The Leadership Development Programme

A new concept of leadership

The Open Minds Initiative has adopted the Leadership For Learning programme developed by the Cambridge University (UK).
 John MacBeath, the Director of the programme,  explains that leadership for learning means:

1. “Starting from where people are, their current practice, the belief systems that hold them in place;
2. “Grasping how people explain things to themselves, their understanding of their construction of events and ideas;
3. “Having an acute sensitivity to the context in which people work, the environment which makes things possible or prevents movement and the flow of ideas;
4. “Working together to create contexts and opportunities for teachers to challenge their beliefs and practices in way that empowers rather than threatens...”

The common characteristics associated with leaders at the top of a hierarchy—strength, charisma, vision, purpose—are now understood to be potentially disempowering. The measure for effective leadership should be the extent to which these characteristics are spread throughout the organization.

“…High leadership density means that a larger number of people are involved in the work of others, are trusted with information, are involved in decision making, are exposed to new ideas and are participating in knowledge creation and transfer” (Sergiovanni, in MacBeath, 2003).
The Open Minds Global initiative sets up Open Minds Academies offering young people learning opportunities including:

A common leadership development programme

1. Based on human values (the innate dignity of human life; respect and consideration for the “other”; the interconnection between humankind and the environment and thus the need to care for and preserve the earth; the importance of integrity and service; the individual quest for peace and happiness)
2. Promoting equity in participation between women and men
3. Fostering critical thinking, citizenship and the development of a democratic culture
4. Preparing young people for inter-cultural communication and cooperation
5. Developing the capacities for initiative and change

Sector specific training focused on three specific domains:

1. Education - non-formal and formal education (youth leaders and trainers);
2. Community development (project managers);
3. Entrepreneurship (young creators of small businesses), particularly with a social impact in the community (social entrepreneurship).

A tutoring system

Helping the trainees to develop local projects, which will function as training/application centres. These projects will be diverse in order to respond to the needs of the various communities, for example:

1. Development of active learning methods in the school system
2. Development of Youth Centres/Activity Centres offering a large variety of activities and improving the synergy between school and after-school programmes
3. Creation of community schools in rural areas
4. Creation of vocational centres for deprived children/young people
5. Implementation of various community development projects to improve the conditions of life of people (prevention of HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases; fresh water and sanitation; habitat; food; appropriate technologies, etc.)
6. Supporting the creation of small businesses/cooperatives with a system of microcredit, etc.

An Open Minds Academy functions as a factory to produce active young leaders and innovative projects of change. On four to five months about 30 trainees - agents of change have the opportunity to learn skills and prepare projects of change in one of the three areas, which are critical to foster democracy and development: education, community development and  entrepreneurship. At the end of the process the trainees present their projects to a commission. If their project is recognised as corresponding to needs,  feasable and well planned, they receive a grant to help its implementation.
A multiplicative effect is developed because the successful projects become centres of training and application for future trainees.

The objective of Open Minds Global in each country, where it intervenes, is to train 500 young people in five years and support the development of at least 200 sustainable projects of change.