Social Mobilisation Short Learning Programme
At the Community Development Unit (Nelson Mandela University) we believe that the communities are the centre of the development process as the drivers and directors of their own development. Through our experience with various communities in the Eastern Cape, we have come to learn and unlearn some things with, from and together with communities. We are fully persuaded that communities have vast deposits of active and latent potential, assets and knowledge that can steer self-reliant community development. Having had the privilege of experiencing Social Mobilisation in rural and urban areas of the Eastern Cape, we are looking forward to sharing our experiences as well as learning from other practitioners and facilitating a thought provoking platform for practitioners to reflect on how we have been doing, what we are aiming for and possibilities of getting there.
The Short Learning Program in Social Mobilisation is one such platform for reflection and empowerment. This course has been developed from experiences that are context based and relevant to various development practitioners and officials in various capacities within government departments, municipalities, government agencies, NGOs, CBOs as well as corporate social responsibility. We have designed the course in such a manner that allows for the active participation of attendees, group work and for extensive engagement and knowledge transfer in a relaxed and enjoyable setting. The course, we will link theory to practice through the use of case studies. At the end of the course, delegates will have a clearer understanding of various tools and principles of Social Mobilisation and how to apply them in their work with the community. As a means of assessment, a work place based assignment will be given to allow participants to put such principles and tools into practice.
Practitioners across the board recognise that projects and programs succeed when the communities ‘own’ them. Communities ‘own’ projects when they fully participate in the identification, design, planning, implementation and evaluation of projects. Through this course, we hope to achieve a change or improvement in the way we approach community development and mobilising communities for collective action. We look forward to meeting with you and sharing and learning together. Please refer to the brochure for detailed information of the course contents. In addition to this short learning programme, the Community Development Unit also offers the following: Community Asset Mapping, Asset Based Community Development and Monitoring, and Evaluation of Community Projects. Should you require additional information, please contact the Community Development Unit at the email address on the right.