Integrating community into training

Rate this practice

Average

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Abstract

The best way to show members the importance of working with the community is to incorporate the community into every aspect of your program, including your training. Mosaica's newsletter, TrainingBriefs (October 1998, no. 10), provides reminders on how to integrate your community into your trainings.

Issue

Training sessions are an appropriate time to set standards and model goals and objectives.

Action

According to Mosiaca, effective practices include:

Invite Guest Trainers from the Community/Involve Community Resource People

Look first to local experts such as agency staff, community volunteers, and residents who have relevant knowledge and experience to provide skills training for members. Identify local residents and community service providers to serve as resources for additional skill-development opportunities that expand on topics of interest to members. For each training topic provide a list of local experts to serve as "resource people." Ask local leaders and resource people to assume visible roles at your kick-off ceremony, in-service training, and continuation-of-service events. Throughout the year these people can serve as role models for members for both possible careers and continued community service

Incorporate the Community Into Training Activities

Throughout the year, use community-based examples in your training sessions both for content specific skills training topics such as teen mentoring and public safety skills, as well as community-based examples for general skills topics such as group problem solving and professionalism. Use realistic examples that members are likely to experience in their service with community residents and community-based staff. Invite community members to observe, evaluate, and provide feedback on both the community-based example and the skill-building training topic.

Move Training into the Community/ Train Members to Be Effective with the Community

Go beyond traditional lectures and have members undertake interactive community assignments. Rotate training to different community agencies and sites to acquaint members with different environments and the community. Offer members training sessions to develop both general skills needed to interact effectively with community members and specific skills needed for successfully planning and implementing community service activities. During the year, build in regular opportunities for members to discuss their community involvement activities, share ideas, and identify additional knowledge.

Context

The best way to show members the importance of working with the community is to incorporate the community into every aspect of your program, including your training.

Mosaica: The Center for Nonprofit Development and Pluralism, provides organizational assessments, strategic and resource development planning, fundraising capacity building, restructuring support, and assistance in financial management and oversight. Other services include board development, program design and delivery, personnel and systems management, volunteer activities, community involvement and community building, community organizing and advocacy, program evaluation, and coalition building.

The goal of Mosaica is to bring together individuals with diverse voices and experience to create an organization with a set of common values. Mosaica was established out of a commitment to social justice and a belief that within the United States and throughout the world, societies that strive for democracy, human rights, peace, individual opportunity, and pluralism must be built and maintained from the bottom up — community by community, group by group — with the active involvement of nonprofit organizations and a strong independent sector. Mosaica helps strengthen nonprofits so they can provide high quality services and advocacy in a sustainable, well-run fashion that supports communities.

Citation

Mosaica's TrainingBriefs. Washington, D.C.: Corporation for National and Community Service, no. 10, (October 1998).

TrainingBriefs were produced by Mosaica under Cooperative Agreement #98CADC009 with the Corporation for National and Community Service during July of 1997 through October of 1999.

Outcome

By integrating the community in your training, you can help members gain important knowledge and skills, develop genuine connections with people within the community, and most importantly, make a big difference in the lives of those they serve.

Posted On

August 27, 2001

Resources

See Integrating Community into Training for the activity, "The Community Insider/Outsider" that will aid in assessing member perceptions about the benefits and challenges of members who are both community insiders and outsiders, and in developing a list of realistic action goals to deal with insider/outsider issues as a basis for developing an effective community partnership.

Resource Center