CBR Writing workshops
CAN carriers out a maximum of 2 writing and documentation skills workshops each year with the aim of building the capacity of CBR practitioners to document their experiences. The workshops run for 2 weeks within which participants are taken through the basics of English writing, focusing on particular themes and building on it with evidence from their programmes. By the end of the workshops participants are expected to have produced complete articles based on their work experience. Articles produced are usually of an advocacy nature with the aim of justifying support to CBR/disability programmes and influencing public policy and resource allocation decisions among governments, development partners and other stakeholders.
To read articles from past CAN CBR Writing workshop, visit the Individual Country writers' workshop section (bottom left column of this page) and click on the particular country ICON.
In 2007 CAN compiled articles from 3 writing workshops held in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi into a book ‘Inside Voices: stories of CBR workers’
A tester of our writing workshops
The following slides will give you a better idea of what our writing skills workshops entail, please feel free to use them in your own writing sessions and share your outcomes with us.
Overheads 1 - Principles of effective writing
Overheads 2 - Organising your ideas
Overheads 3 - Refining your draft
If you are interested in having a writing workshop
CAN offers facilitators to the workshops while your organization would be responsible for finding the participants and covering all related costs for them to attend, finding the venue and its related costs and covering costs of all other logistics.
Each workshop can handle a a maximum of 15 participants who should be:
• People who have been involved in CBR programmes preferably not less than five years
• People who not only wish to write but have a willingness to transfer the skills they have developed at the writing workshop through teaching others to prepare pieces and also continue preparing and submitting pieces on CBR to be shared with other practitioners through the CAN network.
• People with a potential to write, so that they get an opportunity to have some of their writing made into publishable articles.
• A special group of people who are interested and committed to writing, preferably with a University education. This will enable them to think systematically during the workshop.
The selection of participants will take into account a country group of people who can work and publish together
Workshop Process
Each participant is required to bring to the workshop a draft piece of writing that they wish to publish. In addition, they will be asked to have a short literature review that will provide the context for the article they are beginning to write.
The first week includes work on writing skills, on identifying opportunities for publication including the internet, learning how to write for a chosen publication, and how to structure and present articles for publication. Participants will develop their critical skills by helping each other shape and present a good piece of writing. At the end of this week, a professional editor will be asked to review articles and make suggestions concerning improvements for publication.
Week two will focus on having participants develop their articles further so that they are as good as publishable and ready for final editing. Participants who show a potential to train others will be given individual support during the second week.
Output
Each articles produced at the writing workshops will be shared on the CAN website.
If deemed appropriate the writings or some of the writings might be combined into a CAN publication. This will depend on the material and funding available.
Workshop evaluation
Daily workshop evaluations will be conducted so that the course facilitators are abreast with the needs of the participants. A final evaluation will be carried out at the end of the workshop, which will guide subsequent workshops organised by CAN.
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