How To Work Better Locally

How To Work Better
Locally

Understand the Basic Concepts behind Good Local Development

E-Course

Format

Anytime

Next Course Starts

1.5 hours

Time Commitment

Free

Price

DO YOU WANT TO:

If this sounds like you, then you’ve come to the right place.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course contains three video lessons which can be streamed at any time, to cater to different time-zones. In this mini-course, you will be introduced to the basic concepts of doing good local development work. You will learn about how projects come together and interact with local politics and realities, the opportunities that can emerge in taking a strengths-based approach when working with communities, and the single most important strategy that you can take to reflect the local context in your work. This course is for anyone who is interested in understanding the basics of working better locally.

COURSE OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

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 course 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.

Work At Your Own
Pace.

This mini-course comprises three training videos which can be accessed at any time, to take into account different time-zones. This allows you to try out what you learn, return and dip back into different lessons, as you reflect on how the ideas may apply in your work and community context.

Access To The Course Convener.

By joining the Bridging Peoples Academy, you get all of the benefits of working with the Founder & Director of Bridging Peoples, Dr. Deborah Cummins – giving her BEST teachings, tools, strategies and advice – without having to pay hefty consultant fees or enrol in a University course!

Access to the Community.

You also have access to a Facebook group, where participants discuss the ins and outs of doing good local development work, as it applies to their work and community context. This group is open to anyone who is interested, and is subject to Facebook’s rules, policies and procedures. The group is a bonus and is not considered a core offering of this course.

TESTIMONIALS

"I found the Bridging People’s short course ‘How to Work Better Locally’ to be a useful, free resource which communicates practical concepts on local development in an easy to understand way. The course brought to my attention important issues and solutions which I may not have considered otherwise. I highly recommend this course if you are looking for an introduction to local development, or to Bridging Peoples!"

Hannah St JohnInternational Development student, Australia

“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

WHO SHOULD TAKE THE COURSE?

This course is for anyone who is interested in understanding the basics of working better locally. It is appropriate for people in a range of circumstances, including students, people working in their home country as well as those working internationally, junior and senior professionals, and managers, community workers and researchers or MEL practitioners. Lessons have been configured to cater for those with slower internet connections.

About The Academy

Workshops and Training