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Leadership training for community leaders from 22 communities from Moldova

Leadership training for community leaders from 22 communities from Moldova

On August 24 through August 26, 2016 the Institute for Rural Initiatives organized a leadership capacity building training for community leaders coming from 22 communities from Moldova, where representatives of different ethnic groups live compact or mixed. Among the leaders there where local councilors, deputy mayors, teachers, and young people with initiative.

As an active part of this event, 42 members involved in the implementation of the project “Minority Empowerment in Moldova II” have taken another step in the field of community organizing and democratic public participation.

The event connected people of different age and professional background, who beneficiated of the peer-to-peer learning component of the training. Module where beneficiaries, who have already achieved great results, within the frame of this project, have shared their experience and lesson learned with the ones, who just got involved.

“Participants were active, enthusiastic and creative, they worked in small groups and gave wonderful presentations, learned new techniques and useful working instruments that they are going to apply in their communities immediately upon return,” said Elena Turcan, Program Coordinator iRi.

The training was delivered by a team of national and international experts, who have extensive experience working with various minority groups: Ruslan Stanga (Moldova), Deb Martin (USA) and Sondra Youdelman (USA).

“I am very pleased with the trainers, who have shared with us such a big volume of information in a very understandable way, easy to comprehend for every participant. Thank you, iRi team, you are an example of a model team for me, and I would like our local initiative group to become so good as well, and to make changes in the community. I do believe this training is a step toward the change,” said Valentina Miron, leader of the initiative group from Ursoaia village, Cahul.

This training aimed to help community members to better engage in the communities they come from, and thus contribute to their development.

The activity is a part of the “Minority Empowerment in Moldova II” project funded by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, administered by WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. and is locally implemented by the Institute for Rural Initiatives.