YGOAL’s REFLECTION AS THE L&L FACILITATOR LINKING AND LEARNING IS GROWING RELATIONSHIPS AND BUILDING A COMMUNITY The Voice L&L journey was a gradual experience for the whole Voice PH community, beginning as a space for introducing themselves and inviting everyone to listen. As the project progressed, the Voice L&L team continuously explored and clarified what linking and learning is with the national and global teams, helping shape priorities, processes, and methods. Creating personal relationships was important. This was achieved through subnational consultations and informal fellowship dinners which clarified the role of the Voice L&L organization from the Voice Country Team as it provided opportunities for better understanding linking and learning and the grant projects and developing personal relationships between the L&L team and grantees. This also brought about changes in dynamics among grantees and rightsholder groups, forming relationships which became key to dialogue, thereby creating a more open, established, intersectional and appreciative community. Focus on creating a community. Linking and learning is the avenue that binds the grantees together and find space for collaboration and exchange. Implementation of the activities not only focused on topic discussions, but integrated group dynamics in the methodologies as well, reinforcing the idea of togetherness, diversity, and dialogue and dissent. that the normal way is still the “old way” and a return to a face-to-face interaction is inevitable. LINKING AND LEARNING IS A SPACE FOR EXCHANGE AND FORMATION OF COP AND COS COP discussions picked up in the second year of implementation. The attempt to form interest groups gained momentum but was impeded due to several disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting opportunities for tighter collaboration, and shifting priorities since most of the grantees and rightsholder groups were heavily affected economically.
Dialogue and Dissent is the binding principle that helps facilitate open spaces for grantees. The principle was embraced by YGOAL as a way of working as it supports diversity of ideas and a sensitive approach in making decisions.
The use of different techniques and methodologies in implementing workshops is key to engagement as it not only
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