training

It is incorrect to just assume that what people learn from training will then be applied in practice. There is another step in supporting them to feel confident to start believing and acting on what they now know and this needs to be better captured in project designs, such as through sub-granted small projects, to ensure that outputs contribute to the achievement of outcomes.

For training to resonate and be most impactful, they need to be delivered in a setting and format that appeals to participants. Ensuring that they are conducted in the language participants are most familiar with and in an interactive and engaging format can aid with comprehension and ultimately impact.

The following were the factors for a well-designed and effectively implemented youth engagement project:

• The project design with a theory of change that was shared and assimilated by the implementation team and the implementing partners.


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  The strategy used to enter new communities, which was pragmatic, culturally sensitive, and politically neutral.


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  The choice of implementing partners (they were from within the communities, credible, and well-known at the local level).


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  The partnership strategy, which was based on empowering implementing partners and building their capacity.


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  The adequate approach for positive youth engagement (recognition, accountability, and exploring their potential).


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  The quality of the training programme and the diversity of learning formats.


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  Well thought-out communication.

This project has demonstrated that even in the complex and difficult context of Palestine, setting realistic objectives in terms of the number of beneficiaries and communities of intervention, and adopting a pragmatic approach that includes relevant and useful activities such as training and community services, can engage different target groups, regardless of their political affiliations and sensitivities, and generate impact at both the individual and community levels.

The project was conceived as a comprehensive capacity development project with an approach involving participants into the development of replication strategies and the development of common actions and strategies in traditional and non-traditional communication spaces. However, during its implementation, the project has mainly been an academic endeavour, with a rather classic approach to capacity development methodologies and systems. In this project, as designed, the components of socialisation by the students as well as the engagement with public authorities should have remained a priority, and practical, on-the-job training approaches should have been privileged as originally foreseen. If these practical aspects are not considered a priority, a more standardized approach to capacity development should be followed at the project design stage.

Project activity costs can be reduced through close coordination, mutual trust and regular consultation with key implementing partners that can lead to financial burden sharing and increased buy-in. This project, for example, reduced costs by persuading implementing partners to share some of the financial burden for certain events, when co-hosting.

Mentoring as a model for capacity building has worked. It was found during the interviews that most of the trainees had learned techniques and applied new skills in reporting and engaging with audiences. After the trainings, the Mentors therefore continued to guide and teach the participants on subjects not covered during the trainings like techniques of editing and content packaging, self-censorship and other technical and editorial skills.

As digital technologies take hold, two ways media-community audience engagement will only become richer and more complex. New technology can upset the methodology and content of any capacity-building programme approved and designed by the grantee. Therefore, there is a need to remain alert about new technology and devise innovative forms of audience research online and offline.

Both mentors and participants demonstrated that knowledge sharing works vertically and horizontally in- and outside the media organisations, mainly in four ways.
• One, most of the participants shared their knowledge and experience by training the co-workers;
• Two, they shared their knowledge with other media professionals through a variety of interactive as well as informal forums;
• Three, participants took opportunities to share their knowledge with students in media training institutes;
• Four, participants also shared their knowledge and experiences through a variety of media, most commonly by writing blogs, articles for professional journals.

This project, as designed and presented had the potential to develop into a forward-looking program with a far-reaching positive impact on increasing the target population’s participation in elections as voters and as candidates. Though most of the expected outputs were successfully delivered, their impact was rather limited. LAG put efforts into producing the outputs in quantity, but due to the lack of programmatic approach and appropriate followup missed an opportunity to ensure their long-term applicability. In some cases, especially as regards the two main assets developed within the project’s framework – the Trainers’ Pool and the capacitated CSOs, this resulted in insufficient performance. Applying the mechanisms and capacity developed within the project’s framework during the 2021 municipal and subsequent elections would be instrumental in increasing the sustainability of the project’s results and its longer-term impact.