Year:

2008

Objective: 

The objective of the XXXIX Congress “We learn from our management” was: to encourage the systematisation of experiences in several areas of management, to learn from them, to promote their dissemination and exchange and to identify the elements that we must improve in our management.

The XXXIX Congress placed the emphasis on recovering some systematised management practices so that, based on them, we can collectively weave together clear references and criteria for the management that should characterise the work of the work teams in FyA.

Background: 

Subsequently, the Board of Directors, after reviewing and analysing the survey responses received, selected three M&As to systematise their experiences in three different areas:

1. FyA Bolivia in participatory management (Human Resources-Teamwork-Leadership and Participatory Structure).
2. FyA Peru in fundraising, financial and legal management.
3. FyA Venezuela in communication and institutional image.

At the same time, the Coordination of Programme 7 “Systematisation of experiences” was asked to prepare a “Basic Outline with Guiding Questions” to guide the process of systematisation of management experiences in the countries. The Coordination of Programme 7 was also asked to support and accompany, remotely and by virtual means, the M&A Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela teams so that they can systematise the management experiences that the Board of Directors entrusted to them:

1. Participatory Management (M&A Bolivia);
2. Fundraising and Financial and Legal Management (FyA Peru);
3. Communication and institutional image (FyA Venezuela) and to present them at the XXXIX Congress. These experiences were sent to the delegates so that they had time to read, analyse, evaluate them and prepare their response according to their reactions.

On the other hand, the Call to the XXXIX Congress (FIFyA 219-2008) was sent to all the FyA Directorates with the Preliminary Work Guide so that each FyA could reflect on the seven questions posed by the Board of Directors, which would allow them to gather contributions for the dialogue in the groups and the debate in the plenary sessions of the XXXIX Congress.

The Congress:

At the International Congress, each of the three selected and systematised experiences were presented by delegates from FyA Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela. They were commented on by the public, both from Fe y Alegría and from outside Fe y Alegría, who contributed new perspectives, reflections and complementary approaches. The public was asked to submit their comments and suggestions by writing. Following the presentation of the management experiences, people worked in groups to recover the contribution of all the delegates to the XXXIX Congress, who brought proposals generated in the discussions in their respective countries. Before the plenary sessions, there was a theoretical presentation of the theme by a special guest, which caused a dialogue during plenary and help complete the reflection of the groups.

On the second day of the Congress, the exchange groups engaged in dialogue on the basis of short presentations (no more than ten minutes each) from a number of countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chad, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Dominican Republic). These M&As, who shared their management experiences freely and informally, did so around six themes:

1. Implementation, monitoring and evaluation (M&A Argentina).
2. Networking (FyA Honduras).
3. Innovation in management (M&A Dominican Republic).
4. Administrative and financial management (M&A Brazil).
5. Functional autonomy (FyA Ecuador).
6. The Frontiers of Management (M&A Haiti and M&A Chad). The delegates and guests of the Congress came to the group of their interest to exchange points of views, criteria and reflections on the basis of the initial presentation-generator.

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