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| Dr. Ralph Brody and Soad Mansour members of the CIPUSA Training Team facilitate a session on nonprofit management to a group of women NGO leaders. |
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Program Description
The Community Leadership Program connects developing
communities around the world to communities in the United
States for high-level, short-term professional exchanges.
The new, community-based program focuses in four major
fields: women’s and children’s development,
environmental management, HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness,
and business development/community investment.
CIPUSA in partnership with communities comprised of
local NGOs, educational institutions, businesses and
government organizations selects a small group of participants
(between 5-10 people) to take part in a well-designed
training program in a U.S. community. For example, if
the field is environmental management, a well-designed
one-month training program will expose international
professionals to environmental management techniques
in the United States community and provide opportunities
to meet and strategize with professional counterparts
around community environmental challenges and goals.
The U.S. based group will then visit the international
community and participate in a similar training program.
In addition, both groups will participate in community-based
development sessions to familiarize them with theories
and practical ways of working on a community level.
Follow-up activities and actions plans to implement
strategies are key parts of this program.
The Community Leadership Program was designed by the
Council of International Programs USA to address the
current needs of CIPUSA’s applicants and participants.
The program uses a community-based, sustainable approach
to professional training. CIPUSA recognizes the community
challenges its participants face are global challenges
that communities around the world, including communities
in the U.S., struggle with. Working towards solutions
to these challenges together sharing knowledge, ideas,
and experiences on a community level has the potential
to create real and sustainable progress.
How the Community Leadership
Program Works: Roles and Responsibilities of Partners
The U.S. Based
Program
The Program Abroad
Community Leadership Focus Area Descriptions
Designing a Community-Based Project
U.S. Partner Organizations
CIPUSA Community Leadership Program Information and
Application Process
Selection Process
How the Community Leadership Program Works:
Roles and Responsibilities of Partners
The Community Leadership Program consists of one-month
intensive (some may be for 6 weeks) programs in the
U.S. and between two to three weeks in the partner country.
The focus on the one-month training programs allows
for high-level immersion in the program area and community
based implementation strategies. Participants live with
host families and participate in classroom training
for three days per week while participating in practical
internships two days per week.
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The U.S. Based Program
All Community Leadership projects have a classroom component
to training as well as an observational internship.
Three days per week during the training program are
devoted to classroom-based training, which consists
of seminars, workshops, and site visits. Two days per
week will are devoted to observational internships,
which are designed to promote sharing of expertise and
resources between the partner country participant and
their U.S. counterparts.
CIPUSA and its Affiliate offices provide: a team of
well-qualified trainers and experts in the designated
focus area to conduct the training sessions, host family
accommodations for international partners, space for
training sessions and workshops, internship placements
for all participants, transportation and arrangements
for cultural activities and events in the U.S. community.
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The Program Abroad:
The Community Leaders Program is built around the philosophy
of mutual exchange. American professionals have the
opportunity to visit and learn in the international
community. This allows U.S. professionals to travel
and train in the participating group’s country.
U.S. professionals also participate in internships in
organizations in the partner community.
The International Partner organizations will be responsible
for providing host families for the American participants,
transportation arrangements, space for trainings and
workshops, arranging internships and site visits to
organizations involved in the project, providing the
option of cultural activities and events in the community.
Community Leadership Focus Area Descriptions
The Community Leadership Program has four major focus
areas: women’s and children’s development,
environmental management, HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness,
& business development/community investment (this
includes both nonprofit and for-profit organizations).
Some examples of programs that have approached CIPUSA
for this program include:
Women’s and Children’s Development
Women & trafficking
NGO management training for Women leaders
Environmental Management
Landmine clearing
Clean water programs
HIV/AIDS Prevention & Awareness
Creating an HIV/AIDS counseling and information center
Training to address HIV/AIDS in minority communities
Business Development & Community Investment
Skill based training around management and leadership
for a women owned micro enterprise association.
Creating a center for street children that can be sustained
by selling vegetables and milk products.
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Designing a Community-Based Project
Successful proposals will describe a community group
comprised of several organizations (NGOs, government
organizations, businesses) and/or individuals who are
working together to address one of the Community Leadership
Program’s four focus areas. The application will
ask for a well-thought out description of what the program
or project is, who it will serve, why it is important
and how it can be sustainable.
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U.S. Partner Organizations
After a group has been selected they will partnered
with U.S. organizations that are related to the group’s
focus area. For example, if a group is identified to
be a part of a project in the HIV/AIDS prevention and
awareness focus area, then the group will be involved
with U.S. organizations related to HIV/AIDS (e.g. HIV/AIDS
hospital programs, workshops and classes related to
AIDS education and prevention, community programs and
organizations that fund HIV/AIDS programs.) All Community
Leadership Training Programs will take place in one
of CIPUSA’s nine affiliate communities.
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CIPUSA Community Leadership Program
Information and Application Process
Applications for the Community Leadership Program are
accepted at anytime, however CIPUSA will review applications
in October of every year. If you would like to participate
in CIPUSA’s Community Leadership Program please
download the CIPUSA
Community Leadership Information and Application. If
you are unable to download the application please email
info@cipusa.org
to request an application package sent to you by regular
mail.
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Selection Process
Applications for 2004 are due September 30, 2004. CIPUSA
staff will carefully review each application submitted.
After one month we will send a letter regarding the
outcome of the review. CIPUSA will carefully examine
the feasibility of conducting each program as well as
the potential for the program to be self-sustaining.
Applications will be reviewed in October every year.
Two applications will be selected for implementation
in 2005. Some unselected applications may be invited
to re-submit their proposal the following year. As this
program gets stronger, CIPUSA will have the capacity
to conduct more than two programs per year. Unfortunately
CIPUSA cannot offer funding to all groups that meet
the above criteria. We will give priority to groups
that have previously worked with CIPUSA or to groups
that have never been to the U.S.
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