Have you ever found yourself working on a great development project, but…

You couldn’t get people to attend meetings without paying an attendance fee?
Or maybe meetings went well, but then nothing actually happened afterwards?

You couldn’t get communities engaged with the work?
Or maybe everything you did stopped with the local elites, when in fact you were meant to be working with more

You couldn’t get community members to contribute to the work?
Or maybe you thought the project had gone ok, but it all fell apart as soon as the funding ended?

Learn how to improve local ownership, get community members engaged, and unlock the development potential of your work.

Welcome to the Bridging Peoples Academy

We teach you the tools, principles and mindset of good local development, so you can learn how to:

  • Better harness local strenghts and resources
  • Design programs to more accurately reflect local needs & context
  • Work legitimately with local leaders and community members
academy
academy

Choose the Right Program for You

We know different students have different needs, with some preferring the flexibility of self-paced work, and others preferring a more structured learning experience. Regardless of your preference, we’re got you covered.

SELF-PACED

In our self-paced e-courses, students can
sign up and go through the course materials at
any time. These courses are designed for flexible
learning, with students having access to the online discussion board to discuss and share their insights with their peers, and frequent interactions with the Bridging Peoples team.

By the end of these courses, students will have
learned the core principles, skills and mindset
of doing good local development work,
that they can then apply in their work.

GROUP COACHING

Group coaching programs are tailored for
professionals to support them in applying what
they learn, depending on their area of expertise.
These are structured programs, following a ‘flipped classroom’ methodology, with a strong focus on peer discussion, reflective activities and learning through doing.

By the end of the program, students will have the
necessary understanding and skills to apply and
adapt what they learn to their unique work
and community context.

Our Courses

Local Development in Practice for Community Workers

Be supported as you learn and apply the principles and practices of good local development as a Community … Read More

14 Aug 2020

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Principles of Good Local Development

Learn the core skills and mindsets of good local development, and tools for sharing decision-making power with community members. Great if you… Read More

14 Aug 2020

Sign Up NowJoin Wait List

Local Development in Practice for Program Managers & Program Designers

Be supported as you learn and apply the principles and practices of good local development as a Program Manager… … Read More

14 Aug 2020

Sign Up NowJoin Wait List

Theories and Concepts of Good Local Development

Learn the core skills and mindsets of good local development, and tools for sharing decision-making power with community members. Great if you… Read More

14 Aug 2020

Sign Up NowJoin Wait List
satisfaction

Satisfaction Guarantee

We want you to be 100% satisfied with your Bridging Peoples Academy experience, and we’re confident you will be.

But if you’re not, all you need to do is let us know within the designated time-frame we’ll give you your money back, minus a small administration fee.

For full details, please refer to the terms and conditions for your specific course.

Learning by Doing

In the Bridging Peoples Academy, we use reflective learning with a focus on learning by doing, in order to embed key concepts in students’ minds, helping them apply what they learn to their work and community context.

Loved by Students

Heather Redmond

Chairperson Friends of Lacluta, Australia

“I really enjoyed this course! I signed up because I wanted a better understanding of community development in my Friendship Committee’s support for people in Timor-Leste. This course was ideal because I didn’t want a university-level course, or which was jargon-laden or linked to political causes or theories. The lessons were clear, the sequencing of lessons built up a gradual deeper understanding of the content, and I especially liked the ethical foundation of the course content—particularly the emphasis on working with local people.”

Ilaria Rosett

Cultural Heritage Professional, Netherlands

“I found the course very useful, accessible and practical! I got important insights in new theories, and I also found very useful exercises and tools to apply those theories to my case. I really appreciated the personal assistance provided by Deborah and the interesting Q&A sessions with the other participants from all over the world! I would recommend the course to all kinds of professionals, from different fields, who want to challenge themselves to look at their projects from another perspective.””

Heidi Zajac

Director of Cooking Circles, Australia

“The course was excellent. It is wonderfully rich in content, detailing the complexity of working with communities and providing practical approaches to work with this reality. Deborah guided us through topics that we encounter daily in the development world, drawing on examples from her own work to give meaning and to connect the dots between theory and practice. The combination of lectures with exercises worked really well, helping me to consider the complexity of different issues when working with communities, and to develop and use a set of tools to help me assess, analyse, collate, and reflect on community realities as I do my work. Anyone who takes this course will find themselves approaching their work as a more considered, prepared, curious and compassionate professional.”

Youssef, Monitoring

Evaluation Specialist, Turkey

“This was one of the best and most useful courses I have ever taken part in! It taught me how to think about community members from their own point of view, and to always seek win-win situations which is a pre-requisite for effective community work. It has an excellent practical focus that can be applied by anyone working directly with communities, including development and humanitarian projects and programs, and the public services. I would recommend this course to any person involved in project management and direct involvement with communities.”