Community Organising & Leadership Program
Mission
To build the capability of the broader community and other organisations to take effective action and increase engagement with their work to promote a vibrant Far North Queensland natural environment.
Structure
Curriculum
Facilitator
In 2020 CAFNEC launched our Community Organising and Leadership Program. The program established a core trainer group of committed local leaders who worked alongside CAFNEC’s Community Organiser to establish a sophisticated and well-resourced training program for Far North Queensland.
Now coming into our third year the Program has evolved to ensure longevity and sustainability of our core trainer group. CAFNEC has identified committed leaders in the organisation who are being stepped up, trained and coached to build leadership and empower others in the organisation and the broader community.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS WORK?
Far from any major centres, the isolation of our region makes it difficult for our community to gain the valuable training necessary to build our campaigning and leadership skills. Too often we see our passionate changemakers leaving for the big smoke to attain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. The Program makes certain that ongoing and relevant training is provided to our region, and ensures more and more people have the capacity to take effective action to ensure a safe climate and flourishing natural environment.
HOW ARE WE DOING THIS?
The Program reflects the Snowflake Model, whereby ‘organisers organise organisers’. This approach shares responsibility amongst individuals, creating distributed leadership. It replaces a single leader in a network with interconnected leaders. The Program goes beyond winning environmental challenges and invests in building community leadership for sustained power.
The Program empowers ordinary people to recognise that they can make a difference, and have the means to create a better Far North Queensland, through sustainable collective action.
The Program provides committed leaders with an understanding as to the practices of leadership, and how to develop and empower leadership in others. The Program also provides an introduction to Community Organising and Campaign Strategy frameworks.
OUR CORE TRAINERS FROM 2021
Interested in getting involved email Aïsha at getinvolved@nullcafnec.org.au.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
SNOWFLAKE MODEL
The Program goes beyond winning environmental challenges and invests in building community leadership for sustained power.
Approach
The Program fosters leadership at four levels of engagement, through learning, teaching, doing and monitoring & evaluation.
PROGRAM STREAMS
Stream 1
CAFNEC Volunteers
Building the capability of our volunteers to effectively deliver CAFNEC’s campaigns and projects.
Stream 2
CAFNEC Member Groups
Building the capability of our Member Groups to take effective action, establish strong networks and increase engagement in their work.
Stream 3
Rapid Response Team
Responding to urgent community concerns and building the capability of the community to deliver their own campaign.
CURRICULUM BIG IDEAS
CONNECTION
Understanding the value of relationships and why they are key to effecting change.
LEADERSHIP
Understanding what type of leader you are, how to be an effective leader and how to nurture leadership in others.
ENDURING STRUCTURES
Understanding how to create and maintain healthy working groups for sustainable collective action.
EFFECTIVE ACTION
Understanding community organising and campaign strategy tools, and how to apply them.
INVESTIGATION
Understanding how to gather information and analyse and develop processes to achieve the best outcomes.
FACILITATOR
Aïsha has near to a decade of experience as an educator, identifying and establishing training resources, and providing training and one-to-one coaching to children and adults.
Aïsha solidified her role as a Community Organiser and Campaigner in 2019 after completing the Change Agency Fellowship.
In her role as Community Organiser, Aïsha builds leadership and empowers our members, member groups and the wider community, to grow our movement and take action for a safe climate and vibrant FNQ natural environment.
Previous to the Program, Aïsha developed and delivered advocacy training in FNQ with other organisations, as part of CAFNEC’s Warriors of the Waterways Project.
Aïsha de Barros Lopes, Community Organiser