Tool 5 : Meeting Calendar

Objectives: 

(i)                   Train community members to plan community development/OVC meetings, to ensure regular and transparent communication about and planning of community development

(ii)                 Respect planned meetings (Community members responsible for M&E, and Management Committee members)

Participants:  Management Committee, and community members charged with M&E

Materials needed:

ü       Paper

ü       Pens

ü       Ruler

ü       Log book, optional

Time:  1 hour initially, and planned meetings

Objective

Steps

Notes

Prepare the exercise

Draw a calendar similar to attached

Train community members to plan community/OVC development meetings, to ensure regular and transparent communication about and planning of development

·          Ask participants to describe a situation where regular planning helped ensure success (or where lack of planning meant failure)

·          Use an analogy to reinforce the importance of regular meeting, for community development

·          Ask community members whether they see regular meetings as important

·          If so, ask participants to draw up a meeting calendar, assisting with the planning as necessary

·          Store the calendar in a safe place.  Ensure that someone is responsible for calling meetings, and for keeping the meeting calendar up-to-date

·          The success or failure of past projects is often contingent upon regular meetings.  Using the community’s example, discuss the advantages of regular meetings for all dimensions of community development (not only community-based M&E)

·          One analogy to underscore the importance of regular meetings is traditional boxing.  Traditional boxers don’t just practice from time to time; they do so regularly.  If they do not train regularly...they lose!

Respect planned meetings

·          Support the community member responsible for calling meetings to do so

·          Support the community member(s) responsible for leading meetings to plan productive meetings