Leadership Training

Why do you you require participating local programs to send a team consisting of one program staff person and two adult learner leaders?

Our rationale for this is that learner involvement in a program can be successful only if there is a mutual understanding of the respective needs and limitations of the program and learners and a shared commitment to work together to improve the program.

Engaging learners and staff together in program improvement strengthens and enriches the connection between the provider, the consumer, and the community.

Programs report that by working in partnership with learners for a more consumer-driven operation, learner involvement has enhanced recruitment, retention, results, and resources.

Why do you insist on working with state organizations to host a training?

VALUEUSA works with state organizations to host the training because one of our goals is to help build the capacity of the organization to support learner involvement and leadership in the state.

By working with a state organization, VALUEUSA can assess its capacity and discuss ways to help it, thereby strengthening the organization's ability to effect systemic change in the state through learner involvement and leadership.

What happens at the leadership training?

During VALUEUSA's intensive two-day Leadership Training, participants learn by discussing things with one another and by working together through various activities and exercises. Through this experiential learning approach, we cover:

• The power and benefits of learner involvement and leadership
• How programs operate
• How programs fit into the local community, and the state and federal adult literacy system
• Dealing with the limitations of program practitioners and learner leaders
• Working together in teams
• Integrating learner involvement into a program
• Getting others involved and working in groups
• Action planning
• Dealing with challenges and overcoming obstacles for organizational change
• Getting support from others and giving support to others

Each local learner/staff-member team goes home having developed an action plan for a specific project they will work on. Local team members develop a close working relationship with each other and all of the teams together develop a shared sense of power and mission and commit to stay in touch and support one another.

Why don't you offer the training online?

VALUEUSA's leadership training involves experiential learning - participants learn by discussing things with one another and by working together through various activities and exercises.

This is not possible in a training conducted over the internet for individuals, each one in a separate location.

They all need to be together, to share ideas and practice new skills with one another.

They need to bond as a state-wide learner leadership network, so they can support one another once they return to their programs and put their newly-honed leadership skills into practice.

What does the training cost?

A ball-park figure for providing VALUEUSA's Leadership Training to 6-8 teams in a state is $15,000.

This figure includes VALUE's $5,000 training fee plus travel, meals, and lodging for participants and the two trainers; meeting space; and the cost of logistical support provided by the state organization.

Excluding VALUEUSA's flat fee, these costs vary widely from state to state.

How do we fund the training for our state?

VALUEUSA works with state groups to get funding for the training.

In some cases, the state agency that administers state and federal funding for adult basic education and literacy may pay for it.

In other cases, a state group and VALUEUSA may obtain funding from a private foundation or corporation that donates to charities in the region.