LocationsHow did it come to life, what did we learn, and what enabled it to work?
Testing a Country-Level Extension of the UNDP Jordan Accelerator Lab:
July 31, 2023
By: Ru’a Al-Abweh, Head of Solutions Mapping, UNDP Jordan Accelerator Lab
Watch this short video for an introduction to the story you are about to read.
When the Accelerator Lab network launched in 2019, the 90+ labs were considered an experiment in and of themselves. This meant that different interpretations emerged around the world under a unified mandate of being the fastest and largest learning network for development challenges.
The Lab could be seen as a philosophy and methodology that could be tested beyond the Lab teams. This could mean extending the Lab across the country with groups continuously doing sensemaking, exploration, solutions mapping, and experimentation. Imagine small hubs in different cities and towns with DIY operation rooms buzzing with dedicated teams constantly looking for new trends, solutions to local challenges, and experimentation partners. In other words, extending the global network to a local level.
I always wanted to test the idea of this extension under my role as Head of Solutions Mapping. Finally, in early 2023, when we were delving deeper into our work on tourism in Madaba (a governorate south of the capital, Amman), with a focus on tourism assets, stories, skills, and services, an opportunity came along to test an extension of the mapping role for the first time. Keep reading to learn more about how this came to be, what we learned, and what conditions enabled it. Surprise theme music will accompany you along the way! (Hint: click the links in the titles.)
Part I: Seize the Opportunity
On a day like any other in April, I was checking LinkedIn and, coincidentally, came across a post by the German Jordanian University (GJU) with an article about a field trip to Madaba organised for a group of students as part of a course at the School of Applied Humanities and Languages, noting a plan for six trips during the semester. I thought: This could be it! The chance to finally have a mapping team! Since the article did not mention the professor's full name in the photos, I searched the GJU website until I found Raghad Hadidi. Then I immediately commented on the post and emailed her, pitching the idea of filling a few of her upcoming classes and field trips with a learning opportunity for students to achieve our mapping. Just 20 minutes later, she replied, saying she was interested. Bingo!
Caption: the LinkedIn post that got the ball rolling.
UNDP Jordan
Part II: Let's Get Down to Business
After several phone calls and emails with Raghad, the Jordan Lab developed an official proposal that explained the win-win opportunity for GJU and UNDP. This included the purpose of the work, types of data to be collected, and other details. Once we received the official confirmation from her, we agreed on a timeline, roles, and content. The Accelerator Lab designed the online data collection tools and a field data collection packet, all of which we shared with the students during a training session. During this training, the students learned about the Accelerator Lab and our work on tourism in Madaba. They also role-played with the data collection tools.
Caption: a few moments from the training at GJU with the students.
UNDP Jordan
Part III: Off to Work We Go
Once all logistics were completed (a division of teams, topics, and locations), we went off to do the work. Before heading out, students were given their field packets, which were drawstring bags, each containing a cap, water bottle, and stationery. They were also given a meal and water to stay fuelled for the day and a stipend mainly to cover the costs of mobile phone data to access the online data collection tools. During two field visits, students visited four urban and rural locations, completed ninety-six interviews, and gathered data about tourism services, assets and skills, and stories. In each location, they worked in pairs for two hours collecting data about one of the topics mentioned above, and each location was assigned a Lab member or Raghad as support to the students.
Caption: a snapshot of the students' experiences during their fieldwork.
UNDP Jordan
Part IV: Our Journey Comes to an End
After the fieldwork was completed, students received certificates of participation, and the Accelerator Lab started the data review and analysis. These are the main insights:
- Skills: many skills fell under the following categories: mosaics, food making (mainly cooking, baking, and confectionery), arts and design, photography and filmmaking, and languages. There is also a wide range of skills, including theatre, fashion design and embroidery, poetry writing and recitation, calligraphy, music, wood carving, horseback riding, and interior design.
- Stories: there is rich story content, especially legends, folklore, and stories of place, which can be used in various ways; for example, marketing material, walking trails, and immersive experiences.
- Experiences: there is potential for packages of themed place-based tourism experiences, such as food, art, and history experiences, especially in rural areas. For example, in rural Libb and Mleih municipality, there is potential for a food experience that combines storytelling, traditional dishes, livestock, dairy products, and baking.
Next, the Lab will look into how this data can be used to enhance existing Lab experiments, integrate into an existing UNDP Jordan project, or launch one or more experiments in collaboration with locals of Madaba governorate.
Caption: some of the photos taken by the students during their data collection in Madaba
UNDP Jordan
The Enabling Conditions for Testing an Extension of the Lab
As mentioned, there had been other attempts to test the idea of extending the Lab roles before this one succeeded. So, it is worthwhile sharing the following conditions that enabled it to work this year:
- Existing Accelerator Lab work at a stage that required specific and pressing support. Thanks to insights from 2022 on the kinds of data we needed to enhance tourism, we knew exactly what we were looking for in 2023. In previous years, our work was at an earlier stage where the ask was not as specific or clear.
- The university course structure provided a fixed group of young people required to do fieldwork and interviews within a specific timeline in the exact location of the Lab's work. This gave us a project team with a deadline on the spot. Within 3 months, we had completed all the work, from pitching the idea to completing the fieldwork to completing the data analysis, insights, and potential experiments. Challenges we faced before were trying to create a mapping group from scratch or work with youth networks whose volunteers did not have a specific structure or scope of work.
- A focal point for the group who was enthusiastic to collaborate. Having one point of contact who was managing the mapping group made coordination clear. Also, this was the first time we got such a fast and excited "yes" to the idea of an extension of the mapping role, which motivated the Lab to make this happen. Moreover, we were driven by the enthusiasm of the students who saw this as a multipartite learning experience: learning about the Accelerator Lab, getting to know Madaba in more depth, and carrying out data collection fieldwork for the first time.
Overall, this was a valuable learning experience for all involved, including the challenges we overcame. While the vision for a country-level Lab network has existed since 2020, we managed to test a small-scale version in 2023 through a combination of serendipity, enthusiasm, a good idea, and effective planning. Here's to hoping the full-fledged vision will someday be achieved.
