Victas Foundation People Development Training Centre (VFVFPDTC) –

A centre of excellence in Sustainable Community Development

Victas Foundation People Development Training Centre (VFVFPDTC) has completed rendering 13 years of noble service of training and empowering millions of development professionals and community leaders. It has carved niche for itself as a centre of excellence in Sustainable Community Development and has evolved as a light house to development organizations across the globe.

VFPDTC was started in the year 2001 with the initiative of Mr. Prithwiraj Das, Founder of Victas Foundation organizations. The idea behind this initiative was to give expression to 25 years of experience in the field of community driven development, by these twin organisations. Mr. Prithwiraj felt the need for strengthening the human resource of the organization by acquiring wider knowledge, sharper skills and greater commitment. Since its inception, VFPDTC is working on achieving three key objectives.

• Centre that can cater to the capacity building needs of Victas Foundation staff and beneficiary communities,

• Centre that can provide consultancy and transfer the knowledge in Sustainable Community Development to the NGOs, GOs, CBOs, Institutions and to development professionals,

• Centre that can do research and documentation on Victas Foundation programs.

A Unique Knowledge Sharing Centre

Started with the motto, ‘Investing in People’ VFPDTC has grown leaps and bounds in the last 13 years as a centre that promotes practical lessons in development. The success of VFPDTC has been in the content of its training programs, which not only provide knowledge, but also impart skills and change the attitude of development practitioners, making them more efficient and effective.

In its progression, VFPDTC has developed a distinctive training framework and designed comprehensive syllabus for various short term and long term courses. Its training modules have been based on Victas Foundation’s years of grassroots experience, tested methodologies and approaches which have been evolved over a period of time. VFPDTC’s training programs have proven to be successful in educating, improving skills and motivating individuals.

In the year 2013-14, VFPDTC has conducted capacity building training programs not only for its own staff, extending but also for the leaders of development committees at the grassroots. The elaborate and relevant content drawn from the field experience has helped the national and international development practitioners to become true Agents of Change. In its quest for grassroots and relevant training, VFPDTC has emerged as a Knowledge Centre for Community Development Practitioners. During the year 2013-14, VFPDTC has imparted training to 1500 development professionals from 22 states of India.

A Global Resource Centre

Various NGOs across the world have found Victas Foundation’s development approaches and methodologies effective and relevant to the situations prevailing in their own countries and regions. This uniqueness is attracting more and more development professionals to VFPDTC. Thus far, 273 NGOs from all over the world, and 1101 NGOs from 24 states within India, have participated in VFPDTC’s training programs. The continuing demand and the increasing number of participants from 27 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and America bear testimony to the impact of VFPDTC capacity building programs.

Capacity Building Training Programs

Based on the experience of Victas Foundation VFPDTC’s concept is that sustainable development can only be achieved if it triggers the commitment of the individuals, and the development process starts within the inner self of the individual.

The initial short term and long term courses have been reviewed and changes have been made from the lessons learned. Training programs are organized on the subjects related to ‘Sustainable Community Development’, where Victas Foundation has substantial field experience and expertise.

Three day workshops

9 three day workshops were organized during the year 2011-12. 240 development practitioners from 134 NGOs from 11 states of India participated. Three day workshops provide in-depth knowledge on various topics related to community and organizational development. Teaching methodology varies from interactive lectures, visuals, group discussions, field visits, assignments and presentations. Apart from the VFPDTC core staff, experienced development professionals with field experience are invited to teach subjects that require expertise in the specified subjects.

VFPDTC also lays great emphasis on the integration of the economic, social, political, environmental and cultural elements for development projects to sustain.

Four weeks ‘Community Driven Development’ (CDD) course

The objectives of the Community Driven Development training program are three fold:
1) To initiate new knowledge;
2) To equip participants with better performance tools;
3) To change negative mindsets and attitudes which may undermine their work?

This course has attracted many participants from abroad, including university interns from Canada, US, Italy and Sri Lanka. 73 development professionals from 14 countries have received CDD training in the year 2011-12.

This course equips participants with an in-depth understanding of community development concepts and approaches. Training is rooted in the concrete and ‘hands on’ experience of Victas Foundation acquired `in the field’, over a period of two decades. The Community Driven Development basically believes in the potential of the communities to achieve sustainable development. The course focuses on the concept of sustainable development with special emphasis on the inclusion of culture and development approaches of ABCD, AI and PRA. The one month course also imparts skills in Development Communications, Conflict Resolution, and Nauru Linguistic Programming.

VFPDTC training strongly advocates Asset Based Community Development approach which believes in the qualities, strengths inherent in each individual/ community. VFPDTC’s training helps development practitioners and agents of change to bring to the fore the intrinsic positive characteristics of individuals/ communities, so that they utilize their potential to the fullest. VFPDTC pays special attention to a methodology based on the assumption that a community which tries to appreciate what is best in itself will find more and more what is good for its own development. This powerful tool called “Appreciative Inquiry”(AI) is another concept that VFPDTC had integrated into its CDD training program.

Victas Foundation uses Nauru-linguistic Programming (NLP), a motivational and development tool to bring out the best in the people and help build self-esteem. Trainees at VFPDTC have found this innovative technique very effective tool to work on belief and behaviour pattern of people. CDD also helps the trainees with organizational and management skills by training the participants in Strategic Planning. CDD has included in its syllabus Results Based Management (RBM) approach as it has been successfully tested and followed by Victas Foundation’s. RBM sensitizes the trainees on management based ‘outputs’, ‘outcomes’ and ‘impact’, in short, management based on success and well-being improvement not merely at the quantitative level, but also at the qualitative level.