Many organizations work within a prescribed or a one-size-fits-all approach to impacting their respective communities. These approaches can fall short when they fail to recognize and empower the most important vision of all: that of the local leaders. Models of transformation should recognize how locally cultivated dreams can be so much more sustainable when they are empowered. One of our core strategies in the communities that we work in is to discover what dreams the local leaders have for their communities and then help them find the tools, whether it be resources or training, to attain those goals. We are watching this unfold powerfully in communities, like those we serve in Agusan del Sur Province in Mindanao, Philippines.
Empowering the dreams of local leadership is so exciting because it can result in impacts that will resonate for generations to come. This is why capacitating local leaders who are brave enough to dream for their conflict prone regions is one of the most important strategies we employ at INfire. INfire is an organization I founded to help protect children from violence among some of the most remote and insecure locations of the world. But protecting children often means using approaches that reach into other spheres of influence, such as developing local leaders. To learn more about our approach or the work of INfire, visit www.in-fire.org. If you as a leader, an NGO or social enterprise need consulting, please reach out!
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