Warm Up message 1, for participants in The Constellation Global Learning Festival.
Blog
Local SALT Teams across the globe getting ready for the Virtual Global Learning Festival (V-GLF)
Thirteen local SALT teams and 20 individual SALT supporters, a total of 60 individuals, have enthusiastically registered for the V-GLF that will take place between the 1st and 4th of October 2021. The teams come from Belgium, the Netherlands, Pakistan, India, Singapore, RDC, Burundi, Indonesia, Uganda, and the USA. They will share and learn from their very diverse experience with community actions on global issues and especially from the Kenyan team and communities. During virtual SALT visits, the communities in Kenya will also share what they are proud of and what they have learned.
Visual Journey in Kenya
In The Constellation’s project “Visual Journey”, we are handing the camera and microphone to the community, so that they fully take ownership of their story and how they tell it. After two months of online training in filming, the young team in Kenya, Anthony, Francis, and Florence, now feel confident. They have started filming beautiful scenes, and they have done the first interviews in their community. Anthony says: “We were excited about the interviews. Actually, we were having a normal conversation – through the lens of a camera.”
Presenting Dorcus Beads community in Kenya
Dorcus Beads is one of the communities that The Constellation will visit during its annual Global Learning Festival (virtually, this year) and that will capture their Visual Journey.
The Constellation’s 2020 report is available!
We are pleased to share with you The Constellation 2020 Report: https://the-constellation.org/the-constellation-report-2020-english
“2020. Covid-19 put the world upside down. The ‘normal’ in the lives of organisations, communities, neighbourhoods, families, and individuals was challenged. Also, for The Constellation, its teams, its partners and its members. This annual report makes a tour around the world and the account makes us hopeful.”
Visual Journey
The Constellation is developing a new film project called Visual Journey. It is inspired by the lessons learned from the As You Open Your Eyes film project.
Online training for Beyond Social Service Singapore
The facilitation team at their After-Experience Reflection on the first day of the SALT-CLCP virtual training for Beyond Social Services Singapore. Gerlita Condino-Enrera and Myrna Alvarez Maglahus of Pinoy Competence (The Constellation in the Philippines),...
Go Girl! Virtual SALT visit of local teams from three continents to the Cho Ngafor foundation in Cameroon
Under the Go Girl project, local teams from three continents made a virtual SALT visit to the Cho Ngafor foundation and talk of menstruation.
“All Women Aboard – Daring to Dream”
Photo: The participants of the All Women Aboard SALT-CLCP training guide us in how the training is shaped. As we were sharing thoughts and feelings, a participant proposed to sit on the floor, just as it is done in Syria. This picture shows how the atmosphere within...
Good news from Go Girl project
The Triodos Foundation contributes 10’000 Euro to the multi-country project for teenagers. And inspiration from a Virtual SALT visit to Babes, Singapore.
Global Learning Festival goes online
The Global Learning Festival (GLF), leading event facilitated by The Constellation, is this year organised online in response to the need for international connections and continued work despite the pandemic. From 1 to 4 October 2021 The Constellation and Kenyan communities offer a unique opportunity to share and learn around the theme: ‘ANCHORING ENERGY FOR A SUSTAINABLE LOCAL RESPONSE’.
Exploring the Impact of SALT
The Constellation worked in Assam between March 2017 and June 2019. It worked in Shimla and Udaipur between April 2019 and June 2020. These projects helped The Constellation to understand how to evaluate of the impact of its work. This note discusses how we can use that understanding to evaluate our work in the future.
GO GIRL
In this 5 country project, we engage communities in prevention of teenage pregnancies. In Cameroon, Ghana, India, Indonesia and Kenya new and old facilitators learn and share about effective local responses that help girls flourish.
Inclusive projects by neighbours for the neighbourhood in The Netherlands
During 2020, eight neighbours in Amsterdam-East followed the SALT-CLCP training, online when required. They were accompanied during one year by a coaching team of The Constellation. Two inclusive projects by neighbours for the neighbourhood have started.
Evaluation shows the impact of our SALT-CLCP methodology
RICPHI report improvement in behaviour towards better health thanks to community conversations, peers/family support and community engagement.
Hope and Resilience for 2021
Hope, connection, resilience, respect, challenges and Coiwepo*. When The Constellation Board Committee reflected on 2020, they found those words were both our strength and our challenge this past year. “We will bring all the good things that we learned from it with full energy into the new year”.
16 years The Constellation
On the 8th of December 2004 the founding members of The Constellation formulated their dream: We would stimulate and connect local responses around the world. Happy birthday to us!
Opening safe conversations to restore trust after ebola
Following the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, communities lost confidence in the health system for providing quality health services to the population. The Constellation helped create a safe space for conversations, eventually leading to increased health care uptake and joint action.
The Assam Project: a treasure trove of learning
Three years of supporting facilitators and communities in Assam, India, has provided us with huge opportunities for learning. The result is well worth waiting for!
Success stories for the fight against Non-Communicable Diseases
Stories of change are part of the mixed method evaluation of the effectiveness of the SALT-CLCP approach for enhanced community ownership of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Patients and health workers share how SALT impacts their lives.
Communities Acting Together to Control HIV
In Botswana The Constellations SALT approach is adapted to help communities to take ownership of HIV/AIDS. For the first time local leaders are involved.
Wisdom Centre opened in Entebbe
The older persons in Entebbe are one step closer to living their dream, as Uganda opens a unique Wisdom Centre! The centre is a safe space for young and old.
SALT and Primary Health Care in Action
The Constellation is proud to contribute a chapter with learning about SALT-CLCP in the recent book publication Achieving Health for All: Primary Health Care in Action, edited by David Bishai and Meike Schleiff.
Self Assessment in the struggle against malaria in Togo and The Gambia
Introduction In June 2005, The Constellation facilitated a workshop in Mombasa, Kenya, where facilitators from 12 countries participated in an introduction to the Malaria Competence Approach. Participants came from National Malaria Programs and implementing NGOs....
SALT and the Stage
Ghalia and iSiZ from VrouwenCafé Amsterdam sought advise from CLCP-SALT facilitators in a peer-assist: How can we make sure there are equal opportunities for all to contribute in the production of a creative performance?
SALT on alcoholism and bonded labour in participatory action research
SALT was used with participatory action research to respond to bonded labour and to alcohol abuse in the state of Bihar, India, where all alcohol consumption is stigmatised and illegal.
Contribute to finding strengths Behind the Mask
Donations to The Constellation help us to discover Strengths Behind the Mask and to share stories in Corona-times from around the world.
Roots of Hope stimulates youth entrepreneurship in Burundi with SALT-CLCP
Roots of Hope works at restoring young people’s self-esteem, their ability to dream and act in the Bujumbura area.
Wrapping Research Questions in SALT
The Community Engagement Centre (CEC) and the Shirkat Gah Women’s Resource Centre used the strength approach of SALT to a bilateral learning experience about living with COVID. This meant unlearning some of the conventional research practices and getting the hang of reflexivity* as a tool to monitor one’s own learning.
Amsterdam SALT trainees gather inspiration during lockdown
In Amsterdam a group of neighbours have found in SALT visits a good tool to stay inspired during lockdown. They learned from others, about sustaining connections in the neighbourhood, both online and offline.
Staying connected after the end of the project
Roots of Hope stimulates youth entrepreneurship in Burundi with SALT-CLCP. This impressive harvest of colocase by one of the youth has made people curious to know how he was able to obtain it.
The Constellation Belgium 10 years old
BelCompetence (BC) celebrated with joy its 10th anniversary and the family spirit that unites its members.
People-centered approach to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
NCDs are contributing to over 63% of all deaths worldwide. This partnership process considers the importance of raising NCDs awareness and management at community level.
Fostering integration of refugees
The Dutch Council for Refugees (Vluchtelingenwerk) has adopted the SALT approach throughout the organisation, as a way to foster integration of refugees. Trained facilitators and managers report growing work satisfaction in the offices engaged in SALT.
Valenciennes’ Youth Council for Development
Youths in Valenciennes have their own Development Council. The Constellation Belgium helped the group to build a common dream for Valenciennes and to reflect on how to materialise it. Thereby was born the project of the Talents Festival of the Valenciennes Region. COVID-19 has turned the action plan upside down, but the path was worth it.