Universalia regularly hosts Lunch & Learn sessions which provide a space for the Universalia team to share learnings from our work in a collaborative team setting.
Universalia Speaker Series
The Universalia Speaker Series, a sub-project of the Lunch & Learn initiative, hosts Speakers with a wide range of expertise to share their knowledge and skills across the firm, and with our wider community. Speakers include members of the Universalia team, Associate Consultants, and external experts and collaborators with whom we have established relationships. The Speaker Series focuses on cutting-edge topics that drive forward excellence and innovation in our field.
If you are interested in being a Speaker, please contact our Speaker Series Coordinators, Maria Fustic and Beement Alemayehu.
Highlighted Presentations
Dr. Anette Wenderoth, Using AI in Evaluations, July 2024
Dr. Anette Wenderoth is a Senior Associate Consultant with Universalia. Thematically, her work focuses on education, gender equality and women’s rights, as well as on exploring the concepts of 'capacity development' and 'partnerships' in the context of international development assistance. During this Lunch and Learn, Anette shared examples of how artificial intelligence (AI) is helping her think and write as part of her work. She also opened a space for discussion about how others have been experimenting with AI, to jointly explore related questions and concerns. Key topics covered by the session included:
- Using AI to help with brainstorming and learning
- Using AI for proposal writing
- Using AI for data collection, analysis, and reporting
Kaia Ambrose and Zachariah Su, Outcome Harvesting, June 2024
Kaia Ambrose, an evaluation specialist with over 20 years of experience, and Zachariah Su, a Consultant in Universalia’s Organization and Partnership Practice, presented this Lunch and Learn to share their reflections and lessons learned on the Universalia-led pilot of ‘applying the Outcome Harvesting methodology to assess the performance of WFP’s Country Capacity Strengthening (CCS) interventions’, which took them to conduct country visits in Uganda and the Dominican Republic. Kaia and Zachariah presented and discussed topics such as:
- What is Outcome Harvesting? And how is it different (or not) from other M&E methodologies? What does it ‘look like’?
- Utilization-focused evaluation, participatory approaches – how was this Outcome Harvesting assignment different?
- Project Management and Client Relations – some quick reflections from the experience of this assignment
- How would you like to use Outcome Harvesting in the future? What aspects of Outcome Harvesting do you find interesting/useful? What would you like to learn more about?
EnSeCT, Environmental Peacebuilding, March 2022
This Lunch and Learn was presented by the Environment, Security, and Peacebuilding Practice at Universalia, including Eric Abitbol, Aurelie Ieroncig, Rennie Jordan, Natalie Martin, and Shaida Mahmoud. The presentation shares the practice’s insights regarding the Environmental Peacebuilding Conference held by the Environmental Peacebuilding Association in February 2022. The presentation shares reflection from;
- Rennie Jordan regarding “Climate Change, Security Risks, and Action in Africa as well as Disaster Risk Reduction and Peacebuilding.”
- Aurelie Ieroncig regarding “Climate Change, FCV, and Forced Displacement.”
- Natalie Martin regarding “Gender and Environmental Peacebuilding.”
- Shaida Mahmoud regarding “Community-Based Approaches.”
- Eric Abitbol regarding “Systems Change Evaluation: Is Environmental Peacebuilding Ready?”
Maria Fustic, Global Social Economy Forum, October 2021
This Lunch and Learn was presented by Maria Fustic, Consultant with the Organizations and Partnerships Practice and Gender Equity and Inclusion Practice. Maria attended the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF) in October 2021 to present her research. The GSEF is a multilateral international gathering for the promotion of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) to achieve sustainable development. It was launched in Seoul in 2014, and has since taken place in Bilbao, Montreal, and this year in Mexico City. Maria’s presentation included;
- A brief introduction to the forum and the concept of SSE,
- The contents and findings of her Master’s research which she presented at the forum and which focused on the SSE of food in Montreal,
- A discussion about the relevance of SSE in the context of international development evaluation.