Learning the Lessons - Transferability
Sustainability | Strategic Approach | Participation | Partnership | Alignment | Capacity Building | Affordability | Transferability
‘Helping others to learn from our experience and enabling us to learn from theirs’
Dùthchas was funded by the European Commission to demonstrate an innovative approach which could have application throughout Europe. The ‘transferability’ of the work was therefore an important factor in judging its success.
As with affordability however, transferability is a relative concept. It will depend on the differing contexts, objectives and resources. It would not be possible to advocate the direct transferability of the work without knowing those things.
However, our contacts with other places and initiatives showed us that the demand for this approach is strong. We were tackling some very topical issues – internationally. It is reasonable therefore to presume that many aspects of our work would be seen as relevant to others.
The methods we used were not specific to this Project. Many were generic and could be, indeed have been, used in other contexts and for other purposes. Our approaches to facilitating participation caused great interest among all those who visited the Project and have already been replicated in other situations. The work we did to develop structured frameworks for planning and assessing sustainability was seen to break new ground and was considered to be applicable in other countries. Our sustainability checklist has already been successfully used in Sweden.
The important thing is to see the work not as an homogenous whole but as a collection of optional steps. We would not advocate that Dùthchas be seen as a ‘blueprint’, but that others make judgements as to which aspects are appropriate to their situation.
This is clearly spelled out in The Dùthchas Handbook - pdf
