Update 15 December, 2022
In parallel to this web page, we have the “Join us” web page with some additional information plus how to join the programme and to work for the future of Amateur Radio.
Closing Phase 1 of the programme and launching Phase 2
From the start of the Shaping the Future (StF) programme, seven different teams have been working with the eight Strategic Objectives (SO) that were defined during the 2021 Workshop. During the work, it became clear that in particular overlaps between the different SO’s made it difficult to define projects that could run independently. Therefore, during the summer 2022, a team worked to reorganize the work from the SO teams into Scope Areas where overlap was minimised — this is called the consolidation stage.
The Scope Areas that were defined are:
- Build a public relation programme to promote Amateur Radio
- Be recognized as useful to society
- Establish and maintain connections with other communities
- Training and self-development for radio amateurs
- Broaden the technical focus of Amateur Radio: 21st century technologies
- Include Amateur Radio in public education
In addition, a couple of horizontal/common areas/projects were defined – called the “Supporting projects”. An example is the development of a common website to promote Amateur Radio, where a lot of general and useful information may be hosted.
With the Scope Areas defined, it is now time to define and get the projects off the ground.
Reshaping the programme for Phase 2
With the different Scope Areas in place, the actual projects need to be defined. It is within these projects that the work will be done. Past experience tells us that projects need to be clearly defined: deliverables well identified, what resources will be needed, estimate of the budget, etc.
To meet the expected scope of each area, more than one project will be required. This means there is still additional work to be done to define the projects well enough to understand what they will deliver together.
In a Phase 2, an Initial team is planned to structure each Scope Area into projects and prepare a high-level Project Description.
A high-level project description is a summary of a project that provides a broad overview of the key goals, objectives, and deliverables of the project. It is typically used to convey the purpose and scope of the project to stakeholders, such as project sponsors, team members, and other interested parties. A high-level project description should provide enough information to give stakeholders a general understanding of the project but should not go into too much detail about specific tasks or activities. The goal of a high-level project description is to provide a clear and concise overview of the project, and to help stakeholders understand the overall direction and focus of the project.
This information is also required to evaluate priorities and search for the right resources for the projects we decide to start for Phase 3. Clearly communicating the purpose and goals of the project will help to attract individuals who are passionate about the mission of the project.
As agreed during the Workshop in 2021, the decisions to start each project are made by a Programme Board consisting of six IARU-R1 member society representatives and three representatives from the IARU-R1 Executive Committee.
How can we make this happen?
The most difficult part of making nice plans come true is to find the right motivated persons needed to join the work. We see that both IARU and our member societies are struggling to find persons for all internal positions, so we know this is difficult.
However, for the Shaping the Future programme, IARU-R1 has allocated a budget to allow both investments and to use of consultants where needed. Adding “external resources” may help both from capacity and competence perspectives. The need for investments and external resources can be requested and budgeted by each project and the budget decisions are taken in the Programme Board.
We are now reaching out for persons who can contribute to the short-term Phase 2 (the Initial team) work. We are typically looking for people having at least one the following specific skills:
- Knowledge of amateur radio: A good understanding of amateur radio, including its history, purpose, and technical aspects, is useful for writing an amateur radio-related project description.
- Familiarity with the amateur radio community: Knowing the interests and needs of the amateur radio community, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing the hobby, can be helpful when writing a project description.
- Ability to translate technical concepts for a non-technical audience: Many amateur radio projects may involve technical concepts that may not be familiar to a general audience. Therefore, it is important to be able to explain these concepts in a clear and understandable way.
- Communication skills: As with any project description, good communication skills, including the ability to write clearly and effectively, are important when writing an amateur radio-related project description.
In parallel to this web page, we have a “join us” web page with some more information how to join this effort.
In addition an information campaign, to be relayed by the member societies: we propose a series of articles presenting the Shaping the Future programme and why we are looking for additional resources for the projects in Phase 3. Publicising our ongoing actions will help to find help within the amateur radio community.
The programme will be going on for a long time and we will constantly be looking for motivated volunteers to join and work for the benefit of amateur radio. If you are interested in making history and shaping the future of amateur radio, please check out the “Join us” web page or get in touch with secretary@iaru-r1.org