Volunteer reflection - United Nations Volunteers

46 . UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEERS: VOLUNTEER REFLECTIONSome examples of when to use an AfterAction Reviews are:■ Following the setting up, running, orclosure of a particularly innovative UNVproject, activity or process;■ After participation in an event thatpresented particular challenges oropportunities for volunteerism for peaceand development; or■ Following the introduction of a new set ofprocedures or ways of working.How to Write and Disseminate aLessons Learned Paper 6STEP 1: ResearchCompiling the relevant documents on aproject is the first step for drafting aLessons Learned Paper. There areoccasions when the research for aLessons Learned paper can be done byindividuals alone. Often, however, it isworth involving others in the process inorder to bring in new ideas, critical ideas,and fresh perspectives. This may mean,for example, meeting with colleagues todraw out lessons learned through afacilitated discussion or conducting an AfterAction Review (see previous exercise),then writing up the main conclusions in theform of a Lessons Learned paper.STEP 2: DraftingConsider who is best placed to draft aLessons Learned paper – often it is theperson who was most involved in theproject or activity. Thus, Lessons Learnedpapers can be drafted by UN Volunteers incollaboration with the country office andHQ staff , depending on the activities thatthey are describing. In some caseshowever, an outside eye has itsadvantages. For example, it may bedifficult for managers of a project to becritical when writing about their ownprojects; someone less directly involvedmay be better placed to highlight anddiscuss both the negative and the positiveimpacts of the work and help to draft thepaper.When drafting the paper the specificcontextual variables need to be described.But in order to make this paper usable forUN Volunteers, UNV Field Units and UNVHQ, the lessons need to be generalized.This generalization is the most difficult partsince too general information such as“involve partners as early as possible”does not provide valuable advice forcolleagues. Reaching a balance betweenvery specific recommendations and verygeneral ones is the art of drafting aLessons Learned Paper.6. Adapted from UNDP, Knowledge management Toolkit for theCrisis prevention and Recovery Practice Area, UNDP, March 2007