15 local leaders of Ecuadorian nonprofits gather with facilitators from the Libre Foundation
WOW! What a week it has been! Hearts of Gold is delighted to share the great success of our 5-day workshop in leadership and communication facilitated by Holland’s Libre Foundation hosted right here in Cuenca, Ecuador.
This week brought together 15 community leaders from 8 Ecuadorian nonprofits and grassroots organizations.
We laughed. We cried. We became stronger leaders. We learned more about ourselves, and about our comrades each making a difference in their communities. Together this week we truly feel as though we have planted the seeds for a network of nonprofit and grassroots leaders in Ecuador.
We would like to send a huge thank you to our facilitators, Francesco Melita and Janneke Bruil for sharing their expertise with us, and to all of our participants for sharing their time, dedication, and passion with local changemakers! A special shout out to Fundacion El Arenal, NOVA Education Center, CETAP-Lucy, Proyecto Saman, ADACAPIA, Fundacion Cecilia Rivadierna, and FUPEC for joining us and teaching us so much through your experiences, lessons learned, and wisdom from the field.
It has truly been a rewarding and inspiring experience as grassroots leaders united and explored themes of leadership and communication. Throughout the week we discovered our leadership styles, methods of conflict management, active listening, self-care, how to give feedback, how to motivate a team, how to communicate effectively, and how to use a process of Appreciative Inquiry to discover, dream, plan, and reach our goals.
We explored what type of leader we wanted to be. It was very clear that every participant was a naturally born leader. Each with their own strengths, participants demonstrated the complex skills and inherent talents it takes to lead a nonprofit, and the challenges that come along with taking on the job.
The style of the workshop allowed us to develop as individuals, but also think strategically about our organizations and how we can use our talents, kills, and intuitions to make ourselves the best we can be. We were able to work as a group, break out into small groups, and individually through a variety of creative, thought-provoking activities and discussions.
As the workshop came to a close we gathered hands in unity and solidarity, knowing that the bond we created this week was truly special. Grateful. Motivated. Inspired. Hopeful. Supported. Ready. Never alone. This is how we as leaders of Ecuadorian nonprofits feel after an intense week of reflection, hard work, and growth.
In solidarity we stand, hand in hand, as leaders of local community change!