Sphere-online-training-pack-Feb-22

1 Sphere Online Training Package Version 1.1 (22-Feb-2022) Dear facilitator, Thank you for downloading this resource. We hope you will find it useful. Please send any feedback, activities and ideas to learning@spherestandards.org , and check back every few months to download the latest version. Best regards, Sphere Contents Resources and materials ......................................................................................................................... 4 About this resource ................................................................................................................................. 7 Who is this training package for? ....................................................................................................... 7 The activities are designed for small groups ....................................................................................... 7 Facilitating online learning is challenging ........................................................................................... 7 What kind of training courses/workshops does this package support? ............................................. 7 This package complements other materials, including the Sphere Training Package ........................ 7 Preparing for your course ....................................................................................................................... 8 Set some Sphere-related pre-course assignments and/or reading .................................................... 8 Prepare your participants for online learning ..................................................................................... 8 Share information about your event with the Sphere community .................................................... 8 Prepare your materials ....................................................................................................................... 8 Pre-course communications ............................................................................................................... 9 Plan the next steps (at the same time you plan the course) .............................................................. 9 1. Introduction to the course ............................................................................................................ 10 2. Why are humanitarian standards important? .............................................................................. 11 2.1. How well do you know the humanitarian system? ............................................................... 11 2.2. Why have humanitarian standards? (Part 1) ........................................................................ 12 2.3. Can you define key terms that are central to Sphere? ......................................................... 13 3. What is Sphere? ............................................................................................................................ 14 3.1. How did Sphere start? ........................................................................................................... 14 3.2. How well do you know Sphere? ............................................................................................ 16 4. What is the Sphere Handbook? .................................................................................................... 17

2 4.1. What is your experience with the Sphere Handbook? ......................................................... 17 4.2. What is the structure of the Sphere Handbook? .................................................................. 18 4.3. Can you find information in the Sphere Handbook? ............................................................ 19 4.4. How well do you understand vulnerabilities and capacities? ............................................... 20 4.5. What else is in the “What is Sphere?” chapter? ................................................................... 22 5. The Humanitarian Charter ............................................................................................................ 23 5.1. What is the Humanitarian Charter? ...................................................................................... 23 6. Protection Principles ..................................................................................................................... 24 6.1. What are the four Protection Principles? ............................................................................. 24 6.2. How do the Protection Principles apply in a real situation? ................................................. 25 7. The Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS) ....................................... 26 7.1. Which CHS Commitment is most difficult for you or your organisation to achieve? ........... 26 8. Standards in context ..................................................................................................................... 27 8.1. What are Sphere technical standards? ................................................................................. 27 8.2. Who are the stakeholders in humanitarian response, and how can they use Sphere to work better together? ............................................................................................................................... 28 8.3. How do you use the technical standards? ............................................................................ 30 8.4. Can you tell the difference between standards and targets? .............................................. 30 9. Concluding the course/workshop ................................................................................................. 31 9.1. Why have humanitarian standards? (Part 2) ........................................................................ 31 9.2. Did we meet our course/workshop objectives? ................................................................... 31 9.3. What did you think of the course? ....................................................................................... 32 9.4. What will you do next? ......................................................................................................... 33 9.5. Where can you find more information? ............................................................................... 34 10. Additional activities/resources ................................................................................................. 35 10.1. How well do you know the Humanitarian Standards Partnership (HSP)? ........................ 35 10.2. How can I use Sphere WASH standards for monitoring humanitarian programmes? ..... 36 10.3. Do you know about Sphere microlearning products? ...................................................... 36 10.4. What do you think of the course so far? .......................................................................... 37 10.5. Have you added a training resource to your trainer profile? ........................................... 37 11. Post-course actions ................................................................................................................... 38 11.1. Submit your course to the Sphere Calendar ..................................................................... 38 11.2. Be available for mentoring and support ........................................................................... 38 11.3. Organise a catchup meeting ............................................................................................. 39 11.4. Follow up on individual commitments ............................................................................. 39 11.5. Graduate online message group ....................................................................................... 39

4 Resources and materials Folder Activity File Description 00-Preparations Prepare your participants for online learning Guidance-for-workshop- participants.docx To send to participants before an online course, this document describes how to use and test Zoom and Miro, and what materials to have to hand during the course. 00-Videos-about- Sphere Pre-course preparation, and Activities 3.1, 6.2, 8.1, 8.2, and 10.2 List-of-introductory-videos- about-Sphere.docx Links to and short descriptions of five introductory videos about Sphere 02-01-Humanitarian- sector 2.1. How well do you know the humanitarian sector? Humanitarian-sector- quiz.docx Quiz questions and answers. 02-03-Key-terms 2.3. Can you define key terms that are central to Sphere philosophy? Sphere-key-terms-debriefing- notes.docx Debriefing notes: Definitions of Accountability, Quality and Inclusion. 03-02-Sphere-quiz 3.2. How well do you know Sphere? Sphere-quiz.docx Quiz questions and answers. 04-02-Handbook- components 4.2. What is the structure of the Sphere Handbook? [Various: 17 virtual cards in PNG format] Each card represents a chapter or component of the Sphere Handbook. sphere-component-cards- text.psd The Photoshop file used to create the PNG files above. 07-01-CHS 7.1. Which CHS Commitment is most difficult to achieve? CHS-most-wanted.rtb 1 Miro template (which can only be opened using the Miro desktop app available from https://miro.com/ ). (Continued on next page.) 1 Miro files are included in this training package for two activities where the whiteboard setup is relatively complex. In most cases, whiteboard templates are not provided, so you will need to create your own file based on the screenshot provided. If you create Miro, JamBoard or other virtual whiteboard platform templates for any of these activities – in any language – please send them to Sphere so we can add them to the next version of the training package.

5 Folder Activity File Description 09-01-Uses-of- humanitarian- standards 9.1. Why have humanitarian standards? (Part 2) why-have-standards.docx Debriefing notes: Uses of humanitarian standards. 09-03-Template- survey 9.3. What did you think of the course? short-end-of-training- survey.docx End-of-course survey for short learning events. 09-05-Further- information 9.5. Where can you find more information? Sphere-further-information- handout.docx Virtual flyer to give participants at the end of the course. 10-01-HSP 10.1. How well do you know the Humanitarian Standards Partnership (HSP)? A-possible-solution.docx A possible solution (after the activity has finished). HSP-documents-and- entities.rtb Miro template. HSP-documents-and- entities.pdf Screenshot of Miro template (before activity starts). [Various: 29 virtual cards in PNG format] Image files to upload to your online platform as game cards. 11-03-Catchup- meeting 11.03. Organise a catchup meeting Catchup-meeting-email-and- google-form-templates.docx An email and survey to reconnect with course graduates in a participatory way after six months.

7 About this resource Who is this training package for? This resource is designed for experienced Sphere learning facilitators. It presents a set of participatory activities with supporting materials and guidance on how to run these activities in an online/virtual learning environment. The activities are designed for small groups The number of participants should typically be between 10 and 24. These materials are not designed for webinars of several hundred people with minimal interactivity: they are designed for highly interactive sessions where every participant has many chances to share. Facilitating online learning is challenging By harnessing creativity and technology, nearly every face-to-face activity can also be done virtually. However, facilitating online interactive workshops adds a level of technological complexity compared to in-person workshops (which are generally best run using little or no technology). As a rule of thumb, the amount of preparation time and time required to deliver an activity is double that of an in-person workshop. Do not expect participants to have any familiarity with online training tools. Keep the technology as simple as possible. Remember that in low bandwidth areas, participants may not be able to turn on their cameras. An online training team of at least two people is highly recommended. At least one member of the team should be very comfortable with the technology platforms, e.g., Zoom (including polls, breakout rooms, and accessibility features if required), virtual whiteboards (e.g., Miro or JamBoard), Survey Monkey, Mentimeter, Deckhive, mmHmm, etc. Practice is essential . What kind of training courses/workshops does this package support? This training package contains enough materials to support an online introductory Sphere course of up to 20 hours. While full-time in-person residential training works well, it is better to limit online training to 3½ hours per day including breaks, and even less if participants have busy schedules. An advantage of online courses is that it is not necessary to use consecutive days, meaning time can be created for individual, pair or group homework. A handful of homework ideas are suggested below, but others should be added if appropriate. Although few if any courses will follow the exact structure presented in this document, the activities are presented in a logical order, and there are links – implicit and explicit – between them. The activities are arranged in sections which roughly correspond to chapters in the Sphere Handbook in the order they are presented in the Handbook. However, feel free to rearrange activities to better suit the learning objectives of your participants. This package complements other materials, including the Sphere Training Package The main Sphere Training Package (STP), available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and European Portuguese, provides materials for at least 5 days of in-person training. Browse all Sphere training packages here: https://www.spherestandards.org/resources/?category=training-packs If your participants are experienced Sphere practitioners who need a refresher on the 2018 edition of the Handbook, refer to the What is new the 2018 Sphere Handbook? training package. This is

8 available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic, though the in-depth guide (authored by Jim Good ) is in English only. Look out for more online training materials coming soon to complement the Using the Sphere standards in urban settings unpacked guide and various resources for working with National Disaster Management Authorities (NDMAs) . Preparing for your course Set some Sphere-related pre-course assignments and/or reading At fewer than 5 pages, the Humanitarian Charter is great value pre reading, and because it did not change between then 2011 and 2018 editions of the Sphere Handbook, it is available in many languages: https://www.spherestandards.org/handbook/editions/ . By the end of the course, if not before, encourage participants to read the first 3 chapters of the Handbook in full and the first 2 or 3 pages of the other 5 chapters, i.e. the chapter introductions, and to browse the chapter appendixes. Ask participants to complete How to be a Sphere Champion (available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Japanese) and/or the first module of the Sphere in Practice eCourse (available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic): https://www.spherestandards.org/online-courses/ Select and share some video links from the Sphere YouTube channel to set the scene as well as inspire participants before they join the course. Resource : List-of-introductory-videos-about-Sphere.docx Prepare your participants for online learning Consider distributing instructions on how to use learning platforms like Zoom and Miro before the course starts, adapting the template provided as required. During the course, if some participants are less confident with technology, encourage other participants to support them. Trainees are often eager to share their knowledge with others, which creates an even better learning atmosphere. Resource : Guidance-for-workshop-participants.docx Share information about your event with the Sphere community Submit your event to the Sphere Calendar: https://www.spherestandards.org/events/ . You do not have to be a listed Sphere trainer or focal point to do this; the service is open to everyone. If your event is open to the public, submit your event well in advance of the registration deadline and contact Sphere at learning@spherestandards.org if you would like us to publicise your event on Sphere’s social media channels. Prepare your materials Training materials must be adapted for each new group of participants depending on their learning requirements and how much time you have available. Give yourself enough time to complete a pre- learning survey and adapt the materials accordingly. Do not assume that all participants will have their cameras turned on during the course. Bear in mind that people have different reasons for not turning on their cameras: they may not have enough

10 1. Introduction to the course A good introduction is essential to get participants in the mood for learning. This section of the document is not defined in terms of individual activities because the structure, format and length of the introduction is highly dependent on who the participants are. The notes in the section are designed to guide you as you form the workshop introduction. Depending on how well participants know each other already, run an icebreaker and a round of introductions. Introduce the course including the agenda and objectives. Ensure participants agree with the learning objectives and update them together if necessary. Learning objectives are often grouped into remembering, understanding, applying, etc. (see Bloom’s Taxonomy ). The learning objectives for the activities presented in this document are typically knowledge outcomes which can be measured reasonably easily, e.g., by a post-event survey, examination or interview. For the course as a whole, there is an important overarching attitude objective which is less easy to measure, and can only be evidenced through follow-up activities 3 to 6 months after the course (see Post-course actions ): After the course, graduates apply Sphere principles, approaches and standards more and better than they did before the course. Sphere is a global, collective, voluntary movement towards wider usage of Humanitarian Standards and professionalisation of humanitarian actors, which is strengthened and amplified by learning workshops and courses. The importance of training is captured in CHS Commitment 8: “Communities and people affected by crisis receive the assistance they require from competent and well-managed staff and volunteers.” The Sphere Handbook is based on rights , evidence and experience . The standards and guidance contained are informed by evidence and reflect 20 years of field testing by practitioners around the world. The overarching desired impact of this workshop is that it leads to greater resilience among and better outcomes for people affected by crisis. That is why we are here. And this is also something that we should strive to measure after 3 to 6 months and beyond. Hopefully, you will inspire some course graduates to get involved with the Sphere community not only as a practitioner, but as a trainer, focal point representative, member, board member, author, contractor, expert or champion. Please look out for these people and provide them with the additional support they need to take the next steps.

11 2. Why are humanitarian standards important? Before introducing Sphere in the next section , we take a broader look at the humanitarian system to understand why humanitarian principles and standards are necessary. We also define some key terms which are central to Sphere. Each of the activities in this section will help you to gauge the level of knowledge in the group at the outset of the course. 2.1. How well do you know the humanitarian system? Delivery : Plenary multiple-choice quiz Learning objective : By the end of this activity, participants will be able to explain the scale of the challenges facing the global humanitarian system and, therefore, the need to run efficient humanitarian programmes. Preparation : Prepare a quiz by updating the one provided and adapting it to your audience. The questions should paint a picture of growing humanitarian needs and a less-rapid growth in the resources available to meet these needs. Method : Several methods are possible. If multiple-choice answers are provided (as in the example) then Zoom polling can be used. (Zoom polls do not currently support open- ended questions.) As a low-tech option, read each question and ask participants to write their answer on a piece of paper before holding it up to their camera. Various other platforms could be used, e.g., SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, Mentimeter, etc. Debrief using the notes in the resource provided. Consider awarding a prize to the winner. If using another quiz later on the course, for example in the How well do you know Sphere? activity below, award 5 points for each correct answer in this quiz, and let participants know they’ll have a chance to win some more points later! Resource : Humanitarian-sector-quiz.docx

13 2.3. Can you define key terms that are central to Sphere? Delivery : Small groups bus-stop tour Learning objective : By the end of this activity, participants will be able to define certain key terms – in the humanitarian context – that underpin everything Sphere does. Preparation : Prepare virtual whiteboards: one per term. The suggested terms are Quality , Accountability , Inclusion , Dignity , People-centred and Rights-based , Inclusion , but others could be added. At the top of each whiteboard write ‘What does [insert term] mean in humanitarian action?’ Debriefing notes are provided for Quality , Accountability and Dignity . For Rights-based , download Sphere’s NDMA training package and find the Human Rights Legislation Table . Method : Split participants into four groups (or however many terms you are using). Assign each group a term and share the links to the virtual whiteboards. Participants should answer the question by adding sticky notes: one per idea, one colour per group. After a few minutes, move participants onto the next board. The spirit of a bus-stop tour activity is that the groups move between each whiteboard and add to the ideas of previous groups that have already been there, eventually returning to their original stop for the debriefing. Debrief by asking each group to present their ideas. Be prepared to challenge any incorrect ideas and fill in any gaps. As a segue to the next section, note that Sphere is the among the most enduring of the “Quality and Accountability” initiatives 2 . Resource : Sphere-key-terms-debriefing-notes.docx 2 Read about several Q&A initiatives here: https://voiceeu.org/quality-and-accountability- initiatives-voice-commits-to . People in Aid merged with HAP to become the CHS Alliance..

14 3. What is Sphere? Sphere is best known for the Sphere Handbook, and indeed the initial objective of the Sphere Project was to create a set of principles and standards for humanitarian response. While the Handbook remains Sphere’s flagship product, Sphere is these days better defined as a “movement” with Sphere focal points, members and trainers at the heart of this global community. 3.1. How did Sphere start? Delivery : Plenary video plus discussion to produce ideas Learning objectives : By the end of this activity, participants will be able to retell the story of how and why the Sphere Project started, and (for more advanced groups) can critique how much progress the humanitarian sector has made in the 25 years since. Preparation : Prepare the “Mavericks” video and practice playing it . Test before the course/session starts that when you play a video, participants can hear your computer audio. There is a setting for this in Zoom which may be turned off by default. Download the video to your computer so you have two different ways to play it in case of difficulties. Be prepared to share the YouTube link with participants via the chat as an additional backup in case of issues. The video is available in English , French , Spanish and Arabic . The English version has optional European Portuguese subtitles. Watch the video yourself before playing it, as there is a reference to drinking beer (at 2m44s) that may not be acceptable to some audiences. Revise the Joint Evaluation of Emergency Assistance to Rwanda (JEEAR): Study III Principal Findings and Recommendations . In particular, read section 4.6: Improving NGO performance . Download the MP4 file here . Method : Show the video. The full video is around 11 minutes long, so stop the video at 1 minute 33 seconds and encourage participants to watch the rest of the video – and the other 2 videos in the “Sphere Story” series – in their own time. After watching the video excerpt, ask participants the following questions: • Which humanitarian crisis was the starting point for Sphere? • What were some of the recommendations of the Rwanda evaluation? • What is a ‘Maverick’ and why do you think the founders of Sphere are called Mavericks in the video? (Make sure you have your definition of Maverick ready.) For more advanced groups: • What other crises and events – occurring around the same time – influenced the first Sphere Handbook? • Give participants 3 minutes to read section 4.6 of the JEEAR or read it together. To what extent have recommendations 11 and 12 been followed in the 25 years since they were made?

16 3.2. How well do you know Sphere? Delivery : Plenary quiz Learning objective : By the end of this activity, participants will be able to describe Sphere’s key activities as a global community, of which they are a part. Preparation : Prepare a quiz of 2 or 3 answers. If using the provided quiz, be sure to update the solutions for questions 1 and 3 which change regularly. Method : Ensure all participants have a thick marker pen and some blank paper. Inform participants that they will have just 10 seconds to answer each question, so they won’t have time to find the answers. (Alternatively, give them one minute and encourage them to find the answers.) For each question, read the question and ask participants to write their answer clearly on a blank sheet of paper then hold it up to their camera. Invite participants to award themselves points for their answers. After the final question, ask participants to tally their points. Award a prize to the winner. Debrief : Sphere focal points (along with trainers and members) are the heart of the Sphere community. Among other activities, they translate the Sphere standards into their local languages. Encourage participants to contact focal points. Resource : sphere-quiz.docx

17 4. What is the Sphere Handbook? Having introduced the course ( section 1 ); considered the humanitarian sector and the conditions which created a need for humanitarian standards ( section 2 ); and covered the emergence and role of Sphere ( section 3 ), we are now ready to discuss the Sphere Handbook itself. In this section, the Handbook is considered holistically, with some material drawn from the first chapter of the Handbook, “What is Sphere?”. 4.1. What is your experience with the Sphere Handbook? Delivery : Plenary poll Learning objective : By the end of this activity, participants will be able to recall that the Handbook is available in 4 formats, that it is written in a highly consultative process and that hundreds of thousands of people use it. Preparation : Prepare a virtual whiteboard with the question at the top. Add four quadrants to represent: 1) heard of (before this course); 2) read (any part of); 3) used (in the field or office), and 4) contributed to (submitted comments, authored, reviewed, etc.) the Sphere Handbook. Method : Ask participants to put their name (on a virtual sticky note) in the appropriate section(s). When activity has stopped, ask someone who has contributed to the Handbook to share their story. If no-one in the group has contributed, then choose someone who has used it. Give several people a chance to speak. Ideally, participants will cover all the key points in the debriefing notes. Add information if required. Debriefing notes : • Heard of : Sphere is widely known in the humanitarian sector and beyond, e.g., development sector, civil protection, military, etc. • Read : The Handbook is available in 4 formats: PDF, printed, Interactive Handbook and the HSP App. Sphere sells printed books as cheaply as possible. The other formats are free. The Handbook is available in multiple languages. • Used : We don’t know exactly how many people use the Sphere Handbook. From downloads, sales and usage figures, the number is probably several hundred thousand. The Sphere Handbook is one of the most-used sets of humanitarian standards, and therefore provides a common language. • Contributed : We received 4,500 comments from 2,500 users during the latest revision. There were 50 revision consultations. There are two authors per chapter plus thematic experts and peer review groups. The Handbook is written by its users.

19 4.3. Can you find information in the Sphere Handbook? Delivery : Plenary treasure hunt Learning objective : By the end of this activity, participants will be able to list the four ways to access the Handbook and find information in it. Preparation : Minimal. Method : Ensure everyone can access the Sphere Handbook by at least one method (refer to the previous activity) and encourage participants to try as many methods as possible during this activity. If possible, allow some time for people to install the HSP App on their mobile device. Check everyone can raise their virtual hand in Zoom (or other online meeting platform). Read the questions below one by one. In each case, participants should raise their virtual hand when they have found the answer – or, in the case of question 4, when they have completed the task. (Zoom lists virtual hand raises in the order they happened. Physical hand-raising is more complicated to use in this case.) Give other participants a chance to find the information, but, if taking a long time, stop when around half of the participants have raised their hands. For question 1, ask the first person who raised their hand to state the answer to the question along with what platform they used and how they found the information. For subsequent questions, select different people from among those with their hands raised, and try to cover the four methods of accessing the Handbook. 1. What three rights are mentioned in the 4 th paragraph of the Humanitarian Charter? 2. What is the first Protection Principle? 3. Which CHS Commitment would most help your organisation to achieve Protection Principle 1? (Several answers are possible to this one.) 4. Search for a word or phrase in the Handbook that is relevant to you or your work. Which word did you choose and why? How did you search? What information did you find, and was it useful? Debrief based on the learning objectives above. If no one mentioned this already, show participants that they can easily skip to any chapter in the printed book using the icons on the front cover and the corresponding green marks on the side of the Handbook opposite the spine. You could also mention the index in the printed book and search functions available via the other three methods.

20 4.4. How well do you understand vulnerabilities and capacities? Humanitarian responses take place in many different contexts. Refer back to In what situations are humanitarian standards useful (Part 1)? in which some of these contexts may have been identified by participants. Various contextual factors do not have their own chapter in the Handbook but are relevant to all chapters. This includes applying the standards throughout the programme cycle , understanding the operational setting , and understanding vulnerabilities and capacities . This activity concerns the latter, but it can easily be adapted to cover the others. “Not all people have equal control of power and resources. Individuals and groups within a population have different capacities, needs and vulnerabilities, which change over time. Individual factors such as age, sex, disability and legal or health status can limit access to assistance.” ( Sphere Handbook, page 10 ). Refer back to Can you define key terms that are central to Sphere philosophy? if you defined Inclusion, Discrimination or another related term. Delivery : Small group photo analysis Learning objectives : Participants can list at-risk groups and go on to design humanitarian programmes which build on capacities, prioritise assistance to those most in need, and protect those most at-risk. Preparation : Prepare a set of eight virtual whiteboards. Each whiteboard should contain one image, one covered-up image, and the following information: • Where was this photo taken, and what is happening in it (as far as you can tell)? Now consider the person (or a person) who is the main subject of the photo. • Why might this person be vulnerable (at risk)? Take the images from cards 6 to 13 of the Sphere Handbook Activity Cards resource (in the front folder) Take the covered-up images from cards 6 to 13 of the same resource (from the back folder). Method : Split participants into groups. Assign each group 1 or 2 whiteboards and ask them to discuss the questions. Participants should initially try to answer the questions without referring to the covered-up image but should reveal the description of the photo after their first attempt (by deleting the covering sticky note or by “sending it to the back”). Optional extension: Add a third question to the two provided above: • What decreased or increased capacities might this person have compared to others in the affected population? For example, older people can bring knowledge and experience of coping strategies and act as caregivers, resource managers, coordinators and income generators. Emphasise that needs and capacities are like the two sides of a coin, and you will only have a complete picture if you look on both sides. If you just do a ‘needs assessment’ you will not find out about people’s capacities, which is key to their future resilience. (Continued on next page.)