United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the BMW Group Host a Capacity Building Workshop for Recipients of the 2016 Intercultural Innovation Award

The first capacity building workshop for ten recipients of the 2016 Intercultural Innovation Award focused on the areas of strategic communication and effective planning. Hosted by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the BMW Group, the workshop took place at BMW Group Headquarters in Munich, Germany from 27 June to 1 July 2016.

Awardees from Brazil, Bulgaria, France, Germany, India, Israel, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, participated in various training sessions designed to build their capacity with a view to enhance the long-term effect and sustainability of their projects, such that their initiative can expand and replicate in other contexts. The first part of the event focused on effective planning, where attendees used management tools and experiential group learning to develop a business model for their organisations. The second part of the workshop concentrated on communications, where attendees received training on public speaking and media, with the chance to perform in front of cameras within a television studio setting. The highlight of the workshop was the opportunity for awardees to interact with BMW Group managers, with a simulation of a pitch to potential sponsors. Awardees were asked to “sell” their own projects and received invaluable feedback from BMW Group employees.

The training in Munich is part of the one-year support program provided to finalists of the Intercultural Innovation Award, whose mandate is to select highly innovative grassroots and sustainable projects of non-profit organisations that promote dialogue and intercultural understanding, while making vital contributions to prosperity and peace in global societies. The Intercultural Innovation Award was established in 2011 by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the BMW Group in a historic partnership geared towards creating a new model for collaboration between the private sector and the UN system.