By Kathy Booth, Erin Lynch and Andrea Venezia
The new model for NSF’s Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES (INCLUDES) National Network is launching!
We heard you. The Alliance Collective’s Community Workshop report asked for support from the INCLUDES Coordination Hub (Hub) to: move toward systemic change; coalesce around one big transformational and aspirational collective goal; tell the story of the INCLUDES community; utilize collaborative mechanisms that allow for collaboration and reflection; share and collect data together; and grow in a way that incorporates policy-related work. The Hub’s new model will launch in April and is tuned to support these community-based recommendations.
We’re introducing a new structure that emphasizes impact and clusters projects based on the intensity of their focus on systems change and level of funding. To support and elevate systems change work, we’re structuring the National Network into three distinct but interconnected Clusters.
Cluster 1 will have two groups within it.
- Incubator: We’re calling one group an Incubator for a community of practice for systems change-focused projects, such as Alliances and Collaborative Change Consortia, to explore problems of practice collectively and support each other in taking action. The Incubator is a space for projects to learn, share information about opportunities and barriers, and take collective action.
- Sustainability Consultancy: For projects in Cohorts 1 and 2, the Hub will offer a consultancy focused on providing supports geared toward sustainability, as defined by each project’s needs.
The Hub will be a backbone for the Incubator. It will provide project management, data management, and facilitation supports for the projects’ collective explorations. The end result of these explorations will be learnings and recommendations that help document and make the case for the transformational changes occurring across the projects, move policy agendas nationally, and inform learnings for Clusters 2 and 3.
Cluster 2, Scaling Capacity, will be a space for other INCLUDES-funded projects, such as Conferences, Design and Development Launch Pilots (DDLPs), Network Connectors, and Planning Grants. This Cluster will support capacity building around scaling, institutionalizing, and sustaining these projects’ efforts, with a focus on moving into systems change-focused work.
Cluster 3 encompasses the entire National Network. It is also open to individuals and institutions seeking to broaden participation in STEM that may not be funded by NSF through the INCLUDES Initiative. This Cluster will receive resources and communications for learning and engaging.
For all Clusters, the Hub will provide support and information through its core learning functions: Shared Measures; Research; Network Engagement, Learning, and Community Building; and Communications. The Hub will be a capacity builder, knowledge developer, knowledge sharer, curator of information, and a connector for all Clusters. In the coming months, we will create opportunities for connection and collaboration between Cluster meetings and between Clusters.
What’s Next
In February and March, the Hub will convene Network members in a series of meetings to share information and receive feedback.
- Information Sessions: We will offer two general sessions for Network members to learn more about Clusters 1 and 2 at the end of February. Please plan to join one. Click to register for Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 12 PM Pacific/3 PM Eastern or Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 9 AM Pacific/12 PM Eastern.
- Prepare to Launch Co-Design Sessions: Similarly, we will hold two co-design sessions each for the Incubator Community of Practice, Sustainability Consultancy, and Cluster 2 in mid-to-late March. We’ll be sharing those details soon.
In April, the Hub will host four webinars to officially launch each Cluster:
- Cluster 1: Incubator Community of Practice
- Cluster 1: Sustainability Consultancy
- Cluster 2 : Scaling Capacity
- Cluster 3: National Network
After the initial webinar, each Cluster will meet on a regular cadence.
In addition, we’re thrilled to share that Network members are leading a co-design process with the Hub to create two community-informed webinars. The first webinar, Understanding Intersectionality: Insights from the CEOSE Report (Making Visible the Invisible), will be on April 19, 2024 at 10 AM Pacific/ 1 PM Eastern with registration information to follow shortly. Plans for the second webinar are still in progress and are forthcoming.
Please note, we will be sharing this information in multiple ways, so you might see it from NSF, on our online Community, and in your inboxes. Moving forward, we will share information and updates through the online Community and emails. Now is a great time to check the notification settings in your National Network account, as well as ensure emails from the Hub can land successfully in your inbox and not get stuck in spam. In June, we will launch a new site that is responsive to other needs articulated in the Alliance Collective’s Community Workshop report.
To discuss these opportunities or share your ideas, please reach out to us at nsfincludeshub@sri.com. We are very much looking forward to working in partnership with Network members to support the vision of INCLUDES!