12 Years of Community-Based Development Professional Training!!

The People and Place-based Capacity Building Training Program Expands Its Curriculum!

As the Community-based Development Training Program begins its 12th Year, founders, staff and board directors of emerging and established Community-Based Development Organizations (CBDOs), Community Development Corporations (CDCs), and Faith-Based Community Development Organizations (FBCDOs) can look forward to an expanded curriculum in the Fall Community Development Certificate Course and new offerings in the Spring schedule of Community Development Institutes.

The training program is designed to make available high quality and affordable professional development training in Community-Based Economic Development (CED) inclusive of community organizing, project planning, public policy advocacy, board development and governance, CED finance, Brownfields Redevelopment, Environmental Justice issues, organization operations, Community Building strategies, and community revitalization planning that diminishes displacement and gentrification. The focus of the training is two-fold: 1) to build the capacity (organizational and human) of CBDOs, CDCs and FBCDOs in urban and rural communities to effectively and successfully engage in citizen-driven and locally led development work and, 2) to engage citizens in community leadership development. Each course in the training program equips participants with the knowledge and tools needed to assist their organizations to engage in economic, physical and social development planning, decision-making, and implementation with the objective of improving the quality of life for residents in economically distressed neighborhoods and communities. Importantly, the training program courses focus on meeting the capacity-building needs of ALL Stakeholders, i.e. local and state government agencies, banks and financial institutions, Faith and Religious leaders, housing developers, and neighborhood organizations who would partner or collaborate with CBDOs or who are interested in engaging in CED. Each stakeholder group has a role it can carry out in building and sustaining a healthy, viable, and equitable community.

Each year, this professional development training program offers several learning opportunities through Certificate Courses, Institutes, and Advanced Training Seminars. Instructors in each of the courses and institutes are all nationally renowned and successful professionals in CED, organizational management and planning, finance, law, environmental justice, Brownfield Development, housing development, Community Organizing, commercial and business enterprise development, Rural Community Development and Faith-Based Community Development. The training program is offered through the Center for Community Research and Service at the University of Delaware.

Certificate Courses:

There are currently 3 Certificate Courses in the program. Every Fall semester, the Community Development Certificate Course is conducted. This is the flagship core course of the training program. It is taught every other weekend from September through January, meeting one weekend in December. One of two certificate courses will be taught during the Spring semester.

The Brownfields Redevelopment and Environmental Justice Certificate Course is a 5-day course designed to engage community, public and private sector stakeholders and decision-makers in economic and social development planning of Brownfields in Delaware and the region in ways that support Smart Growth and Sustainable Community Development.

TheFaith-Based Community Development Certificate Course focuses on preparing faith and religious leaders, laypersons, government representatives, and private sector leaders to gain knowledge and skills needed to effectively and productively engage in Faith-Based Community Development and Community Building activities.

Community Development Institutes:

Throughout the spring semester, workshops are conducted on specific subject areas in Community Development. These institutes are designed to provide, an intense, single focus training experience for staff and board members in such areas as:

Grant Writing & Resource Development
Legal Organizational Issues for CDCs and CBDOs
Smart Money Management for Non-Accountants
Board Governance: The Power of Mission and Stewardship
Citizen Activism

Community Development Advanced Training Seminars:

Designed to meet the on-going training needs of graduates of the Community Development Certificate Course, as well as administrators and program managers of mature CDCs, CBDOs, and FBCDOs, these seminars provide the next level of capacity-building for CED practitioners in such areas as:

Working with Consultants and TA Providers
Smart Money Management for Non-Accountants in CBDOs
Day-To-Day Management of CDCs and CBDOs
The CDC/CBDO as the Developer of Housing
The CDC/CBDO as the Developer of Commercial Real Estate
Asset Development and Management: for Individuals and Organizations

Program Sponsors:

University of Delaware
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Citigroup Foundation
JPMorganChase Foundation
Deutsch Bank
Discover Bank
Wilmington Trust Company
UDAG Corporation, City of Wilmington, Delaware