Logistical Considerations
Logistical considerations would include factors such as the number of days and hours you can spend on the program, the number of participants, and the age group for which the program will be conducted. They are important to account for since they will help you match your capacities and resource availabilities with the amount of work that will have to be put in for the program. An understanding of this will help you customise the program in a manner that will better suit your team and run the program with ample support.
Volunteer Team
For any voluntary program the team and its commitment to achieving a common goal is the bedrock for success. Organising a F.A.I.R. Space is a rewarding yet challenging experience. A driven, well-structured team makes all the difference between a disorderly and well-orchestrated event.
Executing this program would require work on all fronts such as coordination, ideation, moderation, communication, etc. Therefore, you should assess your team to understand their capacities. This would not just include the number of members in your team, but also their skillsets, the time available to them, amongst other factors.
For example, in a team of 5, it would be important to understand how the work would be divided, who would take responsibility for what, whose skillsets would be better suited to certain tasks, etc. Such understandings would also help you assess if you require more members and if so, the type of new members you would need.
Time Commitment
The time you have available, right from the call for applications to the end of the formal program, would be important for you to narrow down on the number of days you can spend on the program. Broadly, you would have to account for the planning of the program and then its execution.
For example, applications for The F.A.I.R. Project open on 20 January, with participants being shortlisted by 02 April. The time post 02 April to 24 July is used for both inducting participants, as well as running the formal program.
Therefore, as you go along reading this manual you will get a better understanding of the time you will have to allocate on session days and the overall time period that you will have to stay engaged in organising a successful Space.
Factors which are relevant for this are provided below.
1. Age group
The age group of the program includes identifying the age range of participants. The age range would help you determine the timings of the program, the themes, types of tools to deliver the program, and deliverables from participants, among other similar factors.
For example, The F.A.I.R. Project is conducted for individuals between the ages of 18-27 years. Therefore, the sessions of the program were scheduled for post 6 PM, taking into account jobs, internships, class timings and extra-curricular activities. With this same consideration in mind, the program was scheduled for no longer than 1.5 months given the time constraints individuals may face if the program were to continue for a sustained duration.
2. Number of participants
The number of participants would include determining how many participants you would shortlist for the program. This can be determined by considering the number of team members, number of themes, structure of the program and number of days, amongst other factors.
For example, The F.A.I.R. Project is for 32 participants. This consideration was derived from several factors. Since the Project uses the 8 goals of 8one to explain the Methodology and divides participants in groups for presentation, 32 as a number was considered feasible. This way, each group would consist of 4 participants each which would also give each member of the group enough time to speak in presentations.
Similarly, given the 1.5 months duration of the program, 32 participants and subsequently, the 8 groups they would be divided into would also fit the schedule well. This is also taking in consideration that sessions don’t last very long.
Just as important would be accounting for the number of team members you have available. This is relevant with respect to the number of moderators, coordinators, designers, etc. For example, if you have a smaller team of less than 5 individuals, then it would be suitable for you to keep the number of participants below 32 to make the process of managing the program better.
4. Number of days
The number of days scheduled for the program would depend on several considerations such as the number of themes, dates of the program, number of participants, and the time available with you. However, it is important to calculate the number of days from the call for applications till the end of the formal program.
For example, The F.A.I.R. Project opened applications on 20 January 2021, finalised participants by 02 April 2021, ran induction sessions till 14 June 2021 and the completed the formal program by 24 July 2021.
Therefore, it is important to account for the amount of time you have available to ensure that you are able to conduct each part of the process without delays and without being pressed for time.
Additionally, you should also account for the dates for which participants would be free to attend the formal program. For example, if participants are primarily college students, then you should account for the exam period, summer holidays, college days, etc. You should keep these dates in mind and back date to when you think applications should open.