HIC co-learning spaces are cross-regional, multi-session encounters open to all HIC Members, Friends and allies to generate and multiply emancipatory learning practices applied on the defense of human rights related to habitat. Each co-learning space will be hosted over an extended time period, mostly online, facilitated by HIC Members with the support of HIC and the Knowledge in Action for Urban Equality (KNOW) programme.
How and why did this initiative come about? Background and objectives
Together with advocacy, a variety of learning practices are at the core of how HIC connects cross-regionally and builds social force collectively to effect systemic change. Valuable precedents in the history of HIC include the HIC-Academy and many other spaces and tools developed to exchange knowledge practices within and between regions.
The everyday practices of HIC Members and allies are valuable for the ongoing work of defending, promoting and ensuring human rights related to habitat. Whether implicitly or explicitly, many HIC Members engage in transformative pedagogies that are a means of inspiration and learning for HIC Members defending habitat-related rights elsewhere in the world. For this reason, one of the main requests from HIC Members during the HIC General Assembly in February 2021 was to strengthen cross-regional interaction, mobilization, networking and communication.
At the same time, HIC and the Knowledge in Action for Urban Equality (KNOW) programme have been engaging in an ongoing discussion about emancipatory pedagogies and strategies to activate learning for collective action.
What are HIC co-learning spaces?
The HIC co-learning spaces are cross-regional, multi-session learning opportunities for interested HIC Members, Friends and allies to generate and multiply emancipatory learning practices based on human rights related to habitat.
They have emerged as a response to HIC Member priorities to strengthen the social force of HIC. Their objectives include:
– Enhancing communication and critical consciousness of collective ways of thinking and acting in a transformative way.
– Building and nurturing bridges across different geographies that face similar challenges and responses.
– Building social force: Beyond traditional modes of training, the HIC co-learning spaces engage with learning as a practice of activating political change, developing our collective muscle and social force.
The themes for the three upcoming co-learning spaces in 2021-2022 are:
Feminist Approaches to Habitat
Land Rights
Multi-level Advocacy
Each co-learning space will be hosted online with live sessions and a range of opportunities to discuss and reflect collectively on specific issues pertinent to the work of HIC Members and allies.
Phase 2 will be developed in 2022-2023 and include themes related to: communication for change and social production of habitat.
Who can participate?
The protagonists and central participants are HIC Members, Friends and Allies. The co-learning spaces are open to all.
The co-learning spaces are convened and planned by a rich and regionally diverse group of twelve facilitators from Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America who will facilitate each of the co-learning spaces mentioned above, with the support of a staff team from HIC and KNOW.
Get to know the Facilitators of each Co-learning Space!
The life cycle of co-learning spaces
Co-learning spaces are not a one-off training or specific capacity building activity. Rather, their aim to build social force is pursued through a long-time strategic process that started many years ago, and that will extend to the future through engagement with the different thematic areas.
The diagram of the life cycle conceptualises the different stages of each thematic co-learning space. Those stages enable us to identify and structure the process: what are the different tasks, objectives and outcomes?
Kicking off to build the social force of our global coalition
The first kick-off meeting took place on 24 August 2021 with the facilitators of all co-learning spaces. This meeting was an opportunity to learn more about the ideas and objectives of the co-learning spaces and clarify questions. The facilitators were able to know the teams, as well as start planning the next steps together.
On 9 September 2021, the facilitators and support team met with potential participants to identify key issues they want to learn about as well as capacities they want to build in each of the thematic co-learning spaces.
What’s next
