Public
and community leadership
Community Development Certificate
The
Community-Based Development Training Program, now in its eleventh
year, provides professional development courses that build
organizational capacity and develop community leadership in
urban and rural communities. The Community Development Certificate
is its flagship course, with over 200 graduates who are actively
engaged in community economic development (CED) as administrators,
program managers, board members, and civic volunteers. It
is designed to help you to gain knowledge and skills to develop
people and build sustainable economic, civic, and social enterprises
in your neighborhood, city, or town.
The curriculum
resonates around critical CED fundamental operational values,
such as creating hope in the lives of disadvantaged people,
building community, engaging citizens in a community organizing
process, project planning, generating social and economic
returns from CED investment activity, and building peer and
leadership relationships with public and private sector decision-makers.
Executive directors, administrators, and board directors of
community development corporations (CDCs), faith-based organizations,
financial institutions that partner with such organizations,
as well as neighborhood planning councils, affordable housing
groups, government agencies, and other nonprofits can benefit
from the knowledge and skills taught in this course.
Nationally
acclaimed community-based economic development professionals
are the course instructors. The program is adult- and learner-centered,
utilizing problem-based learning and participatory techniques.
The instructional team reflects the diversity of the field
and brings incredible professional experiences and know-how
to the course curriculum.Topics covered in the course include
- Understanding
how to incorporate and use the values, principles, and practices
of community economic development (CED)
- Theories
and practices of nationally recognized community organizing
strategies
- Establishing
a community development corporation as a citizen-driven,
locally led and controlled development vehicle
- Obtaining
effective board development, governance, and recruitment
strategies
- Understanding
organizational structures of community development corporations
and other community-based organizations
- Learning
effective organizational management techniques for a CDC
or other citizen-controlled community-based organization
- Evaluating
community needs and assets for housing, economic development,
and social services
- CED
project planning that meets unmet market and human capital
development gaps
- CED
financial development planning
- CED
financial packaging for real estate and commercial development
enterprises
- Distinctions
between CED and economic development and the ways CED complements
economic development
The Community
Development Certificate is awarded upon successful completion
of the fall semester course. Course requirements include in-class
and take-home assignments. The course final is the development
of a financial plan for a CED project that represents an actual
project of a CDC or faith-based CDC in the region.
For
further information, or to ask about upcoming offerings of
this course, call 302/571-5239, or write to continuing-community@udel.edu.
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