Strengthening Capacity for Conservation in Indo-Burma
Course Dates:
April 2023 to August 2024
Location:
Online & Vietnam
Application Deadline:
15th March 2023
Call for applications from national civil society organisations to participate in a training and mentorship programme
The Tropical Biology Association (TBA) has developed, together with its partners in the Indo-Burma region, a project to strengthen the capacity of 25 national CSOs for lasting conservation impacts.
The project, funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), will take place between April 2023 and August 2024, and will combine online learning, an in-person masterclass, and follow-up mentoring.
We are excited to announce that the call for applications is now open. We are looking for conservation organisations from the region who would like to strengthen their capacities to manage and lead organisations, design and develop projects, and deliver impactful communications.
The opportunity
Twenty-five CSO’s from the Indo-Burma region will be selected from an open application process and enrolled in the programme, which consists of 3 thematic training masterclasses and subsequent mentoring sessions. Two masterclasses will be online based on the Tropical Biology Association’s virtual learning platform and one masterclass will be in person in Vietnam.
Taught by the Tropical Biology Association (TBA)
Supported by CEPF
More information
Format:
Online training masterclasses plus in-person masterclass in Vietnam
Online masterclasses:
Two online masterclasses, each blending 16 hours of virtual learning plus 6 hours on zoom, spread over 6 weeks.
In person: 1 week
Price: Free of charge
Background
The Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot is one of the most biologically important regions of the planet, supporting a wide variety of habitats and high biodiversity. It has a remarkable level of endemic species, and is still revealing its biological treasures, with new species still being discovered.
This hotspot includes Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, and parts of southern China.
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) play an important role in conservation throughout the hotspot and are well-placed to deliver long-term conservation impact. This project aims to give them the tools and skills to enhance their impact further.
What we cover
Module 1: Project development and fundraising
The masterclass will teach a series of interlinked topics on project development such as identifying conservation problems and their causes and planning for conservation impacts. This masterclass will also show how project development links to proposal writing.
This first masterclass will be delivered online using TBA’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Starting on the week of 17th April 2023, it will blend 16 hours of independent, self-paced virtual learning divided into three modules, with 6 hours of interactive zoom sessions. Each module will have an assignment to complete.
Module 2: Communications
The second masterclass will teach communication skills so that CSO’s can raise their profiles and have greater impact through sharing their work. It will be tailor-made for small CSO’s who do not normally have dedicated communications staff, yet who need to enhance their communication capacity.
It will cover the principles of communicating with different audiences, and how to present conservation results to build credibility, and accountability to your stakeholders both inside and outside of the conservation community. The class will also cover ways in which CSO’s can raise awareness of environmental issues and how to communicate with national policy makers and businesses.
The masterclass will be in person and take place in Vietnam.
Module 3: Organisational management & strategic planning
This online masterclass builds on all the topics covered before, and will empower CSOs to plan for and deliver long-term conservation impacts for priority species and habitats in the Indo-Burma hotspot. The class will cover how to create realistic strategic plans with measurable current and future goals.
Participants will learn how to do situational analyses and create organisational frameworks for decision making, and partnerships. There will be a specific component on gender issues and the importance of creating an equitable institutional culture for both internal and external activities. This online masterclass will consist of 3 modules that blend 16 hours of independent, self-paced virtual learning with 6 hours of interactive Zoom meetings. There will be an assignment for each module.
Mentoring
Each masterclass will be linked to mentoring sessions to help apply new skills and ideas and to focus on specific capacity gaps the CSO’s have identified they would like guidance on. Each CSO will be given the opportunity to participate in 3 mentoring sessions.
How the course will work
Online from 17th April 2023: Project development and fundraising
In person: November 2023 (provisional) Communications
Online from April 2024: Organisational management & strategic planning
Who is this course for?
- The programme is designed for national CSO’s (civil society organisations and NGO’s) working in biodiversity conservation, and registered in one of the Indo-Burma Hotspot countries Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Lao PDR and Cambodia,
- Two staff members in management or leadership positions from each CSO may participate in the virtual training programme.
- One staff member may attend to in-person masterclass.
- Represented CSOs should have a minimum of 3 people (volunteers or part time staff) with a clear job description/ responsibility.
- CSOs should also have managed and implemented conservation projects before.
- The training resources and implementation will be in English. It is expected that participants can communicate and work well in English, both spoken and written.
How to apply
There are spaces for this programme for 25 CSOs across the 5 countries. We encourage applications from youth and women led organizations. Deadline for applications is 15th of March 2023.
Successful applicants will be notified by the end of March 2023 and expected to participate in the first masterclass in April.
We look forward to seeing you on the course!
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan and the World Bank. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.
What Our Students Say
“A unique combination of independent learning and Zoom teaching”
“The reading materials were helpful, the live teaching sessions were insightful, the discussion/breakout rooms forged so many beautiful friendships”