University of Florida Partnership
University of Florida (UF), in collaboration with the Belize Civil Society Organization (BCSO), Toledo Institute of Development and Environment (TIDE) and the Belize Ministry of Education (BMoE), Youth, Sports and Culture has embarked on the project entitled “Strengthening Civil Society and Civil Servant Capacity in Belize through Partnership.”
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The purpose of this project is three pronged: (1) to enhance the capacities of the civil society sector in Belize through training on organizational management functions, (2) to provide technical support to civil servants to improve existing governance and community engagement practices, and (3) to promote networking between civil society organizations (CSOs) and civil servants to establish collaborative partnerships in public service, especially addressing issues faced by underserved communities. The audience will be derived from Belize City, Belmopan City, and Punta Gorda Town and project activities will be implemented in these three locations.
The project has the objective of strengthening the capacities of civil society organizations (CSOs) and civil servants to provide responsive public services on the one hand, and reducing causes of corruption and impunity through the instilling of good governance and policy intervention practices that promote transparency, accountability, and collaborative partnerships. In Belize, the project will galvanize CSOs and civil servants through a variety of capacity building activities conducted in cooperation with its Belizean partners, Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE), and the Ministry of Education (BMoE), Youth, Sports & Culture.
Goals:
Goal 1: To strengthen CSOs in Belize through capacity building training, good governance, policy advocacy, and active networking with governmental entities.
Goal 2: To increase the knowledge and skills of civil servants and key government officials in understanding community issues and designing people-centered policy solutions that address issues faced by underserved communities.
Goal 3: To promote transparent and accountable partnership between CSOs and civil servants through improved networking for public service delivery.
Find more information online:
https://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/cultivating-communities-of-practice-a-guide-to-managing-knowledge-seven-principles-for-cultivating-communities-of-practice
Download (PDF) Advanced Training Workshop Packet February 2021 – Dr.K
Excerpts from the Community of Practice workshops report from October, 2019:
In Punta Gorda, participants were interested in Capacity building, Creation of a shared database that includes expertise of both Civil Society and Civil Servant groups, and Creation of a group Facebook page for information sharing.
In Belmopan, the top ideas for working together were to: Establish an online database for sharing between NGOs and the Government of Belize, Advocacy for revision of the existing NGO Act in Belize and Capacity building.
The top suggestions in Belize City included: Strengthening the Belize Network of NGO’s, Development of a shared database system and a Symposium for both Civil Society and Civil Servant groups.
Overall the top recommendation for a joint Community of Practice moving forward is creating a shared database that contains expertise of both groups. Other organizations in Belize are working on this, so it was recommended to connect with them to avoid duplication of efforts. There is some confusion among organizations regarding the establishment and criteria for membership in the Network of NGO’s, so a session addressing this topic was highly recommended. There is also interest in bringing both groups together to fully appreciate how they each contribute to the development of Belize and how much more they could accomplish if they worked together.
1. NGO Development Plan Toolkit
2. Example of a nonprofit Development Plan
3. Considerations for recruiting NGO board members
4. Sample Bylaws for NGOs without members
5. Sample Bylaws for NGOs with members
6. McKinsey Nonprofit Board self assessment tool
7. NGO leadership developmentBelize – CoP Workshops Report – final 10.28.19
Community of Practice – introductory workshop powerpoint 8.26.19 (PPTX)
NGO Foundational Plan example – by Jane Doe
NGO Foundational Plan example – by John Doe
See reports, photos and resources from April/May training sessions:
See reports, photos and resources from September training sessions:
