Livelihoods
Learning Community

To foster a collective understanding of livelihoods by exploring different perspectives, voices, and experiences., so we can then explore  innovative livelihood-initiative ideas.

In this module you will:

• Articulate the values and vision of prosperity within your community or territory, a necessary part of envisioning potential livelihoods initiatives.
• Describe sustainable livelihoods conceptually and practically, and give examples of  various types of livelihoods.
• Define “assets” within the livelihoods framework and gain an understanding of how to map them, in response to your community needs and aspirations.
• Begin sharing and building mutual understanding and connection with other participants in the course.

To deepen our understanding of common barriers and challenges affecting livelihoods, including by internal and external factors, in order to inspire new initiatives or actions in our territories.

In this module you will:

• Specify common struggles, including those that women and youth face, in relation to livelihoods in your community and/or territory.
• Explain responses employed by individuals or communities facing similar challenges to overcome these barriers.
• Classify the natural and human assets in your territory.

Identify factors that enhance the viability of initiatives through collaborative strategies and collective governance. We will be discussing conditions that create attainable opportunities.

In this module you will:

• Compare different autonomous and self-determining collective governance structures.
• Analyze the benefits of self-organizing efforts, utilizing both competition and collaboration, with an emphasis on security.
• Identify social capital and potential collaborators through the process of mapping key connections and potential allies.
• Identify physical assets in your territory.

To better understand financing options for sustainable livelihood initiatives and help you envision the options for your community’s financing needs.

In this module you will:

• Outline available financing options and resources for sustainable livelihood initiatives, by mapping your community’s financial assets.
• Identify potential livelihoods strategies based on assets mapping, that could develop into an initiative and prepare a group presentation.
• Compare types of financing according to the scale of the initiative and prerequisites.

Participants will present their findings from the asset mapping and ideas that came up during the course. They will receive collective feedback, explore new opportunities, and validate proposals within the group, with the aim of enhancing each other’s initiative ideas.

In this session we will:

• Practice concise presentation skills by effectively summarizing the key concepts and ideas of your potential initiative related to your community and/or territory, gathered throughout previous sessions and homework.
• Enhance the initial proposal for your livelihood project by incorporating feedback from other participants provided in small groups during the session.
• Identify the next steps for sustaining this learning community within the RRI coalition and continue to advance livelihoods work in the territories.