The Desmond Tutu Centre for Leadership, also known as C4L, is a nonprofit learning organization located at White River in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. It has a residential campus and a facility for youth called Orchard Camp. It offers both accredited and non-formal (refresher) training.
It is not only a place of learning but also a base for outreach projects - into local communities and beyond, even to other countries. Its approach combined periods of work with periods of study - thus the combination of training and community development. C4L is also moving into the Internet environment as the "digital divide" gradually closes, bringing Africa onto the information highway.
What They Do
Individuals
Building “capacity” is a primary goal of the Desmond Tutu Centre for Leadership (C4L).
Capacity may be defined as the ability to receive, absorb or hold, and also the measure or volume of this ability.
This applies to individuals, organizations, and communities.
In the context of South Africa, “capacity building” means striving to increase the number of South Africans who have both the knowledge and skills needed to sustain an effective, modern society, and an inherent understanding of the South African culture, and its core values stemming from "Ubuntu".
At C4L, the focus is on building capacity of youth. The emphasis is no youth from 18 - 28 but customarily this can be up to age 35. Not only does C4L offer training to youth, it is a youth-led organization. In other words, the critical "mass" of volunteers, staff and Senior Management Team are under 35.
C4L offers several different training options for building capacity, both non-formal and accredited.
Work-Study
As C4L is a direct development programmer as well, in terms of community outreach, it is able to alternate study periods with placements or practicums. This has become the preferred approach, although not to the exclusion of flagship short courses like:
Organizations
C4L welcomes joint ventures with other service providers. These strategic alliances add value on both sides to enhance cooperation and create mutually beneficial relationships. Solidarity gained through group interaction and team building is good for both individuals and groups in civil society. In a context of tribalism, border issues, and top-down leadership styles, it can also be useful for managers and other leaders to step out of their comfort zones through role playing exercises. Short courses, seminars and workshops in which participants rub shoulders with people from other workplaces and other walks of life are most useful in this regard.
C4L will organise events and courses and develop customized training resources for client groups, usually in response to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) circulated in the public sphere. These events, courses and materials are based on the client's Terms of Reference (TORS), and can include techniques such as:
Society
Several of the courses included under both the Adult Learning and Youth Leadership Development have arisen from verifiable needs at the community level. To address these needs, courses are designed in conjunction with community members and evaluated using participatory methods. Resource development will include: preparing an outline of the topics to be explored, preparing the training materials, such as manuals and videos, and preparing the trainers who will facilitate the course work. Community needs projects now account for over half of C4Ls public benefit activities.