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Local Development in Practice for
Project Designers and Managers
Design and Manage Projects for Better Local Engagement
Group Coaching
Format
Early 2022
Next Program Starts
4 Months
(80 hours total)
Time Commitment
US $997.00
Price
Do You Want To:
Develop a project that engages effectively with different sectors of the community?
Strategically draw on local strengths, knowledge and resources when implementing project activities?
Set up the necessary conditions for continued local participation, even after project funding & activities have come to an end?
If this sounds like you, then you’ve come to the right place.
About This Group Coaching Program
In this group coaching program, you will learn how to design and manage a project that is inclusive of local leaders and community members, reflects the local context and draws appropriately on local strengths and resources. You will be supported in doing a thorough audit of your organisation’s current project work, strategically testing different approaches to improve your local engagement across different stages of the project life-cycle. By the end of the program, you will have been guided step-by-step through developing a community engagement strategy for your project, tailored to your individual work and community context.
This program is ideal for people who are responsible for designing or managing a project to be implemented at the local level, and/or supporting local partners in how they carry out this work.
Program Outcomes
By the end of the program, you will be able to:
Conduct & facilitate a local engagement audit with your team and local partners, and identify specific opportunities for improvement across the project life-cycle.
Use various tools and strategies to incorporate good local engagement practices into your project design, appropriate to your work and community context.
Manage risks and trouble-shoot problems that emerge as community members become more involved with work.
More effectively support your team and local partners in implementing across different sectors of the community.
Support your team or local partners in working sensitively and effectively with marginalised or vulnerable groups.
Develop a complete local engagement and outreach strategy for your project, tailored to your work and community context.
About Your Instructor
Deborah Cummins is the Director of Bridging Peoples. She has a PhD on local governance and democratisation, and has been working as a local governance and community engagement specialist since 2005. During this time, she has worked in numerous countries, leading teams to provide research, monitoring & evaluation, policy analysis and program development support on a range of issues. She has published widely on issues of decentralisation, community engagement, local governance, livelihoods and markets, justice delivery and gender issues. She is the author of the book published by Routledge Publishers: Local Governance in Timor-Leste: Lessons in Postcolonial Statebuilding.
Key Features
User-Friendly Site, Structure and Materials.
This group coaching program is designed to be as accessible as possible. While everything I teach is based on a strong theoretical framework, the lessons are simple, and focused on practical application. The site is designed to make it as easy as possible to navigate, access materials, and keep track of where you are up to—so you can focus on learning.
Combining Structure & Flexibility
The group coaching program is structured to support you in testing and applying what you learn to your specific project design and management. We also offer ongoing support for a further 9 months after the program ends, so you can flexibly dip back into different sections of the program as you learn and grow in the work.
Group Coaching with the Program Convener.
The Local Development in Practice series is where you get to work closely with the Founder & Director of Bridging Peoples, Dr. Deborah Cummins. You will be supported in applying her teachings, tools, strategies and advice to your specific work context – without having to pay hefty consultant fees or enroll in a University course!
Access to the Community.
Perhaps most importantly, you get access to a community of like-minded professionals. People who, like you, want to really make a difference in people’s lives through their work. And who are prepared to step up, challenge themselves to think differently about their work, and try something new.
Testimonials
As this is the first round for this course, we don’t yet have testimonials from students. However, here are some kind words from students of a previous e-course on good local development
“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.”
Youssef, MonitoringEvaluation Specialist, Turkey 
“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."
Ilaria RosettiCultural Heritage Professional, Netherlands 
"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. "
Heather RedmondChairperson Friends of Lacluta, Australia 
"The course is 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. Anyone who takes this course will
find themselves approaching their work as a more considered, prepared, curious and compassionate
professional."
Heidi ZajacDirector of Cooking Circles, Australia 
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Who Should Take This Program?
Participants in this group coaching program should have already completed, or be currently enrolled in either the Principles of Good Local Development course or the Theories and Concepts of Good Local Development course.
The program is ideal for people who are responsible for designing and/or managing projects for implementation at the local level, who want to learn how to adapt their project approach to suit the local context, opening up their project to include a greater array of community voices. Participants should be prepared to reflect deeply on their own work styles, try out alternative approaches while being supported by the group, and share ideas and approaches with each other, as they learn how to work better locally and support their colleagues in doing the same.
Join the Wait List!
We are working hard on this program, and it will be live soon. Give us your name and email and be the first to know when we’re open for business!
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