Number 4,
Summer 1996

CCCRTE

by Guus Meijer, INCORE

On 14 may, 1996, the Coordinating Committee for conflict Resolution Training in Europe (CCCRTE) organised a one-day workshop on the evaluation of conflict resolution training. Since its start, one of the objectives of the committee has been to provide a forum for the exchange of information and experience and the development of common understanding and learning, in order to improve practice. There is a generally felt need for reflection and debate on how the quality and impact of conflict resolution training work can be assessed. The workshop was intended as a contribution to that debate, mainly with the work of the committee and its member organisations in mind, but hopefully of use and interest to others in the field as well.

The turnout for the workshop, held in the offices of Conciliation Resources in London, was excellent. Around 25 people, more than half of whom were non-committee members, attended the day and without exception engaged very actively in the proceedings. The only group that was largely and sorely missed were the funding agencies, although quite a few had been invited. This meant that the intention of a real dialogue between the funders and those who implement projects in this field -- on a subject of such obvious relevance to both groups -- could be realised only in part.

The day was structured in such a way as to maximise the opportunity for participants to express and share their own experiences and dilemmas...

The constructive and valuable role in the discussions played by the representative of the U.K. Overseas Development Administration only brought this point more to the fore. On the other hand, the presence and the quality of the contributions of so many people from outside the Committee (some from abroad, including Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Sweden) and from different, though related fields of activity (Oxfam), ensured that it was much more than another internal discussion. This newsletter contains the fruits of the day -- collected and disseminated in the hope that they will stimulate further reflection, discussion and action towards the elaboration of frameworks and understandings that can lead to better practice in the field of conflict resolution training. The Committee itself is determined to take this issue forward, within the limits of its capabilities.

The day was structured in such a way as to maximise the opportunity for participants to express and share their own experiences and dilemmas of evaluating training work, rather than the views or suggestions of external "experts". To get this process going and give it some initial direction, however, some "input" in this sense was given at the outset by Clem McCartney (himself a member of the Committee). In a half-hour presentation he outlined his views concerning some key terms and concepts and some possible ways of approaching evaluation in this kind of work (see elsewhere in this newsletter).

The bulk of the day was spent in smaller groups and the results of much of those discussions are contained in separate reports in the following pages. At the end of the day, a plenary session was held in order to bring the different strands together and look at possible next steps. This closing discussion turned out to be a very rewarding exchange of views concerning the core issues discussed during the day.

The most concrete ideas for next steps included: (i) collect and disseminate examples of good practice of evaluation; (ii) develop a code of practice for evaluation to be adopted for work undertaken by the CCCRTE or in its name; and (iii) elaborate a framework for evaluation to be adopted by the CCCRTE for itself and its member organisations. There was also a strong emphasis on the importance of maintaining the critical discourse of which the workshop had been an example, as a value in its own right that every participant can relate to his or her own work situation and training practice, without necessarily moving towards common standards or frameworks. In the context of the discussion about such common standards or frameworks (or codes), however, inescapably the issue of accreditation was raised. Norbert Ropers committed himself to writing a short discussion paper on that, for publication in one of the following newsletters, and as a starting point for further reflection and debate, within the CCCRTE and beyond. This illustrates again that the workshop could only be a beginning.

...The first kind of "internal" evaluation seems rather doable and is often the only kind that is being conducted. The second, "external" evaluation, is a much harder nut to crack.

One issue that I think remained rather under-emphasized in the day's discussions, but is in my view of central importance, is the distinction between evaluating a training event as such -- its contents, delivery, organisation, quality, etcetera -- and assessing the impact that this event has on, firstly, the participants/trainees, and, secondly, where there is a circumscribed context of conflict, on the evolving dynamics of that conflict. To use a simple analogue from the development field: we can evaluate a road construction project by looking at its product (the road) and the process of its construction (costs, quality, etcetera). In the end, however, what counts is whether and how that road is used and how it affects the wider social, economic and ecological environment.

In our work of conflict resolution training, the first kind of "internal" evaluation seems rather doable and is often the only kind that is being conducted. The second, "external" evaluation, is a much harder nut to crack. Hopefully, the workshop and the reports and reflections contained in the pages that follow here will provide a stimulus for further work in this area.

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