Five vibrant CHS Alliance member only Communities of Practice
Our members are a powerful movement for change – 200+ organisations all committed to the CHS. This is a powerful community when we can connect together to see how to meet our CHS commitments. We know meeting the Nine Commitments of the CHS takes determination, solidarity and seeing the world in a different way – this is why it’s so important we find a meaningful way to connect with each other.
CHS Alliance runs five member-only Communities of Practice (CoPs) that turn theory into collective action for strategic areas under the CHS:
- Accountability to Affected People
- Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment
- People Management
- CHS Verification
- CHS Training
What’s a CoP?
Each CHS Alliance CoP is a forum to exchange good practice, solve problems and explore new ideas, tools and techniques. While each CoP is organised based on the needs of participants, all provide the opportunity to connect, converse and share opinions. These communities are an exclusive membership benefit.
Today, these vibrant CoPs are evolving through mutual engagement, shared competence, and learning, leading to knowledge creation on some of the toughest challenges facing aid work. A mix of idea-sharing forums will undoubtedly foster casual connections and hopefully shared action.
So how do they work?
Our CoPs use various channels to facilitate group discussions as well as one-on-one conversations to share valuable resources, guidance, tips and tools. If you have an urgent problem and are seeking advice, perhaps the host of the relevant Community of Practice or one of the other members can assist. We hold monthly CoP webinars and in between we encourage members to communicate with each other directly through the Slack platform.
Occasionally CoPs online meetings will include formal presentations, but most often they are informal discussions on the topical issues, challenges and opportunities we collectively face in the humanitarian and development sectors. External experts sometime join select CoPs to stimulate and inspire discussions or share innovative technical knowledge.
Like a neighbourhood bar or café, we envision that these communities will become a “place” you go to for candid advice, to express your opinions, and brainstorm new ideas without repercussion. These are virtual spaces you can drop in to hear about the latest tool or chat about technical issues and connect with both field and HQ colleagues.
How can I get involved?
You can help us to make these communities even more successful by contributing your expertise, tabling relevant issues for discussion and debate, or simply by building new relationships. Over time, these communities will grow and evolve as together we explore challenges and opportunities.
As we learn more about working remotely and building relationships virtually during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we encourage you to join one or more of the CHS Alliance member communities. To join, please follow the link to our subscription form: