Background
The partner representatives gathered during the Fredskorpset international advisory council meeting participated in workshops to discuss and present advise and input to the board of Fredskorpset. Input was given through guided discussions related to a set of questions and subjects proposed by the board of Fredskorpset. The advise and input from each workshop was written down and has been condensed to a set of trends or main findings. The board will thus be given a prioritized and clear-cut understanding of the advise from the Fredskorpset partnerships.
The broad variety of input from the board is collected and edited in written documents, and well as in the memory and experience of the board members, who participated as group hosts in the workshops.
Through a qualitative analysis approach the workshop trends will document the synchronicity of conceptualization and strategies between the board, staff and partners in Fredskorpset on two main questions;
a. What is Fredskorpset? (What is our understanding of Fredskorpset?)
b. How can we improve (the quality of) Fredskorpset?
The key advise
1. Advise on how to improve the quality of the Fredskorpset partnerships related to:
i. Planning, preparation and maintenance of partnerships.
ii. Recruiting participants
iii. Follow up of participants
ADVISE 1:
Initiation and planning of partnerships takes time to realize the mutual and individual goals and objectives for all partners. This pre-partnership period will normally take longer than one year, with a need for several meetings between the partners. The strengths and weaknesses of the partners should be carefully reflected upon, and the partner organisations should be involved broader than the management level. Partners need to spend time together to establish trust and equal relations.
Participants must be recruited well (even more than one year) before the actual partnership exchange starts to have a clear understanding (and preparation related to) of culture, climate, cost level, professional expectations, co-workers, mentors and reporting systems. The long planning period should lead into a well-structured exchange (stay abroad) period.
2. The need to clarify and create a mutual understanding of the values of Fredskorpset.
ADVISE 2:
The values and objectives of Fredskorpset should be re-clarified and well explained and discussed with all partners. Is Fredskorpset an organisation for volunteers or professionals? Is there a clear plan and strategy for transfer or skills? What is our definition of development? (If it is fights poverty, how do we do that?). What does it imply that Fredskorpset is a Norwegian governmental institution, not an NGO? Is Fredskorpset primarily a Youth Program, and why?
To what extent can Fredskorpset, its partners and participants define a common worldview, where is the consensus and will there always be common interests? What can Fredskorpset do to reduce unequal relations (between North and South relations within Fredskorpset, and within partnerships)?
3. The need for a stronger South involvement in most aspects of Fredskorpset activities.
ADVISE 3:
South should be stronger involved in Fredskorpset, both as a group of partners and within partnerships. Some proposals:
South Partners can be main partners
South should be represented in the Fredskorpset board
Fredskorpset should have an advisory committee with mainly South representatives
More direct contact between Fredskorpset and the South partners
More Fredskorpset activities out of Norway
Clearer responsibility for the South regional representatives
More resources to the South regional representatives (2 locations in Africa)
A stronger direct guidance to the South partners in the application period
An overall challenge has been repeated in all the three advise categories:
ADVISE 4:
Fredskorpset should have a practical approach to ensure equal relations in all aspects of the Fredskorpset programme.
Definitions of equal
a. Being the same or identical to in value.
b. Having the same privileges, status, or rights
c. Being the same for all members of a group
d. Having the requisite qualities, such as strength or ability
The board of Fredskorpset will evaluate and implement the key advises according to these priorities:
a. To what extent are the advises related to the basic objectives of Fredskorpset?
b. How realistic (in term of cost, priority and estimated effect) is it that the advises can be implemented?
Methodology
These findings are reported through a process of qualitative methodology in social science. All partnerships in Fredskorpset participated in groups during a set of workshops with external facilitators. A set of pre-defined themes where discussed during the workshops, and the interactive exchange of ideas and proposals in small groups brought up not only input from individuals, but a group process.
A vast number of advise, ideas and options were reported by the group hosts and has been analyzed with external support in order to, as unbiased as possible, to produce valuable advise to the board of Fredskorpset, and also everyone else involved in Fredskorpset.
The main findings, related to overall strategy and policy, have been condensed to four main advises, presented in this paper. A variety of practical advises is presented in an appendix to this paper.