Occidental College12 December 2013

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about me

our mission FSD achieves community-driven goals through asset-based development and international exchange in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

our vision FSD envisions a world where all people have the opportunity and capacity to direct economic, social, and environmental resources toward sustainable outcomes that improve their lives and communities.

sites, sectors & programs

SECTORS• health • economic development• youth development• education • environment • appropriate technology• human rights• gender equity

PROGRAMS•Capacity building of community partners•Grants for community partner projects•Training programs for volunteers

by the numbers 300 242 $846,250

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founding principles• FSD was established 1995

• Alicia Robb, PhD in Economics

• Founding country: Nicaragua, 1995

• Invest in local leadership and organizations – advance missions

• Community-driven, asset-based

• Reciprocity is key - development mission and approach drive all programming and operations.

• Non-profit, social entrepreneurial model (not donor-driven)

• 300 community partners across our 10 program sites• Dynamic leadership | Small staff size | Limited resources • Deep roots within the community• Beneficiaries are ‘poor’ or ‘extremely poor’- focus on marginalized• Already working in or willing to try our development approach

community partners

our value to partners• Community strengths | asset-based development

• Sustainable, participatory program design and management• Organizational and leadership development• Seed funding and capital investment

• Partnerships and networking

Sustainable Community Development

Community as Clients

our approach

Typology of power / ladder of participation: ABCD Institute, Arnstein

Strengths-based, participatory development

community partners

Home Office

our team

Program Sites San Francisco, California

Year-round support led by local Program Directors:•Partnership development•Beneficiary engagement / participatory approaches•Project Design and Management•Budgeting•Monitoring & Evaluation •Strategic planning•Networking•Workshops•Training of Trainers •One-on-one support

community-based development

training programsIntern Abroad • Individual internship | 9-52 weeks• Grant eligibility• 4 sessions annually, multiple start dates

Global Service Trips • Student and corporate group programs• 1-4 weeks | Custom start dates• Pre-departure project development

Group Engage • 2-5 person groups | 6-12 weeks• Standard or custom start dates

Pro Corps • Professional volunteers | 2-52 weeks

Traveling Giving Circles • 8-15 donors travel to FSD Partner Organizations in-

need of project funding• Participants decide how they will allocate their pooled

funds

Program Framework• Pre-departure seminars (custom) • Host family stays • In-country orientation:

logistical, cultural, developmental context

• Community development training• Project work plan/budget development• Grant proposal writing• Continuing education seminars• Reflection activities and midterm retreat• Ongoing personal/technical support

in group and individual settings

• Debriefing/exit interviews• Post program activities

training programs

university partnerships

what sets FSD apart?

1. FSD is an international development organization that provides opportunities for graduate, undergraduate, and bridge year students to engage in real community development work—instead of a typical study abroad or drop-in service project program.

2. Our programs are structured and supportive as we provide ongoing educational and cultural activities, logistical support, and round-the-clock safety and security support by our dedicated site team staff.

3. We offer rigorous participatory development, community engagement, cultural integration, and project management training that students apply in the field.

4. We are as much concerned about community outcomes as student learning outcomes. 5. Our program frameworks, values, and partnerships reflect our community outcome

priorities; this deepens the student experience through more critical reflection on issues of power, privilege, social identity, and the role of international development.

6. Working year-round at our 10 program sites builds strong relationships with our host families and community partners, making our programs safe and culturally immersive.

Program GoalsComplementing academic coursework goals, the fieldwork program supports students in community-driven program work that enables students to be: • Highly immersed in the local culture• Engaged learners in global development issues and community-based approaches• Effective at designing and building collaborative educational and social programs • Skillful in adapting and displaying sensitivity to cultural, social and political differences

training curricula/pedagogy

General Learning OutcomesComplementing academic program Learning Outcomes:•Demonstrate global competency in a developing country setting•Demonstrate an understanding of varying approaches to community development •Apply community-based development principles •Use participatory approaches of community project design and management•Expand perspectives of critical social and economic issues faced in the host country, and of effective approaches to address them•Understand application of community engagement approaches for home contexts

training curricula/pedagogy

• International development / foreign aid approaches– Development paradigms– History of participatory development

• Values-based discourse on ethics of engagement– Social identity– Motivation of participation – Ethics case studies

• Cross-cultural/global competencies– Fundamental patterns of cross-cultural differences– Cross-cultural challenges and strengths – Personal reflection techniques

• Group dynamics– Personal assets/challenges– Collaboration and teambuilding tools– Intra- and intergroup communication*

training curricula/pedagogy

Customized seminars for

students, faculty and

professionals

Community-based development – principles and practice

• Principles of community-based development

• Project design & management• Participatory design tools:

• asset mapping, stakeholder mapping, appreciative inquiry, positive deviance, participatory action research

• Capacity/skills enhancement

• Appropriate evaluation• Contingency planning• Program sustainability factors

training curricula/pedagogy

Thematic Curricula– Social entrepreneurship– Global health– Microenterprise– Microfinance– Education– Youth development– Gender Equity– Environment – Appropriate technology

training curricula/pedagogy

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Work Plan and Budgets (SMART)

strategic planning tools

• community visioning • stakeholder mapping

• ABCD: asset mapping • ABCD: capacity inventories

• positive deviance • community mapping

• appreciative inquiry• participatory monitoring &

evaluation

• participatory action research

community-based tools

sample community project

Intern Abroad Location: Masaka, Uganda Volunteers: Duke University studentsCommunity Partner: Lwemodde Youth Group (LYG)Project: Expanding Solar Power

• Trained 15 members to understand, operate, and repair their equipment; set up new installations throughout the region • Provided power to 10 local households, enabling local students to study and shopkeepers to earn more income• LYG’s own internet café (nearest 1 hour)• Serves two communities (population of 700)• Expanding service

Global Service Trip to NicaraguaNovember 6-11, 2013

monitoring & evaluation approach & methods

Mission-driven Monitoring & Evaluation: Community development goals and approach

drive programming and operations

Are we achieving our mission?

evaluation & assessment• Project Reports – 10-page narrative • Grant reports & site team, educational

evaluations on proposals• Program evaluations by participants – (300)

exit interviews; Google survey• Exit interviews – evaluations of students by

site teams• Evaluations of interns by host organizations• University partner surveys & debriefings –

12-15 core partners• Site Team reflection reports – 10 annual

reports• Strategic Plan stakeholder input - surveys• Sustainability Assessments – annual survey

of large sample of community partners

sustainability assessment results

77 organizations responded; 345 projects/initiatives

sustainability assessment results

sustainability assessment results

sustainability assessment results

sustainability assessment results

SIX WORD MEMOIRS

Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. Hemingway's response: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

We challenged FSD staff, partners, and constituents to submit their own six-word memoir that describes their experience as part of the FSD community.

QUESTIONS?

connect with me!

Kevin SlatteryMarketing and Communications Officerkevin@fsdinternational.orgLinkedIn: LinkedIn/in/kslatz Twitter: @kslatz | @infofsd