Community capacity development for systems change doesn’t happen haphazardly, nor does it spontaneous emerge. Like it’s economic development cousin, community capacity development benefits from investment, leadership and skilled engagement.
And that’s why in FY2014 St. Luke’s Health Initiatives developed, invested in and graduated its first class of Alliance Fellows.
Acting on the knowledge that effective large scale social change requires intentional, skilled, mindful and sensitive facilitation, SLHI began the Alliance Fellowship program.
The purpose of the Alliance Fellowship is to develop master facilitators who work with nonprofits, government agencies and other social change entities. It serves as a catalytic hub for facilitators of system change efforts to learn from and with each other. During this nine-session program, Fellows developed high-level facilitation skills that they are already applying to a wide range of strategic alliances, newly developing groups and other situations.
During last year’s nine-session program, a cohort of Fellows learned from and with each other as they developed high-level facilitation skills. Moving forward, these committed agents of change will apply the toolkit of resources and approaches they gained to ensure that Arizona’s community-based organizations and alliances are at their most effective.
Because people make the best difference when they bring their skills and talents together. And because master facilitators hold the key to guiding and developing successful collaboratives.