Agenda HOW Call, Sept 2, 2010

From AFSWiki

• Check-in
  • Present: Sarah Yancey, Mary Ann Offer, Robin Weber
• Note taker
  • Mary Ann will take and post the call notes today.
• Review action items from last call Agenda HOW Call, Aug 24, 2010, which are:
  • Robin will:
    • revise application (done)
    • group member descriptions (done)
    • send tutorial link - AFS Wiki Reference (done)
    • contact others about membership on selection committee
  • Sarah will create guidelines or form for recommendations (done)
  • Mary Ann will create guidelines for writing assignment (done)

• HOW Leader Norms - Please add your suggestions directly to the page. I have included a few to get us started.
  • Sarah added: We coach / mentor one another and our fellow team members in areas of our own strength and skills.
• Updates from partners not conveyed to this point
  • India, per phone call between Sarah and Divya
    • Timeline: Depart US 11/18, Arr 11/19
      • Meeting: 20-23
      • Homestay: 24-26. Staff member will accompany visiting HOW group members to different locales.
      • Leave for US on 11/26, very late.
    • Divya is very interested in learning about the HOW announcement, all the relevant links.
    • She is preparing information to get out to her volunteers next week in a newsletter. Divya can use her own criteria for selection, she is very interested in how we are doing our part. Her estimate for per diem costs are $200 pp, as the visit is during a busy tourism time.
    • Sarah notes that airfares appear to be reasonable right now, less than they were during the summer. She may book her travel now, to save costs.
  • Indonesia
    • Timeline: Depart US late 11/19
      • Homestay: 21-24
      • Meeting: 25-28
      • Return Travel: 29
  • This schedule would be good for Indonesian volunteers, who could meet on the weekend. American volunteers could minimize days off from work. November 25, the first day of that meeting, would be American Thanksgiving, a nice opportunity for some intercultural sharing.
  • India and Indonesia
  • It was agreed that team members would be discouraged from bringing travel partners for the period of meetings and homestay, as that will all be considered work time, and that any additional travel arrangements for spouses or others before or after the official HOW in-country work period would have to be handled by the parties concerned, and not by AFS.

• Any final comments on background info and application etc. before launch
  • HOW announcement page will be public.
  • HOW position description will include a requirement that volunteers be registered AFS volunteers.

• Any additional questions about call content/data analysis (move to next call)
• Update on selection committee, begin to schedule process, share link to applications
  • "Al" has agreed to be on the committee. Robin will check on staff participation.
  • Robin will share a link to the applications with the group leaders.
• Other
• Next steps
• Next call
  • Thursday, September 9, 10 a.m., Skype. Robin may be late, but we will begin on time.
  • Note addition of data analysis, update on selection committee, scheduling process.

Action Items

• Robin:
  • Follow up with Keri about staff participation in group;
  • Follow up with Patti with SP and selection committee;
  • Follow up with Tamara;
  • Launch announcement tomorrow;
  • Email results of online applications;
  • Contact partners about English versions of their handbooks

• Sarah: none

• Mary Ann:
  • Respond to Diar and send letter to Robin for review before sending
  • Share links with Diar (announcement and application)

• All: reflect on norms and add any more

Working Agenda for Next Call

• Check In.
• Note taker.
• Review action items from last call.
• Data analysis.
• Application launch and response report.
• Indonesia
  • Per diem estimate from Diar.
  • Further questions and information from Diar.
• India
  • Further questions and information from Divya.
• Update on selection committee.