The Freirean model of training adults which Praxis follows is a response to the traditional formal models of education where the “teacher” stands at the front and “imparts” information to the “students” who are passive recipients. Instead, we follow a participatory pedagogy where participants learn how to establish existing knowledge, build on it and keep it relevant. In a variety of fields, this form of training has proved more effective than more traditional forms.

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For Praxis, capacity building is a political process where attitudes, knowledge and skills are challenged, unpacked and activated towards change processes. It goes beyond training and focus on human resource development.

Praxis has a built in strategy of capacity building based on sound participatory action research initiatives; and the concepts, methods, skills and tools are tested and applied rigorously in the respective organisational and community setups to enable communities, organisations and institutions engage in democratising development processes and results.

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To this end, Praxis conducts several workshops, which are described below.

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Our annual flagship event, TheWorkshop is an annual residential event that brings together development workers, policy makers and proactive individuals from across the world to share information and experiences. It provides participants with opportunities to exchange ideas and innovations in the field of participatory development, gain a theoretical understanding of participatory tools and approaches as well as a chance to practically apply them in the field. Over the years, TheWorkshop has attracted over 1,700 participants from 50 countries. In 2020, Praxis facilitated TheWorkshop online, challenging the team’s own areas of comfort to innovate to the needs of the hour.

 

Need-based Thematic Trainings and Capacity-building Workshops

Praxis conducts need-based thematic trainings and capacity-building workshops on a diverse array of themes and issues for a large number of developmental organisations in India and abroad. Participatory methods and approaches, micro-level planning, organisational development and participatory research that help in building the capacities of communities and fellow workers in civil society are some of the major areas we impart training on. Our trainings have covered a wide range of sectoral needs, from disability rights organisations, to those working on trafficking, from agriculture to labour rights.

 

Insight

Insight, our ‘Immersion Programme’, is designed to facilitate development practitioners and policy makers to ‘immerse’ themselves for a few days in the day-to-day lives of vulnerable and excluded communities. It is a guided experience that facilitates a development worker/government functionary to understand the lives of the communities they frame policies for better.

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As they live and communicate with communities, the participants enrich their knowledge and understanding of socio-developmental issues while themselves undergoing a life-altering reality check. Though each Insight follows a common structure, it can be customised to suit the needs of participants/participating agency.

 

Sandhan

A Praxis initiative for cluster-level development workers, Sandhan was started to address the dearth of skilled human resources in the field of participatory development. To maximise its impact, Praxis carried out these training sessions in Hindi. In 2007, Praxis went one step further to conduct a session in Tamil Nadu in the local language, Tamil. The sessions aim to build the capacities of functionaries working in grass roots organisations. The resource persons are drawn from Praxis as well as other reputed organisations.

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The three- to four-week workshops offer comprehensive training in areas such as awareness, knowledge, skills, communication, presentation, documentation and accounting with a special thematic focus on education, health, natural resources, project management and micro-level planning. 

For more information on our trainings, do write to us at: info@praxisindia.org