Learning Design

In the first stage of the program, the theoretical background of the concept of community, its history and the basics of community components are taught and a general framework is drawn. In the second stage, we suggested an applied study on community design and management. And in the third stage, methodology, approaches and case studies are prepated for content and program production. And finally, we aimed to create a road map for the participants and their communities to progress, scale and be sustainable.

Creating space for different communities and pioneers, being in line with the principles and values ​​of the European Union and Sivil Düşün, being participatory and inclusive, and focusing on discovery and inspiration were determined as the basic design principles. During the design process, emerning communities, established communities and curious NGO workers were determined as three different participant persona profiles. And the balance of learning, participation and interaction of these personas was envisaged. In addition, learning balances of theoretical/practical, synchronous/asynchronous, individual/collective, linear/modular and introverted/interactive were designed for the community pioneers who will participate in the program. The learning objective of the program was determined as  gaining new mindsets and skills that will transform the participants and those around them for the good of their communities, in line with the main goals of gaining knowledge, inspiration, planning and receiving support.

In the learning design, the journey for the program participants, the modules and contents in the learning design, and the types of sessions and resources were determined. During this process, a community library was also created to offer resources in different formats to program participants. The library contained over 200 resources such as books, toolkits, articles, podcasts, videos, guides, reports, cases and films in the fields of community, civil society, sustainable development, communication, digitalization, event management, facilitation and professional development.

Program Curation

Four main goals were determined for the forum, which is positioned as the closing meeting of the dünyalar. initiative. The aim was for the forum participants to reflect and share with each other what they have learned and experienced throughout the dünyalar. initiative, to discuss the role they envision for themselves and the future of community activities, to meet each other, to network and exchange ideas, and to identify potential areas of cooperation and project ideas for Sivil Düşün support.

In line with these goals, we designed an immersive forum experience that modernizes the spirit of the ancient agora, encourages collaborative action in community-led work, and prioritizes diverse connections. While making this design, we identified four main approach principles for theme, form, focus and balance. We have integrated overarching themes that tie together various aspects of community-led work, fostering a comprehensive understanding of impacts and challenges. We combined various event formats to engage participants, retain existing interest, and encourage different forms of expression. We prioritized the participant experience by allowing for serendipitous connections, creating opportunities for both structured and spontaneous interactions, and finally borrowed the ‘agora’ and ‘forum’ approaches of Ancient Greece while infusing modern technology and trends for a dynamic experience.

The main topics that will be included in the forum program have been determined. Different contents were created for meeting, sharing, advocacy, curiosity for sharing, expression, inspiration and discovery, based on the foundations of justice, equality, diversity and inclusion, in a wide range from democracy to rights-oriented efforts, from public opinion formation to human rights. Program balances were determined and programming principles were established for the program design process.

The curatorial approach and program themes for the forum program were determined. By utilizing a wide library of tools, formats and methods that would suit these approaches and themes were prepared. Finally, the three-day program flow was drawn up and the theme, format, duration, number of participants, facilitator information and contents of the proposed events were suggested.