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I would like to know more about online courses available? free online courses preferable, and do you provide certificate after completion of these free online courses.
Whenever I go get my food at a place the only wheelchair access they have is inside the store when I go in the store it is so crowded in there I can hardly move around in there and then the area is so small the tables that they have put in there for people to dine-in are wide due to the place being so small can anything be done about this?
to get the pilot phase of capital investments done and paid off in 4-8 months with each community of 5,000 having $25,000,000 equity and [most/all] workers in the community can save $10,000 a year in commuting and not be landlocked to employment opportunities. these MCOTS cover a 60 mile radius.
We grow food of outstanding quality with no pesticides, fungicides, or fertilizers. We have purchased a 23 acre ranch in Barriere, just North of Kamloops which has exceptional water and air quality. Last year we grew over 30 crops and realized about 4 tons of food, as a test and preparation of the fields. This year we would like to begin sharing the message to Canadian communities so we can begin developing the core group of individuals to start-up and operate. We have acquired the lands and invested over $200,000 to prepare the property for this intent. Now we need to complete the addition to the main home and start with a core group of individuals.
It is hoped this gives some idea of the multiple benefits of rural community care. It improves local farm land while also helping in a meaningful way to care for the aging population. We are however in need of determining the most effective retired individuals to form the core group. This requires great thought and effort to ensure the core group has similar emotional intelligence thinking, yet also has the complementary skills needed to start up and operate the facility. Loneliness and poverty are becoming epidemics while many others are yearning for a simple, active, and healthy way of life.
We are hoping to attract 100 seniors for this special event , and be able to have 5 seniors committed to our growth and expansion. This group would then be responsible for the 1-5 year plans while slowly expanding the senior and worker base. The first year will consist of 5 senior members and 3 co-workers (1 cook). The second year is planned for 9 seniors and 4 co-workers. Year 3 is to rezone and build additional dwellings surrounding the main facility which will house those needing 24 hour care and include the main dining room, theater room, and library.
We are starting our vegetable production with a June planting so we would like to have the special event on the Ranch for July 1st.
If you have any suggestions they are appreciated.
I am envisioning that it could be a set of questions like:
What is best for the organization? Is it covered in the budget? Does it match the the organization's mandate? Is it ethical?
But not sure - was wondering if you have something on this
as well as expand horizons. Where do I begin?
I would like to cite Chapter 18, but can find neither the authors, nor the year of publishment. Could you help me with hat please?
I am very happy to find this tool box and I send my appreciation. This, for a very long time I have been struggling to find; thank you so much for exemplary good work.
However, I intend to create a social enterprise targeting working to build healthy community and bring about a social change. I am looking at how better I can prepare my community to work together to change conditions that affect their lives. My community (the Iteso) had a pride over their cows and this was their bank; it was a source of school fees and general well being of the community. Between 1986 to 1993, the Iteso lost their pride to cattle rustlers. The Iteso now rely on subsistence farming as a source of their general well being including school fees for their children. Through universal primary/secondary education, Educational standards have gone down as compared to years before 1986. Recent poverty statistics show 54% of the Iteso community are below poverty line. Please advise me.
Regards
Simon Peter Achaitum
We are planning a "meet your Congressperson" day in Washington DC to raise dyslexia awareness. Do you know of helpful tools to organize this event. And funding opportunities?
Great website and work -- by the way!
Thank you,
Diana Sticker
Our Elementary school just lost 4 teachers, and there were 20 more district wide jobs cut. I would like to get some information in what a grant requires ,and if would be possible for me to do. Thank-you
My topic is "issues that arise due to an aging population" medical conditions that will arise, living longer and assisted living, the workforce depletion, healthcare costs will rise, etc. the policy that is attached to this issue is the "Prevention and Healthcare Fund". I believe prevention through education and motivating each individual to remain as healthy as possible is most important, because doing this affects and decreases the negative impact of these issues. My instructions are to pick a policy, pick an issue, and write a policy analysis. I am to identify key stakeholders, provide 3 to 5 options to consider, inform pros and cons of each and apply each criterion to all my options. I am confused about the options. What do the options mean is it the education, the rising healthcare costs. Can you please help me.
Do I need to change policys?
Thank you
Kim Helton
kimandherdog@bellsouth.net
This is Dr. Manal Bamousa , a female forensic doctor from Saudi Arabia.
Recently,I got a proposal of making ideal building under name of: family protection centre.
I need to work on that Golden project by writing every thing related to this project from A-Z.
I would appreciate your help and suggestions.
Thank you very much and looking forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Dr.Bamousa
How do I cite a quote from your website in APA format?
Some sections have a contributor, some do not.
Thank you,
Sally
Dear Tom,
Excellent question. We are glad you wriote the Tool Box.
See Chapter 16
/en/table-of-contents/leadership/group-facilitation/main
Section 1. Conducting Effective Meetings
Chapter 16 Sections
- What are effective meetings?
- Why do you need effective meetings?
- How do you run effective meetings?
- Phase 1: Planning the meeting
- Phase 2: Setting up the meeting
- Phase 3: Running the meeting
- Phase 4: Following up on the meeting
- Tips on handling difficult members
These will be good starting points. Good luck with your meetings.
Dear Jay,
Thank you for writing to the Tool Box. Your story is very tragic and it is a wodnerful idea to create a Foundation. As far we know the rules and laws for setting up a Foundation vary from counrty to country so we would have to suggest that you search the web for the rules in your country.
Best of luckl with this important venture.
Dear Ana,
Thanks so much for writing to the Tool Box. How wodnerful that you are forming a Youth Organization.
Many Youth Organizations are just informal community organizations that do not have a formal structure or registration with the state.
On the other hand you may wish to become a recongnized non-profit organziation which involves a good deal of paper work.
In the beginning it is rarely needed to become that formal.
You can check with your local bank as to how to set up a bank acciount for such an informal organization.
One way that often works is to affiliate with an existiong non-profit organization who can become your "fiscal conducit" - meaning they manage your money.
See Section Four in the Tool Box: Section 4. Understanding Nonprofit Status and Tax Exemption
Hope this is helpful
Hi Marissa,
Great question.
The Tool Box has a start for you see:
See Section 4. Developing Training Programs for Volunteers
/en/table-of-contents/structure/volunteers/training-pro...
Chapter 11 Sections
Section 1. Developing a Plan for Involving Volunteers
Section 2. Recruiting Volunteers
Section 3. Developing Volunteer Orientation Programs
Section 4. Developing Training Programs for Volunteers
Main Section
Checklist
Examples
Tools
PowerPoint
Why should your organization have training programs for volunteers?
Who should train new volunteers?
How do you develop training programs for volunteers?
Principles of adult learning
Hope that this helps
Hi Betsy,
Great question and indeed the Tool Box does have such resources:
See Chapter 2:
/en/table-of-contents/overview/models-for-community-hea...
Section 10. The Strategic Prevention Framework
Chapter 2 Sections
- What is the Strategic Prevention Framework?
- Why use the Strategic Prevention Framework?
- When should you use the Strategic Prevention Framework?
- Who should use the Strategic Prevention Framework?
- How do you use the Strategic Prevention Framework?
Hope that this helpful
Note: I am just a high school graduate impending college but I have interested in developing my community and education youth on some major issues regarding our communities and health.
Thanks
Dear Mahawa,
We are so glad that you wrote to us at the Tool Box with your question.
The Tool Box has many resources on beginning a program. Maybe the most useful would be the Tool Kit on Dveeloping a Framework
/en/4-developing-framework-or-model-change
Here is a summary of this Tool Kit:
Tool Kit
Developing a Framework
- Describe the intended uses of your framework or model of change:
- To convey the purpose and direction of your initiative or effort (i.e., the outcomes sought and how you will get there)
- To show how multiple factors interact to influence the problem or goal
- To identify actions and interventions more likely to lead to the desired result
- How will your organization or effort use its framework or model of change?
- Outline your initiative or program's vision and mission:
- Vision - summarize your statement of your initiative's dream for the future. It should be:
- Easy to communicate
- Uplifting/inspiring to those involved in the effort
- A reflection of the perspectives of the community it represents
- What's your group's vision for the effort?
- Mission - provide your group's mission statement. It should communicate:
- What the group is going to do (e.g., "...by connecting and supporting children and caring adults.")
- What is going to do it (e.g., "Promote caring relationships...")
- What's your group's vision for the effort?
- Vision - summarize your statement of your initiative's dream for the future. It should be:
- State the objectives of your initiative or effort:
- Summarize all of the specific measurable results of your initiative or program that you anticipate. These should include behavioral changes and related community-level outcomes.
- State your assumptions and hypotheses regarding the personal and environmental factors contributing to the problem or goal. Discover these using multiple strategies:
- Forward logic (But why?) - ask why you this problem exists. What brought it about? What maintains it?
- Analyzing Root Problems of Problems: The "But Why?" Technique
- Reverse logic (But how?) - ask how this problem might be solved or goal accomplished?
- Identify what personal factors (e.g., knowledge, belief, skills) contribute to the problem or goal
- Defining and Analyzing the Problem
- Identify the environmental factors (e.g., supports and services; access, barriers, and opportunities; consequences of efforts; policies and broader conditions) that contribute to the problem or goal.
- Defining and Analyzing the Problem
- Describe the appropriate scope or level of your framework or model of change:
- The overall initiative - may include all strategies and relationships used to affect change and bring about improvement for the overall problem or goal (e.g., reduce violence; promote caring relationships)
- A particular initiative or program - may include only the components and elements of a specific aspect of the overall effort (e.g., education programs; policy change)
- A specific work plan for an action or model for cooperation among stakeholders or participating agencies
- Identifying Action Steps in Bringing About Community and System Change
- Which level will your model of change describe?
- Identify ALL components to include in the logic model or model of change. Include:
- Generating and Choosing Solutions
- Understanding Risk and Protective Factors: Their Use in Selecting Potential Targets and Promising Strategies for Interventions
- Purpose or mission - What the group is going to do and why?
- Context and conditions under which the problem or goal exists and which may affect the outcome (e.g., history of the effort, broad cultural and environmental factors, political situation, economic conditions).
- Inputs: Resources and barriers - include both resources and supports available and constraints or barriers to meeting the initiative's objectives
- Activities or interventions - what the initiative or program does to bring about change and improvement (e.g., enhancing support, modifying access)
- Outputs - direct results or products of the group's activities (e.g., number of people trained or activities conducted)
- Effects - more broadly measured outcomes or results (may include immediate, intermediate, and longer-term effects)
- Using the components, draft a picture of the framework or model of change. Include:
- An expected time sequence (what occurs before what) to arrange the components and elements of the framework or model.
- Arrows or other methods to communicate directions of influence and sequences of events. Some arrows may point in both directions to show and interaction or mutual influence.
- Check for the completeness of your logic model.
- Select a case situation (real or hypothetical) in which you can obtain feedback about your logic model
- Check for the usefulness of the elements of the model (e.g., Was it understandable?)
- Check for the completeness of the model (e.g., What was missing?)
- Revise and add to make it more complete.
- After testing the usefulness of the model with a case situation, what revisions did you make?
- Once all current components and elements are identified and incorporated into the framework or logic model, put it to use. Uses may include:
- Orienting those doing and supporting the work - use to explain how the elements of the initiative or program work together, where contributors fit in, and what they need to be able to make it work.
- Planning - use to clarify your initiative or program's strategies, identify targets and outcomes, prepare a grant proposal, identify necessary partnerships, and estimate timelines and needed resources for the effort.
- Implementation - use to determine what elements you have and don't have in your initiative or program, develop a management plan, and make mid-course adjustments.
- d. Communication and advocacy - use to justify to others why the initiative/program will work and to explain how investments will be used
- Implementation - use to determine what elements you have and don't have in your initiative
- Communication and advocacy - use to justify to others why the effort will work and to explain how investments will be used.
- Evaluation - use to document accomplishments, identify differences between the ideal program and the currently operating one, determine which indicators will be used to measure success and frame questions about attribution (of cause and effect) and contribution of the program/initiative to the mission.
- How might you put your model of change to work within your organization or community now? In the future?
- Revise the model (as needed) to adapt the elements and incorporate newly emerging ones. Using the model and seeing the interconnectedness of its components will allow you to:
- Link the path of activities to intended effects or outcomes
- Plan expansion of activities to reach your goals
- Understand the boundaries of your program or initiative
- Adjust course to allow for unanticipated changes
- Develop a new framework for an extended effort or new initiative
Example 1 - Work Group for Community Health and Development Logic Model
Example 2 - A Framework for Promoting Child Well-Being
Example 3 - Community Health Partnership Program Logic Model (Insurance and Service)
Example 4 - Community Health Improvement Process
Example 5 - Conceptual Model of Family Support
Example 7 - Calhoun County Health Improvement Program Logic Model
Example 9 - Latino Health for All Logic Model/ Framework
Example 10: A framework for promoting gender equality in education in Kenya
The Community Tool Box is a service of the Work Group for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas.
Best of luck with your project.
I am a volunteer organiser of a community garden in London, England and I wonder if you can advise me as to quality of survey done by MEMO, the not-for-profit management organisation of the housing estate on which I lam a leaseholder and resident. Recently the management organisation decided to lock the gates to our community garden based on complaints about 'antisocial behaviour' from a handful of local residents. The antisocial behaviour amounted to nothing more than a few visitors to the garden forgetting to take their litter away with them.
MEMO justified their decision by saying it surveyed the 150 residents overlooking the garden as to whether they wanted it to be gated and locked. They did not consult the gardening group themselves as they knew we all opposed to the idea.
The letter was put through the doors of every resident overlooking the garden but without explanation as to why. it read as follows:
Do you want the gates to the community garden to be locked? (tick as appropriate)
Yes lock them
No, leave them unlocked
6 out of 150 forms were returned and all from people who wanted the garden locked. on this basis they made the decision to lock the garden. This seems to me to be wrong as those he did not return the form would have had no idea why they were even being asked.
All the gardeners will be given keys but we are still unhappy with this outcome because it goes against the whole ethos of a community garden and will prevent spontaneous visits by, residents, members of the public and school children.
I wondered if there is any best practice model of consultation that you could show me that I could then present to MEMO in the hope that they would re-do the survey. I would be grateful for any advice you could give me in this matter.
Kind regards, Valerie
Thanks for your question, Valerie,
It raises a couple of related issues:
1. Is the survey response a valid sample? No. Surveys of this type generally tend to draw stronger response rates from those opposed to the issue or situation, and that appears to have been the case here. We have no idea what those who chose not to respond might be concerned or satisfied about.
2. Did the landlord have unexpressed concerns before hearing the complaints? If so, it would be a good idea to ask about those and to honor them by offering to collaborate in finding workable and mutually acceptable solutions.
Take a look at our section headed Learn A Skill, Item 2 and its related toolkit will give you a number of suggestions about both survey construction and procedures. You may find it necessary to attempt a resurvey, in collaboration with the landlord, that includes a brief description of tye survey's purpose and the importance of hearing from the wider neighborhood. Hand delivery to a person in each household may generate a higher response rate. Also, add space for comments by respondents, and guarantee that results will be made public without identifing any individual.
Thank you in advance for your time,
Lisa Maltbie
Hi Lisa; Thanks for your question.
Check out our Chapter 15 section 4, if you have not already done so. That has general information about strategic communication and plans.
However, I drew a blank when trying to identify a school or business that might serve as a model for your assignment. My best advice isa go to whatever departments at your own university teach business administration and strategic communication. Ask them for references to good examples of strategic communication plans (including those they may teach or use within their own departments), and also for contact persons within any company to which they refer you.
Hi Saroj,
This Advisor does not fully understand your question and requests that you resubmit it with more information about what learning you need to facilitate and assess. CTB has some general information about facilitation of learning, and you can access that by entering "learning facilitation" (WITHOUT the quotation marks) into the search box at the upper right of our page. However, I am not certain whether it really addresses your question.
Are you needing iinformation about learning facilitation models or about how to evaluate the results generated by two different models? If the latter, take a look at Evaluating the Results of the Intevention in the table of contents under Learn A Skill. Also take a look at the Toolkit enntitled Evaluating the Initiative found under the Learn A Skill heading.
I am writing on behalf of FuseSocial which is a non-profit organization (we say social profit ) in Wood Buffalo Region that exists to strengthen the capacity of local social profits.
We have found your online tool an amazing resource – so much to take advantage of. Thank you for kindly sharing it.
There is another challenging area that we have encountered with social profits and would like to ask for your advice. Due to non-profit activity specifics, as you certainly know, Human resource management can be very challenging as:
- The level of burnout is high
- Environment can be quite frustrating and challenging
- Clear benchmarks are difficult to achieve.
Keeping this in mind we wanted to ask if you had anything on “Work and life balance”, “Personal leadership and importance of self-care” (that is so often overlooked by non-profit workers), Benchmarking and results measurement in non-profits.
Would be happy to receive and informational tips.
Thank you,
Hi Alexandra,
Thanks for your quesion. First, try entering "staff Burnout" (WITHOUT the quotaton marks) into the search box at the upper right of our main page. that will generate a number of "hits" that may be directly relevant to your question. Regarding Benchmarking, we suggest that you look at Evaluating the Initiaive for possibly useful information. Finally, you might try a search through "Connect With Others" for relevant information.