We assisted in the design and implementation of formats and spaces that were developed in the summit titled "Derechos Humanos para las personas en movimiento: Las intersecciones” organized by Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) in San José, Costa Rica on February 2023.
BACKGROUND:
HIP is a philanthropic organization that strengthens the leadership, influence and equity of diverse Latin American nonprofits by leveraging resources while maintaining a focus on social justice and shared prosperity across the Americas. Kubadili has been accompanying the HIP team since 2021, being Proyecto M along with Wingu, our most ambitious and powerful work to date.
This time, Kubadili designed and executed different formats and dynamics for the aforementioned summit, generating spaces for exchange and reflection around migration, forced displacement and its intersections in the Americas. This meeting was promoted by the Migration area of Projecto M as an additional and complementary activity to it.
UNDERTAKING THE CHALLENGE:
HIP came to us with a particular challenge: they needed a team to design innovative and creative formats for each session of their upcoming summit, which would involve different representatives from civil society organizations, philanthropic funds and other institutions working for the betterment of migrants and displaced people from across the region.
The goal HIP had in mind with these formats was to connect this community of different organizations, and to have relevant conversations to support their work. In this regard, the design had to include spaces for reflection and networking that allowed attendees to connect, get to know each other better, and generate strategic alliances between their organizations.
METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN:
Having defined the challenge, our team -this time composed of Ann Hillary Lewis Monge and Ianina Levi - began to devise and design the dynamics that would be used in the event; always taking into account the space in which each activity would take place, as well as the duration and purpose of the activities. After several tests and conversations, the Kubadili and HIP teams decided on four formats: Conversatorio, Pecera, PechaKucha and Hoguera.
Conversatorio is a dynamic that allows a small group to introduce and get to know each other, motivating multidirectional dialogue.
PechaKucha is a format in which a presentation is exposed in a simple and informal way by means of slides (images) shown during an estimated time.
Pecera (fishbowl in Spanish) is a Liberating Structure format that involves generating an open and participatory discussion, which allows for a continuous, self-managed and methodical conversation.
Hoguera (bonfire in Spanish) is one of our favorite dynamics when designing events at Kubadili. In it, 6 people, seated in a circle (as if they were around a bonfire), debate about a topic, share experiences or solve a problem.
The Kubadili team was also in charge of designing the networking spaces. It was important to generate relaxed and innovative dynamics, where networking and connections would occur in a completely natural way; totally self-managed by the participants. Some of the dynamics we proposed were:
Reflections around the Silhouette of the Migrant: participants were invited to write, inside an empty silhouette, a word or phrase that answered the question: What factors construct the identity of a migrant person in our region? The purpose of this exercise was to make the attendees reflect on what a migrant person represents for them, thus generating valuable conversations around this figure.
A lecture on the Animometro: The Animometro is an interactive illustration in the shape of a thermometer that we used throughout the event to represent the mood of the participants. Using this tool was key to highlight their feelings and sensations, allowing us to adapt the content of the activities planned.
Harvesting Experiences: After each dynamic, participants were invited to share their reflections on a wall by writing or drawing something they learned during the activity, or a question or proposal that arose during the session. In this way, we were able to compile a variety of enriching thoughts and perspectives
Retrospective Space: As with the harvests, at the end of a session, we promoted brief retrospectives so that the different work teams within the event could review what had gone well and reflect on what could be improved during the activity. Likewise, after the event, we generated longer, more in-depth retrospectives with the HIP team to cultivate learnings, retrieve feedback from attendees, and celebrate our work during the summit
Espacio de Retrospectiva: Al igual que con las cosechas, al finalizar una sesión, impulsamos retrospectivas breves para que los diferentes equipos de trabajo dentro del evento pudieran tomar mejores decisiones en las próximas actividades; revisando aquellos que había salido bien y reflexionando sobre lo que podría ser mejorado. Asimismo, después del evento, generamos retrospectivas más extensas y profundas con el equipo de HIP para cultivar aprendizajes, recuperar el feedback de los y las asistentes y celebrar el trabajo realizado.
EVENT AND RESULTS:
After all the planning, the day finally arrived. The Kubadili team prepared the spaces and activities in which more than 100 representatives of different organizations working with and for people on the move participated throughout the three days during which the meeting took place.
"The Kubadili team was very receptive and always tried to understand what we wanted [throughout the event] to then be able to apply it in the most active and agile way possible." said Mariela Solorzano Aguilar, Project Manager for HIP's Migration & Forced Displacement team.
Kubadili and Wingu teams facilitated one of the formats designed during the event. Credit: Ianina Levi
In these spaces, attendees were able to think about strategies and strengthen alliances around migration and its intersections in the Americas: its role in civil society, violence against women and the LGBTIQ+ community, climate change and many other issues.
"We think that the sessions, the networking spaces and the opportunities to gather the experiences of the attendees was very successful thanks to the presence of Kubadili and the ability of his team to facilitate this type of dynamics" describes José Knippen -Program Manager of Migration & Forced Displacement for Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP).
The majority of attendees noted that it was an innovative and unique event. This was reflected in the enthusiasm with which attendees participated in our dynamics and networking spaces. Thus, after two days of conversation, in the Animometro, the vast majority of people who left their feelings and emotions placed them above 80%, showing that they felt "encouraged", "happy", "content" and "eager to connect", among other positive expressions. On the other hand, some of the phrases that were captured on the Silhouette of the Migrant throughout the event were: "I am more than what you expect", "I am worthy", "Culture, wealth and tradition", " I am much more", "This is just a part of my story".
Wingu, HIP and Kubadili teams during the summit.. Kubadili collaborated in the design and realization of the formats that took place during the event. Credit: Ianina Levi/HIP
RESULTADOS EN LA VOZ DE LAS PERSONAS PROTAGONISTAS:
"[] it was a very effective meeting, very well convened. I leave with the feeling that it was worth coming, we had very interesting discussions. I met new people with whom I hope to connect and continue working with”, expressed Helena Olea from Alianza Américas
"We felt very good at the meeting, very welcomed, everything went very well organized. You can see that there is a huge effort behind the HIP team to make this a really valuable experience," said Fernanda Bedoya, from El del Derecho a No Obedecer - DANO.
RESULTS IN NUMBERS
The event lasted 3 days and 29 hours in total
100+ people representing 86 organizations from 20 different countries participated in the summit.
5 migration specialists from HIP participated in the event, along with 64 panelists and moderators from other organizations
2 experts from Kubadili accompanied the design, organization and facilitation of the summit.
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