Participate in a Working Group

A Working Group can be defined as an action oriented, purpose driven group that comes together to co-operate in a practical way to achieve a specific result, in a particular ministry area, in an agreed time frame. A Working Group Facilitator acts as a catalyst, exploring potential collaborations that may arise from their discussions with participants. They help agree on a deadline, develop a timetable, and clarify by when each action step will be or should be done and who will be responsible for each action step. They continue communicating with the participants, and link with the Forum Facilitator.

The Asha Forum develops working groups to divide its participant directed objectives into manageable tasks in a way that allows specialist to focus on their area of expertise and interest. Consider participating in an existing working group or forming another.

International Working Groups
Three international working groups were initiated at the 1st Asha Forum International Consultation in Zwolle, Holland, October 2002:  

• Church Mobilization: Developing tools to help local churches worldwide to better address child sexual exploitation.
• Training: Brokering training and training resources, between trainers and those in need.
• Development: Developing the human and financial support necessary to sustain and expand the Asha Forum Movement.

Asia Working Groups
Four regional working groups were initiated at the 2nd Asha Forum Asia Consultation in Chiang Mai, Thailand, March 2005:

• Advocacy: Increasing protection of children at risk of sexual abuse and raising awareness of all forms/types of sexual abuse at all levels.
• Education and Awareness: Identifying existing material, training and trainers addressing education and share within the region.
• Resource Development: Ensuring that Asha members have sustainable funding to achieve Asha Asia goals.
• Restorative Process: Developing a network of international churches with specific skills relating to the restorative process as well as visitor policies that are proactive in protecting Asian children from potential harm or re-exploitation

New Working Groups?
Please notify us at of existing related working groups so that we can help keep others informed and prevent unnecessary duplication of similar projects. SmartGroups.com is a helpful online tool for starting and managing local or virtual working groups.