Ghana: Participatory Approaches & Tools for Facilitating Community-Driven Development

Working with Communities:

Development brings freedom, provided it is development of people. But people cannot be developed; they can only develop themselves.... People develop themselves by joining in free discussion of a new venture, and then participating in the subsequent decision; they are not being developed if they are herded like animals into new ventures. Development of people can, in fact, only be effected by the people."

Julius Nyerere

Course brief

There is a growing acknowledgement among development practitioners, government and non-governmental agencies, and private companies sincere about corporate social responsibility, of the truth in the above statement of the great teacher, Julius Nyerere. The challenge is how to go about it.

It is for this reason that Participatory Development Associates (PDA) Ltd is offering this course at its own institute in Kokomlemle, Accra, based on its tried and tested work over the past 10 years. This practical training programme offers participants an opportunity to learn about using a facilitative approach that supports and respects the right of people in communities to determine their own development. The course integrates theory and field practice, giving participants hands-on experience of working facilitatively with people in communities, supporting them to make their own collective decisions about their future, and the action they wish to take to bring change. It introduces concepts such as participatory learning and action (PLA), appreciative inquiry and the role of community leadership in development.

Who the course is for

· Programme/project managers and front-line field staff of civil society organisations

· Staff of private companies responsible for corporate social responsibility

· Extension agents/officers of government agencies like health, agriculture, education, water and sanitation, and

· Community leaders (including communities of interest – religion, profession, etc).

Course overview

· Animation and facilitation

· Essential skills of a facilitator

· Selected participatory learning and action tools for facilitating community dialogue, reflection, and action planning

· Community entry

· Field practice and sharing of field practice experience

· Facilitating community development plan

· Moving community development plan into ACTION

· Community development plan as an advocacy tool and the 4-power framework

Course methodology

PDA is renowned for its highly participatory, interactive and fun training sessions. Action-oriented, experiential learning aimed at active participation will be the approach throughout the course. This will take the form of experience sharing, group work, simulation, energizers, and learning journals.

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Language of discourse

A mixture of English and the dominant Ghanaian language among participants.

Lead course facilitator

Tony Dogbeholds a BA (Hons) Degree in Political Science and MSc in Community Organisation for Rural Development. Tony is a co-founder and currently the Managing Director of Participatory Development Associates (PDA) Ltd, which was founded in 2001. Before this he was the Executive Director of the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) for nearly 9 years. He also worked for VSO for 3 years as a Programme Officer and served for 4 years as a member of its international Board of Trustees. His work, over his 29 year career as a development practitioner, has focused on programmes that involve working with communities, facilitating community-driven development, facilitating participatory development processes, and NGO management. He is an experienced facilitator and a member of several NGO advisory or governing boards.

What previous participants said:

· I learnt that the facilitator is critical to the change process; that his task is to help bring the community members to the point of realizing their needs and what they ought to do to address these needs.

· I now see the value of involving people in effecting a social change.

· From this workshop I have learnt how to listen to others share their thoughts and motivate them to open up during discussions

· One thing I liked is the participatory nature of the course content and the practical use of examples to explain tools and results achieved.

· I liked the cordial atmosphere created during the training.

· I liked the practical approach used by facilitators.

Course Registration, fee and logistics

This is a five-day course. The course fee of GH¢500 covers tuition, training materials, lunch, transportation for field trips and a certificate. Participants will bear their own accommodation costs.

Course venue

PDA’s Institute for Development Practice is located near Accra Technical Training College (ATTC), Kokomlemle, Accra.

Course Dates

This course will be run every other month starting from January 2016

For more information

More detailed course details are available on the PDA website. Select ‘Institute of Development Practice and Management (IDPM)’ from the menu on the Homepage. Feel free to phone or email the IDPM Manager directly with any enquiries about our courses 0302 970177 or 0503362035 (Mon to Fri, 8am – 4pm).

How to apply

To apply for a course either visit the PDA website www.pdaghana.com, select IDPM from the menu, download and complete an IDPM application form and email it to mboadi@pdaghana.com or come to the IDPM in person to collect a form.

Applications must be sent one week before the start of the course. Early booking is recommended as places are limited. If you book and confirm your place on any of the courses 14 days before the start date you will earn a 5% discount off your course fee.