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The Virtual Forum of the Puente in the Caribbean Program January 19-20, 2011 Julie Nurse, Department of Social Development and Employment

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Evolution of Virtual Learning in Puente in the Caribbean 2007: OAS Web Page Early stages of program Limited participation Security concerns 2009: World Bank Difficulties with Bandwidth Scheduling live sessions Language barriers 2010: Education Portal Permanent restricted space Simple interface Asynchronic interaction Multiple tools and facilities An effort to facilitate ongoing learning and sharing of experiences

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PUENTE Program Communication Setting STRENGHTS Program participants have already established face to face contact. There is rapport between participants and their respective tutors. Respect and trust has already been established. There are shared goals within the community WEAKNESSES Cultural and linguistic communication barriers. Participants involvement in the program is not a top priority in their daily activities. CHALLENGES Implement an adapted version of the PUENTE Program in the Caribbean. Create a communication strategy that is action oriented towards program implementation. Create a communication strategy that adds value rather than create overload. Create sense of ownership among stakeholders. Overcome the technical/infrastructural limitations

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Virtual Support System to Implement PUENTE - Concepts PUENTE Participant Project Mentoring Social Network On-line Guidance Reinforcing Knowledge Expanding Knowledge

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Virtual Support System to Implement PUENTE Tools PUENTE Participant Work Plan Feedback CAF Social Gathering On-line Guidance Supporting Documents New Issues/ Analysis

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Setting Goals Learning Goals Project Implementation Goals Social Interaction Goals Examples: Participants will be able to complete the exploratory phase of the project. Participants will gain a better understanding of more nuance issues (such as gender) in the implementation of PUENTE in the Caribbean. The country teams will begin to problem solve and strategize together more often. The success of this virtual community can be determined by examining three types of goals: These goals become the communication framework

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Administration of Virtual Support System PhaseGoalsActivityTimeframe Phase I: Induction Familiarization Training-Tutorials February 5 March 31, 2010 Expectations Motivation Purpose-Use-Input Rewards-Recognition Participant Bios Training Workshops and Mobilization Phase II: Usage Project Implementation Feedback on Country Work Plans April 1 December 30, 2010 Discussion Summaries Learning Sessions Design Activity Discussion Updating supporting documents Social Interaction Design conversation starters Monitor Caf Forum Phase III: Consolidation Capacity building in social protection strategies Selection and registration of participants Jan.1 - April. 30, 2011 Online course

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Monitoring Capabilities

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Results to Date The Puente Virtual Forum Forum Launched on February 24, 2010 Introductory training 4 countries, 48-60 participants Registered Participants31 Countries involved8 Online Discussions6 Average duration of Discussion in days8-10 Average number of posts/contributions9-12 Maximum number of posts/contributions22

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Puente Virtual Forum http://www.educoas.org/RestrictedSites/admin.aspx?culture=en

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Challenges Variable access to Internet Changing the perception of the internet : a tool that can promote productivity! Language differences Balancing programs schedule with online discussions Balancing regular work activities with online schedules Promoting and maintaining commitment and participation

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Lessons The need for flexibility: topics, duration, membership The forum serves as a community space which permits continuous contact and interaction, however there is need to explore mechanisms to facilitate regular interaction and maintain the community spirit without creating overload. The importance of continuous or follow-up training on virtual tools Services on the Forum represent another item on the programs menu; countries select what is needed from the menu.

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Online Course: Areas of Interest by Country St. Kitts &Nevis Self: the use of self; teaching social workers how to make effective use of self and avoid feeling completely drained as a result of their daily activities Avoiding a situation of dependency between clients and social workers St. Vincent & the Grenadines Mediation: conflict resolution and negotiation. Also related to gender violence Processes involved in setting up institutional support for families. Changing the mindset of families and social workers: from dependency to empowerment Intervention in crisis: grief counseling Barbados Cultural issues: obstacles in effecting the proposed changes; the institutional re-engineering required for implementation of a program of this nature Monitoring & evaluation: targeting and impact assessment Addressing issues of duplication, fragmentation and territorialism; sharing information among agencies, departments etc Suriname Cultural aspects of program implementation: dealing with the different ethnic groups and their specific practices Addressing the various aspects and meanings of poverty : housing, education, unemployment. etc Developing skills for effective data analysis Developing relevant indicators for identifying families

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The Way Forward How can we maximize the use of the Forum and the tools that it offers? How can we promote increased participation? What other activities and functions should be incorporated? How can the lessons of the Puente Virtual Forum be used in promoting Virtual Learning in the IASPN?

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Thank You!