KickStart Art: a success story from the Connected Development Network
In 2018, KickStart Art (KSA) became a member of Connected Development. The organisation, founded in 2010, had been providing art...
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Connected Development
Promoting community-led
development through exchange
OUR OBJECTIVE
Connected Development actively promotes community ownership of interventions within the international development sector. By engaging with grassroots development actors over the long term, we help them to access the knowledge and skills to enter into equal and sustainable partnerships with international donors. Alongside this practical action, we advocate for locally led development by sharing this approach with policymakers, practitioners, and the public.
Our working model generates interactions between people in through three main routes: (1) as an Agency, by guiding donors to establish connections with local development agencies; (2) as a Network, by acting as hub for local development agencies to access resources and share knowledge with each other; and (3) as a Platform, by promoting community owned development approaches through visual stories shared with the wider public.
Connected Development aims to introduce more innovative, dynamic, and cost-effective ways of conducting international development cooperation.
OUR APPROACH
Connected Development has three closely interlinked functions: Agency, Network and Platform
AGENCY
Connected Development conducts research and evaluations of local development agencies on behalf of donors, in order to enable them to establish mutually beneficial and collaborative partnerships. To date, we have initiated several long-term funding relationships through this method. All reports and project documentation received during this process is used to facilitate learning and development for other members within our network.
NETWORK
Within its member network, Connected Development shares practical knowledge related to education, health, and livelihoods projects between organizations on a similar or parallel development trajectory. Most local development agencies have limited opportunities to learn from the experiences of counterparts in other regions or countries. We use these pooled resources to help each Member to communicate their work more effectively to international audiences.
PLATFORM
Connected Development actively promotes the work of local development agencies among the wider public. Visual Storytelling is the main method used used to share information by showing a different set of perspectives from those which are typically available in mainstream media. We emphasize the fact that sustainable development work starts with ideas and activities initiated locally, and upon which international collaboration can be built.
STORIES
IMPACT
13 local development agencies in 10 countries given guidance
20 internships completed in support of local development agencies
5 long term financial partnerships initiated between donors and members
Over $332,103 raised by members through these new partnerships
5 public talks given on community-led development
MEMBERS
“Thank you so much because without your help Kick Start Art would not have achieved success, such as launching the Chin State project in Myanmar.”
Program Director, Kick Start Art
"Lauriane has been doing a wonderful job, often going above and beyond expectations and the whole time being willing to help in any areas needed. I've been so impressed with the quality of her work and the model of e-interning."
Director, Teacher Focus
MEET THE TEAM
OUR INTERNS
As part of our working model, we provide support to development projects through co-supervised internships with NGO members. We are always looking for motivated interns who seek to both learn about and make a direct contribution to grassroots international development work by working directly with one of our NGO members.
WILLIAM HARNDEN
Director
William works as a fundraising, philanthropy, and localisation consultant for a range of Third Sector organisations, including grant making agencies and international NGOs. He previously held positions with the United Nations, as the Chief Executive of a UK charity and as the Director of a Vocational Training school. Since 2009, William has lived in both Timor-Leste and Thailand, and travelled widely across the Americas, Europe, and Southeast Asia, engaging with NGOs, donors, social enterprises, and local communities. He came up with the idea for Connected Development based on these experiences, and a desire to make international cooperation more effective.
William currently lives in Cheltenham, UK
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