The Principles of Sustainable Community Development

Are you curious about Isla's web-based pre-departure training in the Principles of Sustainable Community Development conducted by Fort Collins based Village Earth? Read on as we have prepared some information to satisfy your curiosity.....

Course Description The course is designed to prepare Isla participants for the world of service learning by engaging them in critical reflection on the ethics of service as well as practical strategies for creating a meaningful experience for all stakeholders.

During this course participants will:

· Examine different theories of development and poverty

· Analyze the historical and global processes affecting their particular project/study area

· Come to recognize and articulate their role in community development processes

· Use tools to garner genuine community input.

Course Format The course will take place over the course of one week, with each day focusing on a different topic. The course will be delivered online. All materials for the class will be available for download from our website accessible to registered participants. Materials will include readings, audio and visual files as well as discussion questions. Village Earth staff will monitor the class and facilitate daily discussion for up to 2 hours each day.

A one hour prep session will be held the Friday before the start of a class to ready students in the use of the Webinar tools. Participation in this session is required to provide time for students to make any needed adjustments to fully participate and ensure time is not taken up on the first day simply trying to navigate the Webinar tools and technology. Although participants will not be graded, successful completion of the course will require that participants thoroughly and critically complete all readings and assignments and fully participate in live discussions.

This course is organized around a set of readings, videos, and audio files that will be used to generate and guide our online discussions. These resources will be available on line and students will be expected to complete any given assignment and be ready for discussion at the start of the each day’s session.

We hope this information has satisfied your curiosity!