Tool #1
Alignment of Local and Global Stakeholder Priorities
An exercise to clarify the extent to which an intervention/activity that is a candidate for adaptation and scale is (or is not) aligned with different stakeholders’ priorities.
It is difficult to adapt and scale a project that is out-of-step with what stakeholders feel is important. Doing this exercise will not only help in the intervention/activity selection process but can also be useful when writing proposals and reports or advocating and gaining support for the selected intervention/activity.
How to use this tool
- Brainstorm the priorities of different groups of stakeholders. In the case of Joining Forces, it may be useful to review core Joining Forces documents such as Joining Forces foundational documents and Joining Forces theory of change. Be sure to give some evidence that makes you believe this is one of their priorities.
- Using the Venn diagram tool, put stakeholder priorities in different areas that indicate that they are unique to a single group of stakeholders or whether they are shared by other stakeholders.
- Looking at the overlap–or the lack of overlap–of each priority. Discuss whether the intervention/ activity you are considering will get needed support from stakeholders in the EVAC community.
- Think about how your local Joining Forces team can use this analysis of priorities to seek funds, advocate for the adaptation and scale of the intervention/activity, or structure evaluations and reports.
Children’s Engagement
Clearly, for Joining Forces, children’s views, and those of their families, are critical in every phase of adaptation and scale. When using this tool Joining Forces seeks children’s engagement in two distinct ways: 1) integrating information about children’s views and perspectives as it relates to the tool’s topic and 2) as a source of data for each tool. Locating opportunities for child participation and child safeguarding (as separate and complementary) is a shared responsibilities of all Joining Forces partners. In this tool they are included in the category of local stakeholders along with government and local Joining Forces staff members. Like those other groups, any research on children’s preferences in services or service delivery should factor heavily into selection of a project. If no research on the topic exists, then the team should conduct focus group discussions with children who have already experienced the “model” project (that is, the project that is being considered for adaptation and scale). Other ideas for generating ideas from children can be found in the “Tools and Techniques for Children’s Engagement” compendium provided at the end of this guide.