2014 CCSL Core Team Meeting Q1

Participants: Ewen Le Borgne, Carl Jackson, Patti Kristjanson, Pete Cranston, Philip Thornton, Blane Harvey, Ben Garside, Liz Carlile Apologies: Wiebke Foerch, Peter Ballantyne

AGENDA for 25th Feb CCSL Core Group Meeting

• Review progress with Next Step Actions following London meeting: http://ccsl.wikispaces.com/2013+CCSL+Core+Team+Meeting%2C+London%2C+UK , particularly

Resolve CCSL Framework purpose question Activity Planning (around the three activity areas we discussed in London) Immediate Next Steps

• Consider collaboration with CG Parade Methodologies activities
• Consider relationship with ILAC
• Date for next meeting
• Round of Individual Updates on Activities (not covered in this short meeting)
• A.O.B (not covered eventually)

Review progress with Next Step Actions following London meeting

http://ccsl.wikispaces.com/2013+CCSL+Core+Team+Meeting%2C+London%2C+UK , particularly

Resolve CCSL Framework purpose question

The discussion was: are we trying, with our CCSL framework to: a) mostly gather evidence as to how/where/when social learning works or b) mostly provide a set of guidelines to implement social learning We seemed to agree that the guidelines are supposed to serve both objectives, reminding ourselves that:

• We focus first and foremost on guidelines for implementation, and then add examples from the evidence we are gathering;
• The evidence gathering part relates to the idea of having a common M&E framework (for CGIAR and beyond) for projects in the process of starting up;
• The framework trying to guide people through the online resources we've got and then the criteria Ben is working on will help with M&E and then workshop around criteria - this is IIED-led work and IIED are ready for it now. A webinar will follow on this work in the 3rd week of March (inviting “key partners to make sure criteria responds to their needs. And then at workshop we take this wider to finalise the template”)
• Regarding these criteria, they have to lead to a sort of ‘case study template’ which Ben Garside, Peter Ballantyne, Marissa van Epp and Ewen Le Borgne are working on in a separated but connected manner.
• We’ll need to find a way to determine when our material is ‘sufficiently cooked’ to share with others and inform their reflection - in line with the helpdesk function we discussed in Naivasha.

This also means, practically, that Marissa, Pete and Carl can continue their work on the framework…

Review action areas

Activity Area 1 (Lead: CCAFS)

CCAFS is getting into heavy planning for Phase 2 2017-onwards. All our activities over next 15 months are up for grabs. Reorientation in relation to Flagships starting 2015 and calls coming out already. Entire portfolio for CCAFS being revamped to Flagship theories of change around regional priorities. All this work is part of institutional change, helping to facilitate and promote this from CCAFS perspective. We hope to be able to focus on this work shortly with a more external focus in a few weeks. No time yet to turn these ideas into a comms plan but work for the Results Based Management Trial will start and the CCAFS team can develop some ideas and Phil to get help from Carl, Pete and Blane to finalise Comms Plan and make more consistent with other action area plans. Blane mentioned that CARIAA is launching next week in Nairobi and one area of focus is agreeing on joint MEL framework. Wiebke is coming and Patti. Leading up to this our working group will focus on MEL and hope to introduce idea of using the CCSL framework for future CARIAA work. Blane, Patti and Wiebke to meet up on this when in Nairobi together.

Activity Area 2 (Lead: IIED)

This work is proceeding according to plan in terms of IIED responsibiities. Developing list of potential projects and draft M&E criteria so can have a common conversation about social learning. Working towards bringing these people together in a workshop. Will develop M&E thinking in collaboration with 3ie before workshop. Bit behind with some M&E work, but Liz back now so should speed up On the criteria work: We are using the Social Learning Checklist on Yammer as a starter for ten about the criteria. Ben has spoken to CCSL people about these criteria based on questions list on the wiki. Trying to take out SL language. Next step is Ben and Liz getting final list of participants for workshop May or June. Location ideas? Bangladesh, Nepal, Bangkok...In relation with the May-June workshop, Wiebke is anxious that we look at the budget so most projects pay own way and see what this meant for those who couldn't pay. Liz is looking at this next week. After this we can firm up scope and venue Liz can prepare a one pager comms note with Pete's support.

Activity Area 3 (Lead: ILRI)

Nothing much by ILRI lead apart from Sandbox work, Learning Brief on Sandbox and Quarterly CCSL meetings. However, Ewen will have more time during March, especially the case study work and getting this activity area on its wheels. Update over the next 10 days and confident of progress Interesting that in relation with Yammer prunning, after 3 rounds of asking if people wanted to leave the sandbox, only 10% wanted to leave or didn't respond. So 90% staying. Innovation grant that will be peer reviewed etc on Yammer. Please respond when Gerd Forch and Moses Tenywa post about the project ‘Linking Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) tools with social learning approaches to enhance the adaptive capacity of communities to climate change in Hoima-Uganda in support of NRM, climate smart agriculture and food security’ By Mid-March, all comms notes should be done so we can make them more consistent and inform each other… (with Carl/Pete’s help).

Reviewing immediate actions from London meeting

• All content of the London event to be on the wiki (Carl) - 10 Jan. DONE
• Doodle us all for core team meeting in Q1 (Pete) DONE
• Pull out key points from London meeting and rally interest from sandbox members around e.g. events, funding opportunities etc. (Carl / Ewen). DONE
• MU (Makerere Uni) innovation follow-up (Pete). DONE
• Cleaning up wiki for the link to Nature Climate article (Ewen/Carl) DONE
• Blog post about this event on ILRI Maarifa blog (Ewen) and linked from ILRI MAARIFA wiki + onto CCAFS website DONE
• Confirm finalisation of Framework by Marissa (Liz), Pete and Carl In progress
• Confirm with Ben criteria next steps (Liz) In progress
• IIED submit financial report (Liz) DONE
• Work with Teresa on activity 2 budget remodeling (Liz) In progress, sorted by next week
• Draft ex-post comms strategy around the Nature CC article (Phil) Not done.
• Check possible additional CCAFS case studies and see that wiki provides correct links on projects page (Wiebke) ?? Unclear, but Wiebke has been sourcing additional case studies.
• Make sure all case studies go on to CG space (Peter / Marissa) - In progress
• Check with Polly on budget approval process for 2014 (Peter) - In progress

Two points for attention:

• We need to really discuss the help desk function seriously at our next core team meeting
• Case studies are not being attributed to their original author. If they are a case study from Shaw et.al document we need to reference the original document not the Shaw document. Patti will send an email about this to Marissa. (discussed after this meeting: Peter B is also looking into this).

Other points of discussion

• CG Parade Methodologies could help with CCSL framework toolkit. Pete will link to their follow-up work but not duplicate.DONE - on the Framework
• Relation with ILAC: Carl contacted Javier and asked for any suggestions. Ideally, Carl should move that discussion onto the sandbox.