Community Engagement Online Course

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Drones are solving problems everywhere in this day and age. From delivering life saving vaccines in rural settings to large scale agriculture mapping to increase yield for farming. The technology on its own is impressive but at the end of the day, it serves people who in some context, might not be included in any stage of planning, implementation or even be aware of its presence. Even with the best intentions, social good drone projects have a  significant risk of not being successful in the long run if the connection between the project and the people is not strong. This connection is a process which is built through numerous community engagements.

Participants in this training will learn everything they need to know about dealing with different types of communities and prioritising certain tasks. They will also learn about effectively using communication tools to raise awareness, learn to overcome common challenges in drone projects as well as reflect on the theme of inclusivity from the perspective of people living with disabilities. Please see the video on the left to visualize the importance of community engagement as well as this syllabus for an overview of the key topics covered. 

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Content & Registration

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The content for this online training draws directly on Flying Labs first-hand lessons learned and best practices in implementing, coordinating and supporting social good projects with drones in half-a-dozen countries. The course also draws extensively on the wider lessons learned and best practices from the broader community. The entire course content, which is shared in the formats below, is updated on a regular basis. The advanced course includes:

  • Fully customized slide deck with 200+ slides developed from the knowledge and experience of over a dozen Flying Labs engaged different projects all over the globe, presented in over 15 videos
  • Selected studies, articles and online resources

The course comes with a dedicated folder which consists of carefully revised guidelines and policies for community engagement.

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Requirements

The training is a self-paced course which means anyone can join at any time. The course is led by video presentations and facilitated on a weekly basis by WeRobotics through a dedicated online forum. Recommended readings are provided and are optional. Participants will need to follow the video presentations, participate in the online forum and complete 1 short assignment in order to successfully complete the course. While participants may join the course at any time, they must successfully complete the course within 3 months to receive a certificate of completion signed by WeRobotics.

To get the most out of the course, participants should plan to dedicate up to 4 hours in total, comprising video presentations, online discussions, one short assignment and recommended readings. That said, the course can also be completed within 2.5 hours.

Ideal Participants

Technology is only a small portion of the solution in drone projects with a social good scope. Communicating the technology to people from all walks of life is the essential part of the project lifecycle which often gets overlooked. Getting this right before even starting the project can ensure the project’s sustainability and success.

This training is ideally suited for any professionals wanting to conduct a successful and comprehensive community engagement event for projects involving new and innovative technologies, such as UAVs. It is designed to help participants of this course to take a step back and evaluate their current practices and improve on them for better results.

Instructor

Amrita Lal works as the Youth Coordinator & GIS Support at WeRobotics. She is an experienced CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority – Australia) certified drone pilot and a graduate from the University of the South Pacific with a background in Geospatial Science and Geography. She completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Geoscience from the same university in 2019. In the same year, she was added to the growing list of “Women to Watch in UAS’ in the Humanitarian category for her work with the Red Cross team in Fiji. 

Prior to joining WeRobotics, Amrita worked as the Regional Coordinator for the South Pacific Flying Labs based in Fiji where she led several projects which required organising community engagement events on a regular basis. Here, she worked with various government agencies, non-government agencies and universities. She also led a mapping project based on the study of 12 villages in both the coastal region and up in the highlands to study the perception of people about drones and data sharing. At the South Pacific Flying Labs she also pioneered and conducted several youth programs designed to encourage STEM fields and introduce drone technology to students in secondary schools. During her studies, she worked with the UN Women on their Market4Change project as an intern with a prime focus on the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji’s market assets. She has also been actively involved with various NGOs such as the MentorMe Foundation, where for the past four years she has helped youths perform better academically through one on one mentoring.

Amrita was born and raised in the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific. 

Acknowledgements

This online course would not have been complete without the contribution and generous feedback of several members from various Flying Labs (Panama, Nepal, Senegal, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, Uganda, Peru, Kenya, Spain, Côte d’Ivoire and the Philippines).

Last but certainly not the least, sincerest thanks to Kate Retzki for her kind, insightful and detailed feedback on an earlier version of this training. 

Fees

Course fees:

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