First Week Plans

“Knowing the How and Building the What”

In our first week on the ground in Cape Town, several essential steps need to occur in order to secure the foundation of a highly interpersonal development project.  Our project group will begin to lay the groundwork for a strong relationship with the co-researchers, community members, and sponsors in order to build a sense of communal teamwork and establish the WPI Cape Town Project groups in Joe Slovo Park.  From interviews to recording media content, gaining cultural exposure to speaking with stakeholder representatives, our first week action plan is intended to build a foundation of trust and purpose.  We aim to understand their vision as well as the perspectives from community members looking to better their living environment and assist as the stakeholders deem necessary.

Day 1: Half-day Afternoon In Joe Slovo Park

  • Go with advisors, Scott Jiusto and Bob Hersh, in the afternoon
  • Meeting the sponsor leads (from CORC, ISN, maybe CORC reps?
    • Identify quiet area to interview them on questions prepared
    • Bring notebooks, video cameras, and perhaps shirts as greeting gift during interviews
  • Keep up communication with Aditya Kumar for plans when he comes back on site
    • What are you up to currently?
    • What are you planning on in the upcoming days?
  • Getting acquainted with Sizwe and current progress of project
    • Talk to Sizwe about the “gaps” in the project and figure out a few possible points for our help
    • Come to better understand the progress that’s been made, and the benefits and difficulties associated with the improvements
    • Begin to build work relationship with him and the group – explain our intentions in helping and supporting, ask how organisation communicates and meets for updates, ask when it is okay to begin doing team builders (soccer, dance/song events, meals, community events already established)
  • Tour of Joe Slovo Park
    • Greeting community members (Have 2011 CTPC Reports)
      • Introduce ourselves (have pictures ready), explain why we’re there (education and intention to help), ask them about what they think of the upgrading process, thank them for their time
    • Eat at Spaza Shops – informal interviews to shop owners and other customers
  • Video journal at the end of the day
    • Each take 5-10 minutes after our work is done for the day to talk about our experiences that day – what we learned, what we enjoyed, what surprised us, what we want to do tomorrow, experiences with co-researchers.
    • Upload all media to shared location and encourage other Cape Town Project groups to do the same

 

Day 2: Half-day Afternoon In Joe Slovo Park

  • Meet and start interviews with any co-researchers aside from Aditya Kumar and Sizwe Mxobo
    • Have them show us around Joe Slovo and see their favourites places and things to do
    • Ask the co-researchers to take pictures of things that they feel are the most important – have them to tell us the story of Joe Slovo Park through their eyes
  • Community Leader discussions
    • “We’re here to learn and to help however possible”
    • “We understand the limitations of our group and hope to work within those limits with you”
    • How do you keep up hope and motivation throughout the slow process of in situ upgrading?
    • Who manages the government-granted funds?  Does that ever get complicated for getting that money on time in projects?
  • Revisit areas of improvement with group and co-researchers
  • Study the reblocked and still congested areas for personal understanding
  • Video journal at the end of the day
    • Each take 5-10 minutes after our work is done for the day to talk about our experiences that day – what we learned, what we enjoyed, what surprised us, what we want to do tomorrow, experiences with co-researchers, etc.
    • Upload all media to shared location and encourage other Cape Town Project groups to do the same

 

Day 3: Lodge

  • Re-grouping day at the lodge with all other groups
  • Collect our work thus far and base the next 2 days on site from our findings
  • Begin to plan our roles on site, and bring these ideas to co-researchers and sponsors on site for Thursday
  • Prepare collective reflections for Friday’s discussion – agenda for talking points based on the week’s events so far
  • Ask other groups how their work is going, and collaborate on the positive steps with interacting on site
  • Communications group with interactions and visuals especially to use in the coming days and following week
  • Work on our video journal – possible editing and deciding what direction we want to go with the videos
  • Upload all media to shared location and encourage other Cape Town Project groups to do the same

 

Day 4: Full Day

  • Understand and begin visual communication lines (white boards, pictures, computers, etc.)
  • Start co-researcher teamwork events
    • Games, bring food & t-shirts, play icebreakers, play soccer, and let them show us something they do for fun
    • Group lunch? Bring food to share or cook?
  • Ask about the communication and relationship from community viewpoint on government and NGO’s
  • Video journal at the end of the day
    • Each take 5-10 minutes after our work is done for the day to talk about our experiences that day – what we learned, what we enjoyed, what surprised us, what we want to do tomorrow, experiences with co-researchers, etc.
    • Interview the co-researchers to talk about their experiences thus far – establish photo/video confidentiality and expectations
    • Upload all media to shared location and encourage other Cape Town Project groups to do the same

 

Day 5: Full Day

  • Reconvene with sponsors and co-researchers to assess goals for the upcoming week
  • Understand the work that NGO’s and other organisations reblocking the community needs to do on a day-by-day basis for the next 5 days
  • Gather co-researchers, Sizwe Mxobo, Adi Kumar for collective reflections
    • Each talk about collaboration thus far.
    • What has gone well?
    • What can we all do better?
    • Do you have any ideas for what we should research or look into before the next week?
    • Goals for individuals and goals for community – for the following week and overall
  • Communicate to the Cape Town Project Centre groups on what our experiences comprised of
  • Video journal at the end of the day
    • Each take 5-10 minutes after our work is done for the day to talk about our experiences that day – what we learned, what we enjoyed, what surprised us, what we want to do tomorrow, experiences with co-researchers, etc.
    • Interview the co-researchers to talk about their experiences thus far – establish photo/video confidentiality and expectations
    • Upload all media to shared location and encourage other Cape Town Project groups to do the same

*Save formal community member interviews until the next week.