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We are changing the learning paradigm in the NGO sector, which is essential to flexibly meet the challenges and needs of the 21st century. This means understanding both trends and realities of development and humanitarian work as well as making use of the opportunity to pair solid teaching theory with more access to innovative technology. As our name shows, we are committed to both learning and experimentation.
Learning Lab is a part of the Danish NGO, DanChurchAid (DCA).
We believe that empowering vulnerable and marginalized people through capacity building is a critical vehicle for organisational agility and the societal change processes DCA supports globally. We do this through co-creating activities and tools together with other organisations and their staff as well as end beneficiaries.
Learning Lab (LLAB) is a team in DCA’s International Department as well as the facilitator of the ACTLearn Partnership. We are a team of passionate experts who work with you to transform your learners into skilled knowledge-holders and practitioners through effective, evidence-based, and user-centered design.
DanChurchAid's aim is to strengthen the world’s poorest people in their struggle for a life in dignity.
DCA is rooted in the Danish National Evangelical Lutheran Church, but is active wherever we find the need is highest, regardless of religion, gender, political beliefs, race, national or ethnic origins, handicaps or sexual orientation.
We work within the ACT Alliance and the ACTLearn partnership to develop learning solutions and experiences. Whether we collaborate across organisations to develop a digital training, use graphic facilitation in a design workshop, or share expertise to create something entirely new, we accomplish more together than we could apart to increase the quality of life for those who we work with in the global south.
The ACTLearn Partners include DanChurchAid, Finn Church Aid, Church of Sweden, Lutheran World Federation, Diakonia Sweden, ACT Secretariat, and Norwegian Church Aid. We have also collaborated with other ACT Alliance members.
We want to change the way the development and humanitarian sector learns. With a global framework and global leadership producing content that is locally relevant, we can help many more people. Please contact us if you want to learn more about what we can do for your project.We work in ongoing learning partnerships and relationships with other NGOs, the private sector, government institutions, and educational institutions where our organizational values are aligned.
We have collaborated effectively with Swedish Mission Council, Niras, Aalborg University, IT-Kartellet, VSL Associates, FAHU, and the Danish Agency for Modernisation.
We collaborate with experts and co-create digital and analogue courses with users to provide context-appropriate delivery and content.
We connect organisational strategies to
meaningful learning pathways through communities of practice by harnessing and
sharing existing knowledge.
We enable co-creation with those who have shared goals to maximise resources and draw on diverse perspectives for quality results.
Getting access to remote village areas is often expensive and patchy at best. But what if you create a training that village agents can travel with and use to train others? For this project we collaborated with skilled professionals like Serious Games, Sønc and Arsenalet and worked with the founder of "Village Savings and Loan (VSL) Associates", Hugh Allen, to create a bespoke tool to give the rural poor more access to savings and loans.
In this course we simulate and simplify a full VSLA cycle and supplement it with videos on key elements of the methodology. Although we can’t claim credit for the 12 million people actively benefiting from the VSL model, we are extremely proud to have helped people access financial services that are safe, reliable and profitable and will eventually lift them out of poverty.
Read more and download the app here!
Does your child know the difference between a potential toy and an unexploded bomb? As a teacher in Syria, it was not something they expected to be teaching their students, but now it is probably one of their most important lessons.
For this course, we collaborated with the teachers themselves and game creators at Metropol digital learning school to do something that would make children (age 6-12) sit up and take notice. Rather than a potentially boring (or scary) educational video, we created a toolkit of 10 fun activities and role-play games that would help them identify and avoid dangerous situations. The result? Safer kids who remember what they’ve been taught and teachers who know they are making a difference.
Read more and download the app here!
The course targets humanitarian and development practitioners who have training and capacity development as part of their job description, but who seek additional inspiration, tools, or support to enhance their approach.
This course both teaches and models techniques for effective blended and online course delivery. Through a pre-training questionnaire, we give participants the opportunity to shape the content and processes of this course, and then workshop cases together over four weeks of real-time and independent online learning.
You can read more about the course here.
DanChurchAid has had an anti-corruption policy since 2009, and all employees sign a code of conduct agreeing to live up to the principles in that policy. However, DCA knows,that we are continuously in situations where the principles are not that straightforward to apply, and where we feel in doubt about how to make the right decision. Therefore this training was developed a course to support employees and prepare them for these situations.
The 45 minute course is conveniently available on PC, smartphone or tablet and it is available on demand. The course is mandatory for all employees in DanChurchAid to complete within the first 3 months of employment, which is demonstrated through a certificate of completion and online tracking.
The Learning Lab consists of 6 team members. See who we are below!
 Simon Skårhøj Head of Learning Lab |
 Christoffer Bengt Technology and Production Lead |
 Gry Zierau Creative Learning Designer |
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 Sidsel-Marie Winther Prag Learning Experience Design Lead |
 Stephanie Rahbek Simonsen Learning Experience Designer |
 Tanja Holst Jensen Project Manager |
In May 2017 Learning Lab began to share News from ACTLearn in the form of a newsletter. Each issue gives readers a quick update on some aspects of learning through feature stories, news updates, and information on courses and projects that come out of the ACTLearn Partnership or in collaboration with other organisations.
