Faith for Rights Leadership Training UK
Instructional Design | Instructor-led Training | Training Facilitation
This project consisted of a series of in-person Instructor-led training workshops on the implementation and application of the Faith for Rights framework among diverse faith populations throughout the United Kingdom. These workshops were held in London, Windsor, and Edinburgh. The purpose was to train participants in the use of the Faith for Rights framework and inspire them to utilize it within their own faith or belief communities.
The Problem
A new capacity building program developed by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights needed to be introduced to faith leaders who would use it in their own communities. Stakeholders requested a training suitable for diverse faith leaders in the United Kingdom.
The Solution
Utilize an in-person workshop format to allow for full participation in peer-to-peer learning exercises. Four training workshops were held at various locations in the United Kingdom to allow for more participation. Each workshop covered different content, but included a comprehensive overview of the Faith for Rights program and provided participants the opportunity to develop their own plan for utilizing the program in their community.
My Role
I was fully responsible for the instructional design of this project. In addition, I facilitated in-person training sessions on how individual faith leaders could utilize the Faith for Rights program within their own contexts. My contributions:
- Organized content provided by SMEs
- Developed storyboards
- Collaborated on content decisions
- Developed printed training materials
- Facilitated training sessions on utilizing the Faith for Rights toolkit
- Developed evaluation surveys
A Look at the Process
Storyboard Sample
Storyboards were created in the form of PowerPoint slides for stakeholders’ review. The storyboards outlined the content of each workshop, the purpose and format of each session, and the learning objectives and description of each activity.
Training materials were developed in which participants could record their experiences, thoughts, and ideas. Attention was given to ensuring that the learning materials corresponded to the content presented by facilitators.
A critical component of the workshops was the modeling of the peer-to-peer learning structure that is central to the Faith for Rights program. Each session contained opportunities for faith leaders to listen to one another’s viewpoints and discuss critical issues. Content was presented by facilitators from the University of Surrey, Oxford University, Brigham Young University, and the United Nations. Attendees represented a variety of faith backgrounds including Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Orthodox and Reform Judaism, and Christian. Both male and female voices were represented.
It was eye opening and a good starting point to get more familiar with the Faith for rights toolkit. The most helpful things for me was having the afternoon space to go through the toolkit and explore a theme and get to translate things into specific action.
Design Lessons
- Teamwork and communicaton are required to meet deadlines. Deadlines are critical.
- Participant feedback is vital to the success of any product. We requested feedback after each workshop and utilized this feedback to make necessary changes before the next workshop. The feedback from this series of training workshops is being analyzed for the further development of a more robust training program.