Amidst global challenges, there is a growing recognition of the need for mutually supportive relationships at all levels that recognise the interconnectedness and interdependence of people and planet. The breakout sessions on Day 3 will focus on how to sustain these connections in the face of myriad challenges, and will inspire delegates to discuss how transformative change can happen in different ways.

In this How-to Workshop, speakers will focus on strengthening capacity and sharing experience, skills and tools that can help delegates consider 'how to' approach and address similar issues.

Moderator: Katy Jenkins (Northumbria University)

Speakers: Jérôme Leblanc and Jean-Alexandre Fortin (SUCO)
Title: "Evaluating transformative change: Leveraging 'Outcome Harvesting' in volunteer programmes to inform strategic decision-making and improve capacity building of local partners"
Summary: This workshop will discuss the innovative methodology of 'Outcome Harvesting' which has been used by ‘Solidarité, Union, Coopération’ (SUCO) since 2021 to systematically assess tangible, verifiable and significant changes in terms of partner capacity-building. As SUCO's Voluntary Cooperation Programme (VCP) 2020-2028 works on capacity building with a diversity of partners in contexts characterised by complexity and multiple fields of intervention, it is realistically impossible to carry out a systematic impact assessment of the improvement in the well-being of the communities with which partners work, with either an attribution or a contribution analysis. The presentation will explore how the outcome harvesting approach focuses on intermediate outcomes (changes in behaviour in a broad sense) among partners, whether expected or unexpected, and their sustainability. The qualitative method is powerful and particularly adapted to the context of volunteer cooperation programmes to generate an analysis of the global trends in terms of change and the pathways of change to which the programme contributes, using several typologies of analysis linked to the capacities strengthened, but also to the types of contributions made by the volunteer programme. This session will invite delegates to learn from SUCO's experience and understand how this methodology can be used in international cooperation volunteering programmes. The speakers will provide concrete insights from an annual and global overview of the deployment of change generated in SUCO's 9 Volunteer Cooperation Programme countries, based on the overall objectives of the programme and share key learnings and take-aways with the audience.

*Four different modalities of breakout sessions have been designed to amplify diverse voices and promote opportunities for delegates to share their experiences in engaging ways. Click here to find out more about what to expect from each of the breakout session types.