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PDP course - Capacity Development Across Cultures

Facilitators: Ernest Antoine and Deborah Rhodes
Dates: 27-28 May (Tue-Wed) 2008
Early Bird Registration: By 15 April 2008

Who is it for?

This course is suitable for both emerging and experienced practitioners, especially those engaged in capacity building activities within international aid projects.

Course Description:

How can Australians contribute to capacity development in culturally different contexts? Aid workers invariably operate within organizations and countries where behaviours are influenced by different values and perspectives. There are plenty of anecdotes to confirm that a lack of cultural understanding reduces the effectiveness of capacity development processes. Yet contemporary aid activities require a focus on capacity development and donors expect to see changes to organisational capacities. Until now, little guidance has been available on how to understand or deal with the challenges. This program is based on the premise that understanding culture and the influence of culture on individuals and organizations is integral to capacity development approaches.

In Papua New Guinea, for example, can the wantok system be regarded as a capacity that can be harnessed to achieve positive change? In Indonesia, is the focus on “saving face” within groups and communities an advantage or a disadvantage for capacity development? This workshop uses concepts of culture to enhance understanding of capacity, capacity development processes and the role of external facilitators. It is envisaged that this will generate new approaches for aid practitioners and managers.

Course Content:

The following topics will be covered -

Definition of capacity through varied cultural perspectives
The influence of culture on capacity development processes for individuals, organizations, sectors and countries
Interpreting and designing aid activities through a cultural lens
Competencies for cross-cultural understanding
Competencies for undertaking capacity development processes
Implications of culture for monitoring and evaluating capacity development activities

Learning Outcomes:

Participants will have increased understanding of:

the concept of capacity
the processes of capacity development
how cultural values influence understanding about individual, organisational, sectoral and national capacity
how cultural values affect changes to capacity
the relevance of cultural differences on aid-funded capacity development processes
the competencies required by aid workers involved in capacity development
approaches for managing capacity development activities within culturally diverse contexts

Facilitators' profile:

Ernest Antoine specialises in management and leadership development in a globalised environment. His expertise lies in building effective links between people in the Asia Pacific region. He has worked extensively in Indonesia and other Asia Pacific countries in the areas of culture, management and psychological services for government, civil society and commercial clients. His particular knowledge of cross-cultural management and communication issues combined with his personal experience and style make him a highly effective communicator and facilitator.

Deborah Rhodes has over 20 years experience in international development work and specialises in capacity building approaches relevant to the Asia Pacific region. She has developed and managed a variety of aid activities. Since 2002 Deborah has provided a wide range of design, monitoring and evaluation and review consultancy services for NGOs, managing contractors and AusAID. She has also facilitated learning programs in Australia and internationally on many aspects of development cooperation, including capacity development. She is currently preparing a book on capacity development from a Pacific perspective.

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Course Fees:

The following course fees are applicable for participants based within Australia only (please click here for additional information relevant to overseas participants). All course fees are inclusive of GST. Course fees include course materials and meals during the course delivery.

To qualify for Early Bird registration fees, course fees must be paid to IDSS within the early bird registration deadline.

	Early Bird Fee	Regular Fee
Full Fee	AU$575.00	AU$675.00
Staff from ACFID member organisations	AU$525.00	AU$625.00
Students with assessment	AU$525.00	AU$600.00
Full-time students without assessment	AU$475.00	AU$525.00

Venue:

International Development Support Services (IDSS)

Level 12, 60 Albert Road

SOUTH MELBOURNE VIC 3205

AUSTRALIA

Registration:

Participants are requested to read the IDSS Training Policy before applying for registration/enrolmnet.

To register/enrol, visit the Training Registration section of this site.

For additional information please contact:

Atiq Rahman
Manager, Professional Development Program

International Development Support Services (IDSS)
Level 12, 60 Albert Road
South Melbourne VIC 3205

Phone: + 61 3 8683 1184
Fax: + 61 3 8683 1444
Email: atiqr@idss.com.au