The document outlines the agenda and objectives of the MECIS Economic Justice Community of Practice Learning Workshop. The workshop aims to: 1) promote peer-to-peer learning across the region, 2) develop a strong Economic Justice Community of Practice support structure, and 3) enhance Oxfam and partner organizations' ability to have greater impact through a systems approach. The four-day agenda covers sharing experiences within themes, field visits, integration of lessons, and next steps. Participants will discuss models for working with poor women, promising approaches, and developing the Community of Practice further through capacity building, support structures, and secondments.

1. MECIS ECONOMIC JUSTICE
COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
LEARNING WORKSHOP
WELCOME
MARCH 20, 2014

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WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
1. To promote peer to peer learning across the
region
2. To develop a strong Economic Justice
Community of Practice and support
structure in the region
3. To enhance the ability of Oxfam and partner
organisations to gain greater impact
through a systems approach

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AGENDA
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
SHARING EXPERIENCE
WITHIN THEMES
FIELD VISITS INTEGRATION
& NEXT STEPS
Introduction 2 themes Field visits Integration
2 themes 2 themes Field visits Next steps

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THURSDAY AGENDA: MORNING
9.00 Introduction to Thursday
9.10 Reports from field visits
9.40 Armenia case study:
Methodology for assessing vulnerability
10.00 Integration: Introduction
10.15 Integration: Groups – three, self selecting:
1. Innovative Services
2. New Business Models: working with cooperatives
3. Influence: multi-stakeholder forums
11.30 Integration: Plenary (break during groups)
12.30 Lunch

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THURSDAY AGENDA: AFTERNOON
13.30Next steps: group work: developing CoP
14.15 Next steps: plenary
14.45 Coffee/Tea
15.00 Other themes such as:
• Effective partnerships
• Monitoring & finance management
16.30 Check actions
16.45 Review workshop – incl evaluation sheet
16.55 Closing words
17.00 Close

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INTEGRATION GROUP WORK
Thinking of the whole system, please summarise:
1. Models
a) What are the models?
b) What are the key factors that lead you to each model?
2. How can we ensure that poor women are at the
centre of this work?
3. What have you learned at this workshop that could
be a promising approach in your context?
Please select a reporter to record answers on flip
charts and to give a summary in the plenary session.

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NEXT STEPS GROUP WORK
Please suggest specific and realistic next steps to support the
development of the Community of Practice in MECIS:
1. Capacity
a) What are the needs?
b) How could capacity be built?
c) Who might help build capacity?
2. Support structure
a) Organisational roles
b) Information technology
c) Communications eg the blog, webinars
3. Secondments
4. Offers of help, requests for help
5. What else?
Please select a reporter to record answers on flip charts and to
give a summary in the plenary session.

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EXPECTATIONS: GENERAL
• To learn what others have done
• To learn from colleagues about what worked
and what did not work, especially in oPt
• To exchange ideas, learning from each other
• To reflect on our own initiatives from
different perspectives
• To understand systems thinking and
leveraging – and how they affect theories of
change

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EXPECTATIONS: SPECIFIC TOPICS
• Challenges faced by others launching
Gendered Enterprise & Markets (GEM)
projects
• Innovative agricultural service delivery
models
• Programme implementation by partners
• Monitoring & finance management, donor
requirements
• Motivation for farmers’ cooperation
• Implementing gender mainstreaming

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SYSTEMS THINKING
• Popular definition
• Examples from non-MECIS projects:
• Colombia dairy – influencing through stakeholder forums
• Ethiopia Coffee – new business model
• Tanzania Sisal – private sector linkage

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Enterprise Development
Resilience Building
Innovative
Services
Gender
Influence &
Investment
New Business
Models