(7TH NOVEMBER 2011 –TO- 2ND DECEMBER 2011)
When I enrolled for the Leadership and Management at MS TCDC, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I was optimistic that it would be beneficial to me and more so to my organization (KAPLEN) and this has been achieved. My expectation in this training was to acquire more skills and insights on proper leadership skills and how to come up with an effective management structure in the organization.
First we were able to define what leadership and management is and how it emerges in an organization. As participants we had an opportunity to share our leadership experiences and this inspired me, because I was able to learn from my fellow participants (from Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe) on how their organizational structures are. Through the experience sharing, it was noted that most of us did not know our organizational structures well enough, so the training was an eye opener. Through the facilitation and sharing, I was able to identify some of the loopholes in my organization and how to address.
Through case studies, I was able to know what leadership entails. For example, we watched several short documentaries and read texts on leadership and activism. In the short videos, we were able to see how social movements have been effective for social change, for example the ‘bus boycott’ in USA (Rosa Park’s story), the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations and the Arab Revolution.
The Training for Change manager, Peter, also gave a talk and pointed the difference between a leader and a manager. He said that a leader is more into decision making process and responsibilities, but a manager more or less looks at the machineries or strategies or frameworks on how to achieve a vision. Philip, a volunteer at Kigamboni Community Centre, from Zimbabwe also shared on leadership and governance. He pointed the need to be accountable as leaders and that as youths we should reclaim that power. We also had a Skype discussion with Morten, from Afrika Kontact, Denmark, who shared about social movements. He pointed out that a leader should be loyal in order to get supporters and urged that as youth organizations we should not only have political struggles, but also community struggles for development. He added that, just like organizations, social movements should have a shared vision.
As participants, we also got a chance to visit organizations; Kigamboni Community Center, Kigamboni and Youth Partnership Countrywide, Kibaha. Here we learnt about volunteerism and also management. I got to understand how the volunteers work, the challenges and the management structures of the two organizations.
With the skills I acquired, I have been able to share it with my fellow members and we have tried to streamline the organization governance structures. We have been able to incorporate leadership trainings on the organization’s action plan, so that as we get empowered as an organization, we also build the capacity of the community on leadership for social change, from local to global level.
I express my appreciation to our facilitators, Emmanuel Kamwi and Eric Crispin for their efforts to ensure we understood and for making the training as participatory as possible. I also appreciate fellow participants from Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, for sharing ideas on how we can develop as youth leaders and promote social change. Appreciation also extends to the Camp Manager, Isabella, for opportunity to participate in the training. Aluta continua.
Benjamin Sidori
Kamukunji Paralegal Network Association
Nairobi, Kenya
