First Capacity Building Workshop for Latest Intercultural Innovation Award Recipients Held in Munich, Germany by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the BMW Group

The first capacity building workshop for the ten most recent recipients of the Intercultural Innovation Award took place at BMW Group headquarters in Munich, Germany from 15 to 20 April 2018. Hosted by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the BMW Group, the workshop focused on the topics of communications, strategy and design thinking.

The workshop was attended by the organizations who received the Intercultural Innovation Award at the ceremony held at the United Nations headquarters during November 2017. Awardees from Argentina, Ecuador, Egypt, Israel, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tunisia, Uganda and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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 initiatives can expand and replicate in other contexts. The first part of the workshop concentrated on communications, where attendees received training on public speaking and media. The second section was focused on effective planning, with participants learning how they could apply strategic and design thinking tools to challenges facing by their organizations. A highlight of the workshop was the opportunity for awardees to interact with BMW Group managers, with a simulation of a pitch to potential sponsors and partners. Following their pitches, awardees received valuable feedback from employees of BMW Group.

Some of the sessions were attended by BMW Group managers who had their own social good projects. This created a space for both Intercultural Innovation Award recipients and BMW Group employees to learn from each other’s experiences.

The training in Munich is part of the one-year support provided to recipients of the Intercultural Innovation Award. Launched in 2011, the Intercultural Innovation Award is an example of the role that corporate social responsibility can play within the United Nations system. With the overarching aim of helping people to help themselves, UNAOC and the BMW Group jointly mobilize their resources, time, and networks to support awardees. This model of collaboration creates deeper impact, as both partners provide their respective expertise to ensure the sustainable growth of each project.