Tamarack in-person workshops have been the place where participants meet colleagues doing similar work. The work of community changemakers is challenging and sometimes feels lonely. Participants often expressed that the connections they made at workshops was pivotal to them.
We wondered if this experience of connection could be replicated virtually. In June 2020, Tamarack launched our online Foundations of Community Engagement (learn at your own pace) course and an virtual 3.5-hour workshop on Turf Trust and Virtual Collaboration.
As prototypes, these workshops and the others launched since, have exceeded our expectations. The small group size for the short virtual workshops enables participants to connect with each other. Small group conversations are threaded throughout the 3.5-hour workshop creating points of connection and deeper learning. Interactive tools such as Mural and polls are woven into the content.
Finally, small group coaching sessions are held one-month post workshop or during the Foundations course to answer questions, dive deeper into the workshop content or learn how participants are applying the content in their work. The coaching sessions are a way for Tamarack to hear directly from learners. One learner commented during a coaching session that the combination of practical content and coaching made Tamarack workshops unique.
Sherreta Harrison, Sustainability Catalyst at MetroMorphosis describes her teams experience participating in one of Tamarack’s virtual workshops on Collective Impact 3.0.
Our team thoroughly benefited from the time we spent with your team and feel better equipped to lead our change work. The tools shared, the presentation, and the ability to have conversation with so many diverse perspectives all have real import for the work we are doing in re-entry, education, economic inclusiveness and community change.
After six months of delivering workshops in the virtual space here are ten lessons learned.
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