clear and stated value for project leads.
Our reflections
We have three key reflections from our short time as facilitators of the KIT sessions;
Firstly, for several participants being part of a sponsored or funded project with national bodies was a new experience and brought expectations – both implicit and explicit which informed the life of the project. Involvement in a peer-to-peer learning network like the KIT can have a role in shaping understanding of these expectations, and programme sponsors should look to build in such learning support from the outset as a means of supporting progress, promoting understanding, and disseminating achievements.
Secondly, the onset of the social restrictions due to Covid-19 had a highly significant impact on projects in terms of progress, delivery, and future focus. We give a full account of this in the second report from the KIT network – see Space to Connect webpage. The KIT members stated the value of the peer-to-peer network, which provided helpful learning and support at a time of great challenge.
Our third reflection from the experience of facilitating the KIT network being the potential for deeper engagement between programme sponsors and project leads. Could similar networks offered at the inception stage of funded multi-site projects support progress, adaption to emergent change in the delivery environment, and provide opportunities for creating a network of community leaders who can share learning and know-how. Such networks offered at the inception of programme delivery could also be a conduit for evaluators to engage with project leads and help shape evaluation design.
