OD/ICD SIG

Date: September 8, 2011

Time: 6:00 to 9 pm, with bring-your-own-dinner and networking starting at 6 pm.

Speaker: Olga Yakimakho, Senior Program Manager for Capacity Development at PACT

Topic: Civil Society, Social Change and Capacity Development

Description:

PACT is an International NGO that has been working to develop the capacity of US and local organizations since the 1970's.  Over this period, PACT has developed a number of models for both social and organizational change. For a number of years, PACT has been working to strengthen civil society in Eastern European countries. A key factor in working in Belarus is that much of civil society is comfortable with its current social contract and a majority sees no reason for change.  In this environment, PACT sees its main challenge as changing the way civil society thinks of itself, moving society away from an identity of victimization and confrontation toward adopting a national identity of joint responsibility for and ownership of Belarus's future.
 
To influence this change PACT nurtures sectoral leadership by providing institutional support to key Civil Society Organizations and emerging initiatives.
 
In this meeting, Olga Yakimakho, Senior Program Manager for Capacity Development at PACT, will discuss several models for organizational capacity building and social change. For the first half of the session, Olga will lead us through Les Robinson's "7 Door" model for social change, referencing her experience using the model to increase citizen participation through developing national awareness in Belarus.  We will then have a chance to practice using the model on social issues of concern to us.  
 
For the second half of the session, Olga will discuss the capacity building process PACT used to develop the capacity of local organizations to adopt and implement this social change model in Belarus. 

We are looking forward to an evening of practice and discussion on both social and organizational change.  Please come and join us.

Bio

Olga Yakimakho is Pact’s Senior Program Manager for Capacity Development. Based in Washington DC, she provides leadership and support to strengthen organizational and staff capacity to manage effective capacity development (CD) initiatives and contributes to the development and implementation of Pact’s global CD agenda. Prior to this position, she worked as Pact’s Deputy Chief of Party in Eastern Europe, and in several program management roles with IREX, Eurasia Foundation and Open Society Institute before that. Ms. Yakimakho has extensive experience managing the direct implementation of civil society capacity and network strengthening programs, including providing CD support to local partners. A Muskie fellowship alumna, she holds an MPA degree in International Development from Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel your reservation for this event, please contact the SIG leader Frank Page to notify him of that change.

SIG Leader:
Frank Page (fcpage@yahoo.com) | 202-595-4830

Steering Committee:
Oscar Abello (oabello@cipe.org) | 202-5074055
Jenny Lyman (jennifer.lyman25@gmail.com | 202-257-1498)
David Osborne (dosborne@change-fusion.com | 703-939-1777)
Winta Teferi (xxwintex@yahoo.com | 202-595-4830
Priscilla Enner (priscilla.enner@gmail.com | 551-427-7433)

SIG Description: The OD/ICD SIG is a forum for collective learning and exchange among professionals who, in their own work, support development and positive change through collaborative partnerships in the arenas of Organization Development (OD), International Development (ID), and Community Development (CD). The SIG is a multi-directional conversation among participants with diverse worldviews, theories of practice, and partnerships; and a common desire to create positive, sustainable change through trusting, transparent, accountable, and powerful collaborations and organizations. Participants are aware of the challenges and opportunities inherent in issues facing the world (e.g., material poverty, violent conflict, climate change, social injustice, and more).

The SIG is a multi-directional conversation between diverse participants, and draws on presenters from within and without the participant base, prioritizing presentations with experiential components. Because participants lead busy lives, the participant base will be different in each meeting, creating a dynamic and evolving community. 

Who would benefit from attending: Practitioners, change agents, leaders, social entrepreneurs, policy analysts, grassroots activists, and partners in the arenas of International Development, Organization Development, and Community Development. These may include representatives of any sector (e.g., government, international institutions, philanthropy, civil society, academe, corporations, social entrepreneurs, etc.).

Meeting Frequency: Second Thursday of each month