Any reflection on the steps to come done during the evaluation phase should give us bearings on what we need to do in the future. More globally we must develop for ourselves a "control panel" and establish the steps at the end of which new objectives will be defined and new proposal attempted.

Phases

Thinking out a project must be done in a temporal and progressive manner. Time is a key factor during the planning phase but of course you should always leave a margin of flexibility and allow for adaptations. The planing process reminds us that we can't do it all at once, and that we must take the best means possible that will allow us to clearly reach the identified goals. Planning is a tool that promotes realism and therefore gives us a better chance at being successful.

The art of planning begins with the capacity to clearly define the number of steps for a given activity. We must begin by breaking down the whole into the many parts that logically flow one into the other. It is necessary to delineate phases according to their own internal logic, with specific points of closure so that we can evaluate what has been achieved.

It isn't easy to identify those indicators that point out when one phase has been completed and that it is time to move on to the next. In spite of this complexity, some of the indicators that might help would be the number of people reached, the number of contacts made with the media or with people who are sympathetic to our cause, the statements made by benefactors or friends...

A ongoing need: always make sure that the activity corresponds to the expectations of the most needy and that the projects are undertaken "with" them and not only "for" them. Do we know how to listen to them? Are we listening to what they are saying? Are we concerned enough to give them responsibilities that are consistent with their desires and capacities?

We always need to make sure that the institutional or attitudinal biases do not override the expectations and the real problems experienced by the poor.

Means

Planning does not only entail the setting in place of time frames. It also entails identifying the means that must be used to start up a project and to make it work. Planning seeks to bring together the human, legal and financial means that will allow people to reach their objectives. But be careful! The problems of quality are as important as the problems of quantity. Many things can be done without large amounts of financial aid. The lack of financial means must never be given as a reason to sit back and wait, or to never initiate new projects.

The human means have already been presented in Workbook #3... Let's take a minute to go over the most important elements:

• the need to know who is doing what and when? (organizational chart),
• the need for a decision-making process and the assurance of the greatest possible amount of participation,
• the need to define the place and role of the religious community in the project, as well as that of the laity (volunteers, beneficiaries, paid staff)
• the need for a formation policy for both the initial or continuing formation.

It is important to take all necessary legal precautions to resolve the question of the independence and the relationship of a Justice and Peace project with the community, the Province and the Congregation. Must the project be institutionally autonomous? How can we simultaneously ensure a certain degree of independence and still maintain a common level of interest?

It would be desirable that those projects that have a Justice and Peace dimension be borne by the community and by the different levels of authority within the Order. To obtain this support, everyone would have to be kept up to date and be well informed about the advancement of the various activities. By bringing people together in this way, many of them will feel in solidarity with what is happening. But the project has a life of its own, its own internal logic.

The purpose of granting a particular status to the project helps to ensure the viability of this logic. We may of course consider the project as an other ordinary apostolic activity and choose not to give it any particular status. Although this solution offers the advantage of ensuring better control by the community and of "protecting" the Dominican dimension of the activity it still has some drawbacks! The major difficulty being the involvement of non-Dominicans in the management of the project, for this can lead to the confusion of project and community objectives. These disadvantages are reinforced by the specific direction the project may take, especially if the beneficiaries are important actors and are becoming partners within the activity.

It is therefore preferable, if national laws allow it, to distinguish between a particular project and community life and to grant it its own distinct legal personality. Different countries have particular legislation for associations, groups, the press... It is therefore often necessary to call upon the services of experts in these fields (i.e., barristers, lawyers) when choosing statutes.

Accion Verapaz is a new association (NGO) created in 1995, the result of a concerted action on the part of the Dominican family in Spain in order to work together on questions of Justice and Peace. A legal consultation was undertaken to compare the relative merits of a foundation and an association; the latter was chosen because it was more flexible and more democratic.

This NGO voted itself a president and a full-time staff person to animate the membership. The membership is made up of priories, houses, Provinces and individuals. Those who belong can do so on a volunteer basis or can accept to pay a membership fee.

The Accion Verapaz Association pursues nine objectives: sensitize members about the problems of the populations in developing countries; help to define development projects in terms of promotion; foster the analysis of local development; promote local cultures and cultural diversity; provide technological and human training for agents of solidarity and cooperation; support development projects in the "fourth world" (the marginalized and excluded living in European countries); seek out funding to support such operations; collaborate with other organizations sharing the same fundamental options and take all the necessary measures to achieve these goals.

A similar association exists in the Franciscan family also known as "Franciscans International". Its job is to monitor the activities of UNESCO (United Nations Economic and Social Council) in New York. This organization enjoys a particular status that allows the Franciscans to intervene in the debates and thus contribute to the advancement of the two basic concerns of the Franciscan spirit: conflict mediation and the protection of creation.

Planning also takes into account the use of financial means. It is important, that as soon as possible a distinction be made between the finances of the community that is supporting the project (or those of the brother who has initiated the project) from those of the project itself.

The project should have its own sources of income and seek out its own resources. The funds that the community, Province or Congregation may give are only grants, similar to those given by other agencies, and should not be used less efficiently or stringently, even if there are agreements between the project and the various institutions within the Order.

Fund-raising is not the easiest nor the most validating of Justice and Peace activities. It requires a lot of time, energy and imagination... however it is an essential component and gives a good indication as to how serious we are about our involvement in the process. Certain helpful elements are presented in the Appendix of this Workbook, but you will have to be courageous when seeking sponsors, friends, donators...without losing your soul or your freedom.

In the beginning of your project, you will need to establish a provisional budget not only for your investments (another Appendix in this Workbook gives you some of the more basic concepts of accounting) but also the possible operations for the first three years. You will have to compare the forecast budget with the actual financial statements on a regular basis, so as to target any apparent discrepancies.

The "control panel" (chart) gives an overall view of all of these elements and projects them into the future. These elements are fund-raising (if necessary), the life of the team, the legal status and its evolution... You will need to identify at each step those indicators that will allow you to pass from one phase to the other. An analysis of the gaps between that which was hoped for and that which is realistically achievable will bring you to adopt measures to reach your goals.

A word of advice: make sure you keep archives so that you can compare your initial intuitions with what is really happening. Returning to the foundational texts can be a useful mean to help the team take the decision to start over if necessary, to make necessary adjustments and to move forward.

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