ROLES OF THE VOLUNTEER 

IN DEVELOPMENT

Toolkits for Building Capacity

Peace Corps

Information Collection and Exchange

Publication No. T0005
Information Collection and Exchange

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RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity i

ROLES OF 

THE VOLUNTEER 

IN DEVELOPMENT:

TOOLKITS FOR 

BUILDING CAPACITY

Peace Corps

July 2002

Information Collection and Exchange

Publication No. T0005

Key Resources Revised May 2011

Reprinted August 2012
ii Peace Corps
RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity iii

Table of Contents

Introduction Booklet

Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner

Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent

Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer

Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator

Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner

Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor
iv Peace Corps

Acknowledgments

The Roles of the Volunteer in Development: Toolkits for Building Capacity (RVID) 

builds upon earlier Peace Corps publications of similar titles. RVID is designed to be 

introduced in training activities and for Volunteers to use on their own in their communities. 

Extensive resources were collected from the field and from organizations and publications. The Peace Corps gratefully acknowledges the excellent work of the many 

organizations and authors, and appreciates their willingness to allow the Peace Corps 

to further disseminate some of their materials. 

We also acknowledge the contribution of the Peace Corps through its many referenced 

publications; Volunteers, community partners, technical trainers, and training managers 

from the three regions of Peace Corps; regional program and training advisors, and the 

subregional programming and training coordinators, Parmer Heacox and Phil Stantial, 

whose contributions and feedback were invaluable. 

This publication was developed by the following team, who contributed significantly 

to the final product: Marsha Slater for research and writing; Ava Allsman, Ron Savage, 

Lani Havens, Judee Blohm, Kate Raftery for rewrites and editing; and Pat Bartlett for 

desktop publishing in collaboration with the technical training/Training management 

specialist, Shari Howe, in the Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support, 

Peace Corps/Washington. 
THE ROLES OF THE VOLUNTEER 

IN DEVELOPMENT

Intro

Toolkits for 

Building Capacity

RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity 1

Capacity Building Toolkit Intro 

INTRODUCTION

IN THIS TOOLKIT 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3

How to Use the Toolkits .............................................................................................. 4

Capacity Building Roles .............................................................................................. 6

Overview of the Peace Corps’ Approach to Development .......................................... 7

	 	 •	 What Is “Development”? .................................................................................. 7

	 	 •	 What Is the Peace Corps’Approach to Development? ..................................... 7

	 	 •	 Capacity Building Framework .......................................................................... 7

	 	 •	 “Sustainable” Development .............................................................................. 8

	 	 •	 Long-term vs. Short-term Approaches ............................................................. 8

	 	 •	 How Does the Peace Corps Transform Ideas Into Action? ............................... 9

	 Understanding How You Fit Into the Development Framework ............................... 11

	 	 •	 The Players ..................................................................................................... 11

	 	 •	 The Processes .................................................................................................. 12

	 	 •	 The Plans ........................................................................................................ 13

	 	 •	 The Community Action Cycle ........................................................................ 13

	 Key Questions to Help You Begin Defining Your Roles ........................................... 15

Capacity Building Guidelines .................................................................................... 16

Glossary ..................................................................................................................... 17
2 Peace Corps
RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity 3

ROLEs OF 

THE VOLUNTEER 

IN DEVELOPMENT:

TOOLKITs FOR 

BUILDING CAPACITY

People cannot be developed; 

they can only develop themselves.

— Julius Nyerere

Introduction

What is the role of the Peace Corps Volunteer in development? This is arguably the most strategic

question you will address during your entire Peace Corps service. The philosophical answer to the 

question is deceptively simple: the role of the Volunteer is to help people help themselves. But 

what does “helping people help themselves” mean in terms of your daily life and work in your

community and your relationship with Counterparts and other community partners? Through what

actions will you empower people to build their capacity and make decisions for themselves? How

will you know if you are focusing on what the people themselves determine to be important? And

how can you make a real difference in people’s lives when your term of service in the community is 

only two years? These are but a few of the questions that reveal both the challenge and the immense

potential of the role of the Volunteer in development.

There is a tendency by all of us from industrialized nations to view development as a finite project

that addresses specific needs such as health, education, housing, income, and so on. Certain inputs

are supposed to produce quantifiable results during a specific time frame. Often we assume the

beneficiaries cannot achieve these objectives on their own and therefore we do it for them. We

build their schools and houses, and think that getting them material goods (computers, construction

supplies, machinery, transportation means) will improve their lives. What we fail to realize is that

development is a process, not a project. It is a learning process in which the people involved 
4 Peace Corps

are developing skills, knowhow, confidence, and the ability to identify and address their own issues. As a process, development sometimes moves painfully slowly and goes through different

phases leading to higher levels of skills, efforts, and achievements over time. When it is working

well, it expands opportunities for people to fulfill their basic needs and achieve their aspirations

for a better life. 

Your role as a Volunteer, then, isto join your community in itslearning process,serving asteacher and

student, facilitator and participant.As you assist othersin building their capacity, you willstrengthen

your own abilities in ways you perhaps never imagined possible. This manual will help you get

started in your work, not by prescribing your exact role, but by describing and demystifying the key

knowledge, skills, and attitudes you will need to draw on during your service as a capacity builder

and community partner. Composed in the form of a series of Toolkits, the manual offers concepts,

ideas, stories from the field, practical exercises, and information sources to help you deepen your

understanding of your particular roles in development as you prepare to make a unique and lasting 

contribution to your community.

How to the Use the Toolkits

The Toolkits define the role of the Volunteer in terms of six capacity-building subroles:

1. Learner 4. Co-Facilitator

2. Change Agent 5. Project Co-Planner

3. Co-Trainer 6. Mentor

The matrix on the following page lists the six roles and identifies the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) Volunteers need in order to function effectively in each one. These roles are not

completely distinct from one another; in real life, they all build on and overlap with one another.

We intentionally separate and distinguish the roles here in the Toolkits to give you an opportunity

to experience each one and begin linking them together in ways that are appropriate for you and

your particular situation. Each of the Toolkits emphasize one of the six capacity-building roles

and provides information and community-based practice activities to help you gain the KSAs

specific to that role.

The Toolkits are primarily for use by Trainees and Volunteers. That said, many others will also find

the materials interesting and applicable to their roles in development work.

If you are a Volunteer or a Trainee, you are the primary user of the 

Toolkits. Starting with this introductory section and the “Volunteer as Learner” chapter,

begin working through the Toolkits during your Pre-Service Training (PST) and use it to continue building your capacity as you begin work in your site. Since time is limited during PST,

consult with your trainers and Associate Peace Corps Director (APCD) to determine which of

the roles are most critical for you to practice first. Many Volunteers find it helpful to focus on

the learner, co-trainer, and co-facilitator role preparation during PST and then move on to the

change agent, project co-planner, and mentorroles once they have settled into their communities.
RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity 5

As you become more familiar with the Peace Corps Project in which you will be working,

explore the relationship between the Project and each of the six capacity-building roles. For

example, if you are assigned to work in a Small Business Development Project, how does the

co-trainer role (or change agent, mentor, and so on) relate to your Project’s goals and activities?

You may find that some roles are more important than others for your particular Project and

technical sector. 

Use the Toolkits as a resource throughout your service, and by all means share their contents

with your Counterparts, community members, and others.

If you are a Pre-Service Trainer, use the readings, concepts, and suggested activities

to develop competencies and create learning opportunities for Trainees.

For example, you can assist Trainees in identifying community mentors to “shadow” for

a day and then debrief with them about what they learned from the experience. Or, help

Trainees plan and lead a one-day workshop with a local community group so that they

experience the entire process of planning, implementing, and evaluating a training project.

Create learning opportunities that are centered on the Trainee and the community and that 

model and reinforce the principles of capacity building. To allow for maximum learning,

integrate the capacity-building activities as much as possible with technical, language, and

cross-cultural training.

If you are an APCD or other staff member, encourage Volunteers to continue to

draw from the Toolkits as they begin to design and implement activities related to their Peace

Corps Project and their communities. The Toolkits may also serve as a source for In-Service

Training ideas and other continuous learning opportunities for Volunteers.
6 Peace Corps

CAPACITY BUILDING ROLES

Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes you need to be effective

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ATTITUDES

Learner 	 Adult learning model, commu-	 Community entry and 	 Respect for local knowledge;

nity systems, assets and deficits	 engagement skills, e.g., 	 curiosity about others;

Intervention	 approaches to community	 observation, interviewing,	 willingness to consider others’ 

level –	 development; host country	 and listening; information 	 opinions, values, methods

• Self 	 development plan; Peace Corps	 gathering, synthesis, and

programming; understanding of analysis skills; introducing 

Peace Corps Project/technical	 oneself to community

assignment 

Trainer Technical content; adult learning	 Technical skills; presentation	 Confidence to apply technical

principles; non-formal educational skills; facilitation skills knowledge and skills; enthusiasm

Intervention theory and methods; training (listening, questioning,	 for subject; flexibility and

level – design process encouraging, summarizing);	 adaptability in relation to

• Professional leading participatory learners’ needs; ability to receive

• Organization activities; session planning	 and use feedback from learners

• Community 

Co- Knowledge of sector-specific	 Listening, questioning, Willingness to share leadership;

Facilitator groups/projects; group dynamics	 encouraging others; team	 trust in group process; patience

with theory; leadership styles; types of	 building; facilitating group and perseverance; respect for

Community/ decisions; participatory methods tasks and decision making, diversity

Groups e.g., consensus; problem

 solving; conflict resolution;

Intervention leading meetings; modeling

level –

• Professional

• Organization

• Community 

Change Community participation/ Selecting and using participa-	 Flexibility, ability to deal with

Agent mobilization theories; change	 tory activities with commu- ambiguity; enthusiasm; confimodels including appreciative nity/groups; gender analysis; dence in change process; 

Intervention inquiry; diffusion of innovation;	 inquiry skills; strategic plan- appreciative outlook; respect for

level – gender equity issues; youth ning skills; promotion skills; local values, traditions, and

• Organization development best practices; networking and linking ingenuity 

• Community networking together for action people 

Project Co-	 Project planning steps/cycle; 	 Small Project design and 	 Tolerance for opposing views;

Planner local resource identification;	 action planning skills; thoroughness; diplomacy/tact;

resource development; examples drafting/managing budgets; realistic expectations;

Intervention of successful small-scale projects	 proposal writing; resource flexibility

level – in sector and region identification/mobilization;

• Professional project monitoring and

• Organization evaluation; time management

• Community 

Mentor Examples of successful Modeling skills; relation-	 Respect and trust in others;

development models and ship building; coaching consistency/reliability; desire

Intervention mentoring models; youth skills such as guiding with patience and perseverance; 

level – issues/practices related to questions; interpersonal to help self and others grow

• Individual working effectively with communication skills such personally and professionally; 

• Professional 	 youth as active listening and 	 give/receive feedback; selffeedback	 esteem

CAPACITY 

BUILDING 

ROLE
RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity 7

Overview of the Peace Corps’ 

Approach to Development

What is “development”?

The word “development” is used in so many ways that it has come to mean different things to different people. Some speak of housing developments or the development of infrastructure,such asroads

and bridges. Others speak of the economic development of countries. Development in its broadest 

sense is any process that promotes the dignity of a people and their capacity to improve their 

own lives. For people to live the fullest lives possible they sometimes must struggle to overcome

such obstacles as climate, geography, economics, and social conditions. Peace Corps Volunteers

become catalysts for facilitating such change.

What is the Peace Corps’ approach to development?

The Peace Corps uses the term “development” in human, people-to-people terms: helping people 

develop the capacity to improve their own lives. By working within a human capacity building

framework, the focus of the work is on the development of people, not things. Many development

activities might seem to center around “things” such as community gardens, wells, or a school

library. The capacity building approach focuses on helping people learn to identify what they

would like to see changed, use their own strengths, and learn new skills to achieve what they

believe is most important. A community garden, for example, is part of the picture; by creating

and then maintaining a community garden a village or other group realizes its own potential to

accomplish self-defined goals. 

Capacity Building Framework

Capacity building, to be an effective approach to development, needsto happen at a number of levels.

•	 Individual members of the community, project participants: They could be

the students in a classroom, farmers in a cooperative, members of a household, or clients served

by a non-governmental organization (NGO). Building capacities at the individual level is usually

a major focus of the Volunteer.

•	 Professionals, service providers: These could be teachers in a school, leaders of an

NGO, or managers of a farmers’ cooperative. While each Volunteer has an identified community

partner who may or may not be a service provider, there are others at the same level of leadership

as Volunteers who provide services to the individual members of the community. Strengthening

capacities at this level helps ensure local leadership for continuing activities into the future. Capacity 

building activities might include training workshops, modeling improved technical methods, or

supporting a community activity.

•	 Organizations: Examplesinclude schools, NGOs, or farmers’cooperatives where Volunteers

are placed. Strengthening organizational capacities, such as management skills within an NGO,

working with teachers to develop organizational skills and materials for a school, and helping

health workers develop a record-keeping system for a clinic all help root other activities in an

ongoing, functioning, and supportive environment.
8 Peace Corps

•	 Communities: These include the village or neighborhood in which the Volunteer lives or the

area served by the project in which the Volunteer is working. Reaching out into communities and

building capacities with activities,such as co-organizing a community health committee, a Parent

Teacher Association, or an Earth Day cleanup campaign, help broaden the base of participation

and ensure continuity. 

Taken as a whole, this framework provides the structure for planning and evaluating sustainable

development work in any sector.

“Sustainable” development

Development work is said to be “sustainable” when the community is able to continue on its own

without outside support. The Peace Corpsseessustainable development as a process whereby people

learn to build on their own strengths to take charge of their lives, and to address their expressed

needs. Planning for sustainability requires considering all of the following factors:

•	 Culturally sustainable: Does the basic approach or concept fit within and build on local

beliefs and traditions, or will it be seen as an “outsider’s idea” and not be acceptable or continued

when the Volunteers leave?

•	 Politically sustainable: When there is no longer an outsider, such as a Peace Corps Volunteer, in the project, will it be sustainable within the sociopolitical context?

•	 Economically sustainable: Will there be sufficient local resources or the capacity to

generate them when supportive outsiders, such as Volunteers, leave?

•	 Managerially sustainable: Will there be the local management capacity to carry on the

work when the Volunteers leave?

•	 Environmentally sustainable: As the project grows, will the environment be able to

sustain the use of resources?

Long-term versus short-term approaches

Human capacity building is by its nature a long-term process. In

development it is often more appealing to work on short-term goals

that can be completed quickly. For example, in an area that needs

clean water, it might appear to be most efficient to simply build

village wells so that people can have clean water. A hired crew 

could come in and do it quickly and leave.

In a capacity building approach, the real goal is building the

capacity within the community to identify the changes they want 

to make, identify their strengths, plan the project, and build and

maintain the wells themselves. This approach might include working with a youth development NGO focused on job skills training,

helping them teach young people well digging and maintenance 

skills. This might take a year or more, but it builds capacities that

last over time. 
RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity 9

How does the Peace Corps

transform ideas into action?

While sending 50 well-intentioned Volunteersinto a country, each to do good work in different ways,

might ultimately result in some good outcomes, it would be difficult to paint an overall picture of

what the Peace Corps is doing. It would also be hard for the Volunteers and host country community

partners to see whether or not they were accomplishing something sustainable. To create a positive,

long-term impact, it is necessary to know what the host country hopesto accomplish, what the Peace

Corps Volunteers are actually going to do toward that effort, how they will do it, and how to prepare

them for the work ahead. The Peace Corps ensures lasting impact by organizing Volunteer efforts

strategically through country program strategies and projects that have well-thought-out purposes,

goals, and objectives.

Peace Corps’ country program strategies are designed from three points of view. 

One point of view is the priorities and needs expressed in the host countries’ national plans

for development.

Always important are local communities’ expressed priorities for assistance. In identifying

community priorities, it is important to ensure that all members representing the diversity

of the country have a voice in the discussions (e.g., both women and men, ethnic groups,

religions, caste/class, and age).

The Peace Corps’ three goals, philosophy, resources, and availability of Volunteers must

also be considered.

1

2

3

Country

national

priorities

peace

corps

volunteers

Local

priorities

and

resources

Where these three points 

of view come together 

lies the common ground 

that provides the greatest 

opportunity for designing 

a strategy with 

sustainable results.
10 Peace Corps

The situation below demonstrates how all three points of view are considered in designing a strategy.

 A priority for a national government was to promote education. The 

government described its goals in a Five-Year Plan document and also 

allocated funding for the effort. At the local level, parents were requesting 

more schools and teachers so students would not have to move to large 

cities to go to school. The government had funding for constructing schools. 

It also developed a program to give high school graduates six months 

of teacher training so they could staff the new schools. The Peace Corps 

recognized the importance of education for development in its program 

strategy. Volunteers were available. A project was then designed with 

the Ministry of Education to provide “resource teachers” to work with the 

new host country national teachers to improve the quality of education 

provided in the new schools. 

[Excerpted from Programming and Training Booklet 1: The Basics for Peace Corps Staff and Host Country Agency 

Partners, Peace Corps, Washington, DC. 2000. (ICE T0113)]
RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity 11

Understanding How You Fit

into the Development Framework

Once you have completed your Pre-Service Training and are sworn in as a Volunteer, you are assigned

to live in a particular community and work in a sector-specific Project that has been developed by

Peace Corpsstaff in collaboration with host country development planners.Your Peace Corps Project

has goals and strategies based on host country national priorities, Volunteer resources, and locally

expressed priorities. (See the Glossary at the end of this Introductory section for detailed definitions

of “Peace Corps Project,” “community project,” and other terms used frequently in this manual.)

Understanding how you fit into this development framework is not unlike putting together a rather

complex puzzle—once you get a few of the most important piecesin place, you begin to visualize the

whole picture. In getting started, it may be helpful to consider the following three major components

in this “development puzzle”: the players, the processes, and the plans.

THE PLAYERS

•	 You, the Volunteer

•	 Your host community

•	 Specific individuals and/or groups within the community who have been identified in the Peace

Corps Project Plan to which you are assigned

•	 Other individuals and groups who express a desire to get involved in activities related to your

assignment area or who identify new priorities for which you have some expertise/interest 

•	 Your Counterpart/s (women, men, or youth in your community who share responsibilities with

Volunteers to carry out project activities, e.g., teachers, health clinic nurse, president of a local

women’s group, local business leader)

•	 Your supervisor (usually a person in a leadership capacity in the host country organization or

agency that is the primary sponsor of your Project)

•	 Peace Corps staff (especially your APCD)

•	 Peace Corps trainers

the development puzzle

the

players

the

processes

the

plans
12 Peace Corps

To be an effective Volunteer, you will need to build and sustain relationships with each of these

people or groups of people during your Peace Corps service. They are integral to your effectiveness. 

In most Peace Corps Projects, the APCD and host country supervisor have already identified

one or more individuals and groups with whom the Volunteer will work. These people are local

community members who will be project beneficiaries and participants in the process. For example,

a Girls’ Education Project might target primary school students, teachers, and parents. Or, an NGO

Strengthening Project might identify two or three community-based groups as potential Project

participants. Depending on the community and nature of the work, the Volunteer might also work

with groups that were not originally identified, or even organize new groups of individuals who

express an interest in a particular issue.

In some cases, the APCD and the sponsoring agency or organization will identify the Volunteer’s

Counterpart(s). In other cases, the Volunteer has the responsibility of finding and cultivating a

relationship with one or more community members who want to collaborate closely in a Counterpart role. 

THE PROCESSES

•	 The national level development process

•	 The Peace Corps programming and Project cycle

•	 The community action cycle (see next page)

•	 Your own learning process as a new member of the community and culture

During your Pre-Service Training, your APCD and trainers will brief you on the national-level

development process of your host country, Peace Corps programming strategies, and the various

Peace Corps Projects that are currently underway in your country of assignment. This “big picture”

information will serve as a backdrop for the development processes in which you will be directly

involved: the specific Peace Corps Project to which you are assigned and the development process 

ongoing in your community. One important distinction to make here is the difference between a

“Peace Corps Project” and a “community project.” Usually sector specific, a Peace Corps Project is

based on a national agenda but focused locally. You and several other Volunteers will be assigned

to work on the same Peace Corps Project (that is, toward the same common purpose and goals) but

in different communities. At the community level, you will collaborate with your Counterparts and

other community members to plan and implement small-scale projects that address local priorities

relating directly or indirectly to the goals of your Peace Corps Project. For example, a small business

advisor might work with entrepreneurs to create a local business association. This is a community

priority and it also contributes to the capacity building goals (such as strengthening leadership) of

the Peace Corps Small Business Project to which the Volunteer is assigned.

Because capacity building is a long-term investment in the community, Peace Corps Projects frequently have a time frame of eight years or more, and often place multiple generations of Volunteers

in the same communities and/or with the same organizations. In other words, when you arrive in

your community, you might be the second or third Volunteer who has worked there in your particular

technical sector and Project assignment. In such cases, you will need to carefully define your role

in light of the accomplishments of the Volunteers who came before you and/or the projected goals

of those who will follow your tour. 
RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity 13

THE PLANS

•	 National-level long-range plans for socioeconomic and ecological development

•	 Peace Corps Project Plan (sector-specific plan that details the purpose, goals, and activities, and

serves as a guide for all Volunteers assigned to that particular Project)

•	 Local project plans (small scale plans you and your community draft to guide and monitor local

development activities)

Ask your APCD and trainers for a copy of your Peace Corps Project Plan and examine it in light of

each of the roles described in the Toolkit. The Project plan will give you guidance on establishing

the priorities and parameters of your capacity-building work and it will help you understand how

you and your community are contributing to the national agenda.

The Community Action Cycle

Since most of your work will focus on local development, it is useful to understand the phases a

community moves through as it identifies its priorities and takes action to make desired changes.

Here is a diagram of the process: 

[The CommunityAction Cycle diagram is excerpted with permission from How to Mobilize Communities for Health and 

Social Change (draft form). Lisa Howard-Grabman and Gail Snetro. Save the Children Federation, Westport, CT. 1989]

the Community Action Cycle

planning

together

How will we get 

there?

community

actions

Go ahead with plan

EXPLORING THE

SITUATION &

SETTING PRIORITIES

Where are we now and

where do we want 

to go?

GETTING 

ORGANIZED 

&

IDENTIFYING 

RESOURCES

evaluating &

celebrating

together

How did we do; 

what did we learn?
14 Peace Corps

In reality, a given community will move through this cycle over and over again, and the length of

each cycle will vary according to the nature and scope of the actions undertaken. Depending on the 

size and complexity of the community, there may be overlapping or concurrent cycles. By being

aware of the community action cycle, you can use it to help you assess your particular situation:

Where is your community in its development cycle in relation to your Peace Corp Project? As you

gather information to address that question, you begin to understand how and where you might fit

into the picture. 

For example, if you are an Education PCV assigned to teach math and science in a secondary

school, then quite obviously you work with teachers and students, and a sizable portion of your

assignment is well defined (plan lessons, teach classes, grade papers, attend meetings with other

teachers). Let ussuppose yourschool has a strong, dedicated director and several equally committed

faculty who have identified two priorities for the coming year—increasing girls’ enrollment and

raising students’ math scores on the national exam. In such a case, part of your role would be to

assist them in developing projects or activities that address these priorities. As time goes by and

your relationships with the community and school grow stronger, your role will inevitably take

on new dimensions. Some of the teachers might be impressed by your innovative approaches in

the classroom and want you to lead a series of in-service workshops on methods and materials.

Or maybe as a result of your use of community content-based instruction (CCBI), several young

people might express a desire to get involved in particular extracurricular projects and you would

decide to help them get organized.

As this example illustrates, your role is something that will evolve over time. It is not ad hoc, nor

is it totally predictable. Individual people, groups, and communities are dynamic. Once you start

taking action as a Volunteer, you initiate change both in yourself and in others around you. Here are

some key questions to get you started.

Volunteer lessons learned

Peace Corps Slovakia, 2000

Your role will be to advise your Counterparts and to assist them in accomplishing 

their own goals and objectives. Your job will be to share your experiences and 

ideas, transferring the skills and knowledge you have. You will work in close 

cooperation with your Slovak Counterparts; however, you may be expected to 

take the initiative in developing independent projects while at the same time 

including your colleagues in the process. Your different perspective will help 

you and your Slovak Counterparts develop new solutions and techniques for 

managing the development of the organization.

You may be frustrated by not being able to “just do it.” Your role is to listen, 

observe, train, advise, consult, and coach. Your expertise and value lie in your 

ability to transfer your knowledge, to coach Counterparts and introduce them 

to innovative and creative approaches to problem solving; however, the real 

challenge will come in implementing these new ideas. The real sense of accomplishment will come when these ideas actually become a part of your colleagues’ 

way of thinking.

Peace Corps/Slovakia Volunteer Assignment Description (VAD),

NGO Environment Project
RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity 15

Key Questions to Help You

Begin Defining Your Roles

Who? 

•	 Who am I? (What are my areas of expertise and

interests in relation to my technical assignment 

and my community’s expressed desires or areas of

change?)

•	 Who are the individuals and groups in my community? Who of these people are most greatly affected

by/involved in my Project’s areas of focus? Which

individuals or groups are identified in my Project

plan as key stakeholders?

•	 Have other Volunteers worked in my community?

How did they define their roles in the community?

In what ways might their relationships and development activities affect my role in serving the same 

community?

•	 What other “development” organizations work in

or around my community? What is their mission

or goal here? How do they relate to my Project assignment? How might they be a potential support,

resource, or partner?

What?

•	 What do community members expressin terms of desired change/needs/problems?What resources

do they have to help them accomplish the changes they want?

•	 What are the goals and overall strategies of my Peace Corps Project? What does the Project plan

state about changes in behavior? What does the Plan say about capacity building?

•	 Where do my Peace Corps Project goals, the community’s prioritiesfor change, and my expertise

intersect or interrelate? (This intersection defines the areas of primary focus.)

How?

•	 How can I engage with the community? How can I help community members use and/or find

resources to reach their goals (approaches, strategies, methods, and tools that will help the community achieve its goals)?

•	 How do people in the community currently communicate and collaborate in their development

activities?

•	 How can I build on indigenous knowledge and tradition in my development work?
16 Peace Corps

When?

•	 When do my Counterpart and I plan our first meeting with the community?

•	 When should I begin doing participatory analysis activities with community members/groups?

•	 When should I start co-planning projects with interested people/groups in my community?

As you work to find answers to these questions, you are effectively joining your community in its

development process. To be truly capacity focused, the community will always be your partner in

gathering information, making decisions, taking action, and improving on your successes (or learning from your mistakes). Here are a few guidelines to help you along the way.

Capacity Building Guidelines

Articulate your role as a development partner 

and capacity builder; relate it to your technical assignment/Project.

Take action to learn about people (who they

are, how they live and work together, what

they want/need) and begin building relationships.

Select and use appropriate participatory tools

and methods for helping communities: involve allstakeholders(including women and

youth), assess their strengths and resources,

identify changesthey want, and plan, implement, and/or evaluate activities or projectsto

achieve and sustain those changes. 

Show respect for indigenous knowledge by consistently gathering and applying it in workrelated decisions and plans. 

Initiate and build relationships with supervisors and Counterparts, partnering with them in

ways that promote personal and professional growth for all involved.

Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills—listening, creating appreciative conversations,

encouraging others, giving/receiving feedback—that model positive leadership.

Create opportunities—mentoring relationships, skills training, exposure to new ideas—that

encourage leadership development for your Counterparts and others in the community. Plan 

intentional and timely actions to ensure you successfully “share leadership” with others

throughout their service. 

Facilitate participatory processes—teambuilding, decision making by consensus, problem

solving, conflict management/negotiation—that encourage critical thinking, information

gathering and analysis, and sustainable change.
RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity 17

Glossary

Community – Used here to depict more than geographical location. It may be any of the following:

•	 the village or neighborhood of the town or city where the Volunteer lives

•	 institutions, such as schools, or subdivisions of those institutions, such as a class of students

or the faculty

•	 professional groups, such as secondary and university English teachers, small business advisors, extension agents, or farmers, among others

•	 affinity groups from one or more locations, such as a women’s group, youth club, or incomegenerating group

Community Development – A process that enables individuals, families, organizations,

businesses, and government agencies to come together, learn, develop a vision and strategy

for the community’s future, make well-reasoned and collaborative decisions about that future,

and work together to carry out those decisions—all the while drawing upon the community’s

collective skills and abilities.

Community Members – The individuals who are the ultimate target of a project intervention

and for whom the project is working to improve upon a basic life condition, i.e., food, shelter,

health, employment, education, income, and so on quality of life indicators. The Volunteer works

directly with community members.

Community Project – Set of actions planned and undertaken by a group of people in response

to a collaborative decision to make a change or an improvement. Community projects are

characterized by a high degree of participation and commitment on the part of the community.

Counterparts/Community Partners – The men, women, or youth in communities who share

responsibility with Volunteers to carry out project activities. There is an exchange of skills and

cultural information between Volunteers and their Counterparts or partners. Counterparts may be

selected at sites prior to a Volunteer’s arrival or Volunteers may select appropriate Counterparts

once they develop relationships at their sites. 

Host Country Agency Partners – Both host country government ministries and local nongovernmental agenciesthat are co-designing, implementing, and assessing a project. There may

be a single agency or several agencies that are involved in a project in some role.

Peace Corps Programming – The process by which the Peace Corps and host agency partners

work together to co-design, implement, and assess Projects that are carried out by Volunteers

and community partners. 
18 Peace Corps

Peace Corps Project – All Volunteer activities related to a common purpose. The purpose is

achieved by implementing a set of goals and objectives. A Peace Corps Project may be defined

by sectors (for example, a Community Health Project, a Micro-Enterprise Project) or it may be

focused on one issue and involve sectors (for example, a Household Food Security Project).

Resource Development – The process of identifying, valuing, and mobilizing the human,

physical, material, and monetary resources that exist within a community. Resource development envelops a wide range of ideas about how needed resources might be solicited or earned

within the community and, secondarily, sought from external sources.

Sector – All Volunteer activities within one content area. Peace Corps activities are classified

according to the following sectors: agriculture, education, environment, health, business

development, and youth. Water and sanitation projects are included in the health sector.

Stakeholder – Any person or organization that a project touches, either in implementing the

project or in relation to the activities.

Supervisor – Aperson within a government agency or non-governmental organization in charge of

a particular department or unit to which Volunteers are assigned and by whom they are supervised.

In some cases, the supervisor can also have a community partner relationship with a Volunteer.
RVID: Toolkits for Building Capacity 19

notes
20 Peace Corps
THE ROLES OF THE VOLUNTEER 

IN DEVELOPMENT

Capacity Building

Toolkit

1

RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 1

Capacity Building Toolkit 1 

VOLUNTEER AS 

LEARNER

IN THIS TOOLKIT 

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan ................................................................................... 2

What Is a Learner? ....................................................................................................... 2

Models, Concepts, And Cases ........................................................................ 4

Self-Directed Learning and the Experiential Learning Cycle ..................................... 4

Learning and Using Indigenous Knowledge ............................................................... 7

Problem-based and Asset-based Approaches to Community Development .............. 10

Community Capacity Building .................................................................................. 16

Stories from the Field: Jamaica ................................................................................. 18

Ideas and Activities For

Practicing Your Role as a Learner ....................................................... 19

Community Walks ..................................................................................................... 19

The Art of Asking Questions ..................................................................................... 21

Learning About the History of Your Host Country .................................................... 23

Where the People Are: Exploring Community Activity Settings .............................. 24

Community Mapping ................................................................................................. 26

Shadowing/Dialogue with Community “Coaches” .................................................... 28

Gaining Local Technical Knowledge ......................................................................... 30

Attending a Local Meeting and Introducing Yourself to the Community ................. 32

Keeping a Journal ...................................................................................................... 34

Key Resources for

More Information and Insight ............................................................... 35
2 Peace Corps

VOLUNTEER AS LEARNER

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ATTITUDES

Knowledge, Adult learning model; Community entry and Respect for local knowledge;

skills, and community systems; assets engagement skills, e.g., curiosity about others; 

attitudes and deficits approaches to observation, interviewing, willingness to consider 

(KSAs) you community development; and listening; information others’ opinions, values, 

need for this host country development gathering, synthesis, and methods

role plan; Peace Corps program- analysis skills; introducing 

ming; thorough understanding oneself to community 

of Peace Corps Project/

technical assignment 

Your What knowledge you still Skills you need to gain or Things that will help you 

initiatives to need and where to find it: improve and how you change any attitudes that 

learn more might work on further will hinder your role:

skill development:

 – – –

 – – –

 – – –

 – – –

 – – –

What is a Learner?

This Toolkit series is designed to help you define and map out your role as a capacity builder in 

your community. One of the first tasks is to build your own capacity and that starts with taking 

charge of your learning process. Your host community is a place for discovery—a place for 

observing, experiencing, reflecting, drawing conclusions, and applying lessons learned. Even 

what you “think you know” about your technical field needs to be reevaluated in the light of your 

new cultural environment. 

The learner role is especially important during your first six months or so at site, but it is equally 

important to pursue continual learning activities throughout your service so that you keep building 

on your experiences with Counterparts, colleagues, and community members. 

The models, ideas, and suggested activities included in this Toolkit series are offered as opportunities for self-directed learning. Self-directed does not imply solitary learning experience, but rather 

that the learner takes responsibility for mastering new knowledge, skills, and attitudes. During your 

Volunteer service, we ask you to embrace several key learning responsibilities. 

LEARNER

ROLE
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 3

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE LEARNER

• Maintaining an open state of mind, open to different ideas and ways of doing things (a mind is 

like a parachute—only useful if it is open)

• Thoughtfully reading and reviewing Pre-Service and In-Service training materials

• Actively participating in suggested activities, including reflecting on your learning and sharing 

your perceptions and insights with other Trainees and Volunteers

• Engaging with people in your community to learn about your technical area in the local context

• Integrating cultural and language learning to understand the technical subject matter in a 

local context

• Provocatively seeking additional information to fully understand the issues and topics

• Setting learning goals for yourself and working consistently to accomplish them

Reminder: Technical expertise is only useful if you learn to adapt and apply what you know 

to fit the local culture and environment, and then share that expertise in the local language.

You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers.

You can tell whether he is wise by his questions.

— Naguib Mahfouz (Nobel Prize Winner)
4 Peace Corps

Capacity Building Toolkit 1

Models, Concepts, 

and Cases

Self-Directed Learning and

the Experiential Learning Cycle

For adults, the process of learning is a process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and attitudes so that 

we can solve problems and make changes in our lives as we move toward fulfilling our needs and 

our goals. This learning process can be conceived as a four-step cycle.

1. We experience something. 

2. We review the experience critically.

3. We draw a conclusion and/or infer useful insights (lessons learned).

4. We apply or try out our new insights or hypotheses in a new situation (which leads to another 

experience and so on).

This natural process is called “experiential learning” and we use it all the time although we may 

not be completely conscious of the four steps. In many structured, adult learning situations, such as 

pre-service training, we try to design most of the activities to follow the experiential learning cycle. 

Here’s what the cycle looks like in a training context:

Experiential Learning Cycle

EXPERIENCE

PLANNING AND APPLICATION

Now What?

REFLECTION

What? 

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS/

LESSONS LEARNED

So What?
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 5

EXPERIENCE: The “experience” that activates the experiential learning cycle may be an 

event from your past, an activity you conduct 

in the host community (observing a women’s 

group meeting, visiting the local market, playing a game with local children, and so on), or 

a case study you read and analyze with your 

PST group. In this step, you do something or 

remember something you did in the past. It 

usually involves uncovering new information 

that requires a response from you. 

REFLECTION is a way of exploring 

and sorting out what happened during the experience stage. What new 

information do you now have and 

what does it mean? What feelings has 

it provoked in you? How might you 

relate the experience to things you 

already know? If you are participating 

in a group activity, how is your learning experience similar to or different 

from that of others? 

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS 

AND LESSONS LEARNED:

After reflecting on the experience, 

we arrive at the critical stage of 

determining what lessons can be 

learned or what principles can be 

drawn from the experience. This 

is the “so what” stage. How does 

all of this fit together? What are 

the major themes or insights you 

can infer from your experience? 

This stage is especially important 

for Peace Corps Volunteers because you are trying to integrate 

learning in a new cultural environment with the knowledge and 

skills you already have. 

Example:

You “shadow” three different local 

entrepreneurs who have established

successful cottage industries in the host 

community. You spend the day with 

them, observing, asking occasional questions, and to the extent possible you join 

in to help them with some of their tasks.

Example:

At the end of each of the shadowing exercises, you 

write down your thoughts and feelings about what 

you experienced. What surprised you about their 

business set-up, management, and production? 

What was similar or different about these people’s 

business world and your previous experiences in the 

United States? How were decisions made and implemented? How did the entrepreneurs handle their 

family responsibilities in relation to their business 

requirements? When you see your fellow Trainees, 

trainers, or Counterparts, you discuss or “process” 

your observations with them — that is, you compare 

notes about your experience.

Example:

Based on your observations and those of your colleagues, you draw some conclusions about what it 

means to run a local cottage industry. What are the 

key insights you believe you have gained? What can 

you conclude about how people meet their family 

and business roles? What aspects of the business day 

were typical for all three cases (hours worked, types 

of activities, and so on)? Can you generalize about 

what people consider to be their main challenges as 

small business owners? What were the business owners’ strategies for dealing with a less-than-perfect 

micro-business environment? And so forth.... 
6 Peace Corps

PLANNING AND APPLICATION

is the stage where you relate the learning 

to your world and actually start using the

information. It’s called the “now what” 

stage. What will you do differently now 

that you have learned these lessons? How 

will this new insight help you improve your 

technical ability, your interactions with the 

community, or your collaboration with your 

Counterparts? As you apply what you have 

learned, you generate new experiences and 

the “experiential learning cycle” starts all 

over again!

All four of these stages are important for a rich and complete learning experience. Sometimes, we 

jump too quickly from experience to experience and shortchange the other three steps in the learning cycle. It is important to be as conscious as possible of your own experiential learning processes 

and take the time to really reflect, draw conclusions, and apply lessons learned before moving to 

the next experience. 

Example:

Based on your conclusions, what are 

some ways you could begin building a 

consulting relationship with local small 

business owners? Given that all three 

of the people you shadowed identified 

particular challenges, how would you 

find out more information about these 

issues and begin helping the business 

owners address them? 

The Psychology 

of Sitting

...people in Western civilization no longer have 

time for each other, they have no time together, 

they do not share the experience of time. This 

explains why Westerners are incapable of understanding the psychology of sitting. In villages all 

over the world, sitting is an important social 

activity. Sitting is not a ‘waste of time’ nor is 

it a manifestation of laziness. Sitting is 

having time together, time to 

cultivate social relations.

— Andreas Fuglesang
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 7

Learning and Using 

Indigenous Knowledge

Indigenous knowledge is the knowledge that people in a given community have developed over 

time, and continue to develop. It is:

• based on experience;

• often tested over centuries of use;

• adapted to local culture and environment; and

• dynamic and changing (albeit sometimes slowly).

Indigenous knowledge is not confined to tribal groups or the original inhabitants of an area. It is not 

even confined to rural people. Rather, any community possesses indigenous knowledge—rural and 

urban, settled and nomadic, original inhabitants and migrants. 

Indigenous knowledge is often contrasted 

with “scientific,” “Western,” “international,” or “modern” knowledge—the 

knowledge developed by universities, 

research institutions, and private firms 

using a formal scientific approach. In 

reality, there is often a great deal of 

overlap between indigenous and Western 

knowledge, and it can be very difficult 

to distinguish between the two. In many 

parts of the world, indigenous knowledge 

has developed and intertwined around the 

management of introduced crops. Coffee 

in Latin America and corn in Africa are 

two examples. 

Because indigenous knowledge changes over time, it is sometimes difficult to decide whether a 

technology or practice is really indigenous, or adopted over time, or a blend of local and introduced 

components. For a development project, however, it does not matter whether a practice is really 

indigenous or already mixed up with introduced knowledge. What is important is that instead of 

looking only for technologies and solutions from outside the community, we first look at what is 

in the community. We then either use whatever knowledge is found to be effective or combine the 

best of both.
8 Peace Corps

Types of Indigenous Knowledge

Information

• Trees and plants that grow well together and when to plant

• Vegetarian foods that are “complementary proteins” when eaten at the same meal (For example, 

corn and beans provide much more protein when eaten together rather than separately.) 

Practices and Technologies

• Seed selection and storage methods

• Bone-setting methods

• Disease treatments

• Seasonal grazing patterns

• Barter and lending practices

Beliefs

Beliefs can play a fundamental role in people’s 

livelihood and in maintaining their health and 

the environment.

• Holy forests are protected for religious reasons. 

They also may maintain a vital watershed.

• Religious festivals can be an important source of 

food for people who otherwise have little to eat.

Tools

• Equipment for planting and harvest

• Cooking pots and implements

Materials

• Housing construction materials

• Materials for basketry and other craft industries

Experimentation

• Farmers’ integration of new tree species into 

existing farming systems

• Healers’ tests of new plant medicines

Biological Resources

• Animal breeds and migration

• Local crop and tree species

• Availability of pasture grasses

Human Resources

• Specialists such as healers and blacksmiths

• Local organizations such as kinship groups, 

councils of elders, or groups that share and 

exchange labor

Education

• Traditional instruction methods

• Apprenticeships

• Learning through observation
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 9

Communication

• Stories and messages carved on palm leaves, gourds, or stones 

• Folk media

• Stories, poetry, songs, dance (performed)

• Traditional information exchange methods

[Adapted by permission from Recording and Using Indigenous Knowledge: A Manual, pp. 7-9. The International Institute 

of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), Silang, Cavite, Philippines. 1996.]
10 Peace Corps

Problem-Based and Asset-Based

Approaches to Community Development

PROBLEM- AND ASSET-BASED APPROACHES 

AS A CONTINUUM 

Historically, much of the field experience in community participation stems from work by Brazilian 

educator Paolo Freire, who used “problem-posing” methods to raise awareness of social problems 

and injustice to incite action by marginalized or disadvantaged groups. The process is rooted in 

problem analysis, reflection, and action, and is based on the belief that community members need to 

be encouraged to think critically about problems of daily life in order to make decisions about and 

gain maximum control over their lives. Through a unique method of asking questions and working 

in groups, problem posing empowers people to take concrete steps toward improving the quality 

of their lives. 

Asset-based approaches (also known as “strength-based”) 

identify and emphasize the positive aspects of a community’s 

work on an issue or existing behaviors that promote health and 

well-being. Asset-based approaches grew out of the observation 

that in some settings, problem- and need-focused approaches 

can depress or overwhelm groups to the point that they become 

immobilized or pessimistic about the possibility of positive 

change. Asset-based approaches seek to increase self-efficacy 

by emphasizing and building upon what individuals and groups 

have accomplished and de-emphasizing blame for existing 

problems. Here, the emphasis is on identifying and enhancing 

existing assets, while promoting networking among groups 

and community members. As a result, community members 

feel more hopeful and motivated about their ability to address 

real needs. 

Problem- and strength-based approaches are not exclusive of each other. They are on a continuum. 

While conducting an assets-based resource inventory, information regarding “problems” or “deficits” may surface. While conducting a problem analysis, people may talk of “opportunities.” All of 

this information is important to know and use in designing community development activities. In 

deciding when to use either or both of these approaches, one important consideration is this: how 

you begin the dialogue influences the energy level and empowerment of the participants. In other 

words, your first questions are critical.

In the subsections below, we describe the problem-posing and asset-based approaches in greater 

detail. For further information, see the Resources section of this Toolkit. 
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 11

THE PROBLEM-POSING APPROACH 

(based on Paolo Freire’s methods)

In this approach, development workers begin by asking people to look at situations around them 

and identify problems they are having. This discussion is participatory and may include pictures of 

both good and bad situations in the community to stimulate a dialogue with community members. 

The primary question to begin with is “What problems are you having?” or “What problems do you 

see in this picture?” The answers are used to work with community members to diagnose causes 

for the problem and identify solutions. Through this participatory dialogue, community members 

develop a critical awareness of the world around them and feel empowered to act on the conditions 

that affect their lives. 

Problem posing is like a mini-learning cycle in itself, empowering people by moving them from a 

description of the situation to action. The problem is posed in the form of a “code.” This code can 

be a dialogue, paragraph, word, photo, or drawing. For example, a teacher could show a drawing 

depicting a group of students standing together and another student standing apart from the group. 

The group of students are laughing and pointing at the lone student. (This situation can stimulate 

a discussion around why people are ostracized from others, including tribal differences, income, 

disabilities, HIV, and so on). The learning group then discusses five sets of questions, using the 

following format:

1. Describe the situation.

2. Identify the problem.

3. Relate the problem to your experience.

4. Identify the underlying causes of the problem.

5. Identify constraints and opportunities for action.

A problem or code should have the following features:

• Be recognizable to community members. The problem should be grounded in the community’s 

experience, not the Volunteer’s. (See the PACA tools in Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent

for ways to identify problems or codes.)

• Present several solutions. To stimulate discussion, the problem should have several possible 

solutions. Community members should feel free to share their ideas. Treat this as a brainstorming 

session in which judgment is suspended and all contributions are encouraged and considered. 

• Avoid providing solutions. A Volunteer in a problem-posing discussion is viewed as a colearner in a “culture circle.” A culture circle is “a live and creative dialogue in which everyone 

knows some things and in which all seek to know more” (Freire). Problem posing presents 

open-ended problems that can be dealt with creatively and critically, giving the affected people 

a say in the process.

• Avoid overwhelming people. The problem should not be so emotionally charged that it prevents 

people from talking about it, but should be one that they can address. Ask host country colleagues, 

friends, Peace Corps trainers, APCDs, and fellow Volunteers for advice. 
12 Peace Corps

• Be sensitive to local culture and beliefs. Describing situations, not blaming, is the focus of this 

process. It is not a Volunteer’s role to preach and moralize. Check with your Counterpart, supervisor, community elders, town officials, and friends to confirm that the problems presented are 

valid and acceptable. These resources can also give advice on how to address the problems in a 

culturally appropriate and sensitive manner. 

When the problems or codes are carefully chosen and the dialogue is managed well, local culture 

is validated and community members’ knowledge and assets are identified. The results of these 

dialogues are small actions that move a community toward addressing its identified needs. 

For more information about Paulo Freire’s approach, read Pedagogy of Hope: Reliving Pedagogy of 

the Oppressed. Paolo Freire. Translated by Robert R. Barr. Continuum Publishing, New York. 1994.

[Text on problem posing approach adapted from Introductory section of Community Content-Based Instruction (CCBI) 

Manual. Peace Corps, Washington, DC. 2002. (ICE T0112)]

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, 

but in the expert’s mind there are few.

— Shunru Suzuki
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 13

THE ASSET APPROACH 

The First Question Is Critical —

Change happens the moment a question is asked and that change is directly 

related to the question. 

Questions can produce personal power, vitality, strength, health, and courage 

when the question takes participants into a positive space.

Questions can produce weakness, powerlessness, and depression when the 

question takes the participants into a negative space.

The primary focus of asset-based development is not on “problems” that need to be “solved.” 

Rather, the emphasis lies in examining existing community assets and resources, enhancing existing activity settings, and encouraging cooperative activities. Based on the assumption that every

community has groups of people who come together for productive purposes, the asset approach 

seeks to utilize these existing “activity settings” to produce a product or products to enhance development. In this approach, the process of working together and developing a sense of shared values 

and goals is just as important as the product produced. By working together over time, community 

members form strong bonds that will help to support them in future development efforts. The asset 

development approach emphasizes community-based planning in which community members are 

involved in all phases of work and, indeed, define the very nature of the work to be done. Community facilitators, including Volunteers, have as much to learn from working on the project as do 

members of the community. 

The following principles guide asset-based development work:

1. Participate in and cooperatively enhance community activity settings.

Most community concerns and aspirations are found within family, neighborhood, and community-activity settings. To understand a particular community, try to observe and make sense of 

the patterns of current activities and how resources are used, shared, imported, and/or exported 

relative to these activities. (Imagine flying like a bird, slowly circling over and around the community—watch how people move about in routine ways, combining and recombining into groups 

for various purposes.) According to Building on Assets in Community Development: A Guide 

to Working with Community Groups, these active, purposeful groupings are called “activity 

settings” and are basic units for understanding all aspects of community life. “Activity settings 

can be described in terms of the who, what, when, where, and whys of everyday life.... Every 

group is linked to others by common purposes and the use of resources.” To understand activity 

settings, explore the following elements: 

• People involved (individuals or groups)

• Themes of opportunity and/or concern expressed by people in these settings

• Various viewpoints related to the purposes of the activity

• Historical context (as it relates to the present situation)
14 Peace Corps

• Ecological and/or environmental factors related to the setting

• Process of decision making (present and desired)

In your role as a Volunteer, it is important not only that you identify and describe your community’s activity setting but that you also participate in them. These groups are your natural entry 

into the community. 

2. Examine existing community assets. Traditionally, change agents have gone into 

the community, found problems, determined causes, and tried to fix them through development 

projects. This deficit approach is not necessarily “bad” but it does tend to shift the direction 

and power in the development relationship to those who have the capabilities and resources 

in question, usually to things and people outside the neighborhood or community. In an assets 

approach, the community identifies and examines what it has in terms of all human, ecological, 

material, and economic resources. (Note that assets are within the activity settings.) Begin with 

Individuals, identifying their skills, knowledge, and capacities, and looking for ways to link 

individuals in collaborative activities. Next, examine the Citizen Associations: for example, 

churches, youth groups, women’s groups, farmers’ or fishermen’s cooperatives, and schools. Next, 

identify Institutions present in the community: for example, local, regional, and international 

NGOs, banks, hospitals, and governmental agencies. Help the community make linkages within 

categories or across categories, beginning within the community and proceeding outward. Design 

projects that involve different kinds of people—intergenerational programs, for example—

because they draw from a more diverse resource and social base. Avoid developing projects 

based on desires that call for totally new activity settings and resources. Facilitate dialogue with 

community members about what an improved activity setting might look like (for example, what 

activities, with what resources, producing what?).

3. Design or enhance the existing activity settings consistent with values, 

beliefs, and rules of the host culture. Development projects (whether agricultural, 

small business, health, environmental, or other) need to fit the cultural space in which they are 

planned. Projects developed around what outsiders find valuable, good, and appropriate may 

be outside the life context of the community. Before designing a project with the community, 

discuss and try to understand what values underlie the purposes for the project. As you begin to 

plan with the community, pay particular attention to these four cultural features: 

• Social organization (family hierarchies; roles of people based on position, clan status, 

age, gender, ethnic group; system of obligation; traditional forms of decision making). 

• Conventions of conversation (direct and indirect channels of communication).

• Thinking style (use of symbols from language and objects from the environment; how 

people traditionally frame their perspectives and understanding about a particular development goal or activity).

• Sources of motivation within a given working group context (using traditional values 

as a source of motivation for community action).
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 15

4. Encourage joint activity; practice inclusion and collaboration; build 

relationships. Individuals and groups working cooperatively can have a better result than 

those working in isolation. Concrete, mutually beneficial relationship building lies at the center 

of the asset-based development process.

5. Engage in reciprocal relationships of “assisting” and “being assisted”; 

turn spectators into participants; learn from leaders; turn over leadership 

roles to those with promise. Any given group is composed of individuals with different 

skills, strengths, and weaknesses. As long as the 

group is driven by a common productive goal, 

each person will contribute skills and assist 

others, while receiving assistance in areas where 

others have more expertise. By serving as both 

“teacher” and “learner,” community members 

increase their productivity and feel motivated to 

persevere because of the assistance and support 

from others. 

6. Engage in quality process—how it 

is done is as important as what is 

done. Development work should always center on activity leading to a product that is important to the community (for example, a small 

health clinic, a clean water supply, a soccer field, 

a community woodlot, or a computer center at 

the local school). However, although the product is the perceived purpose of the activity, it can 

only be produced through cooperative activity. 

The process of working together facilitates the 

development of the skills, harmony, and partnerships necessary to coordinate the resources for 

community development. A product without a 

good collaborative development process will 

fall into disuse and the work will have been of little importance. Both a quality process and 

product are necessary for successful development. (See Toolkit 4, Volunteer as Co-Facilitator

for more insights about group process.)

There are several variations on the asset approach to development. For more information and references, see the Resources section at the end of this Toolkit; also read “Appreciative Inquiry as an 

Organizational/Community Change Process” in Toolkit 2, Volunteer as Change Agent. 

[Text on asset-based approach adapted from Building on Assets in Community Development: A Guide to Working with 

Community Groups. Peace Corps/Micronesia Project and Training Plan, 1994]
16 Peace Corps

Community Capacity Building

What is community capacity?

Community capacity is the combined influence of a community’s commitment, resources, and 

skills that can be deployed to build on community strengths and address community problems 

and opportunities. 

• Commitment refers to the community-wide will to act based on a shared awareness of problems, opportunities, and workable solutions. It refers also to heightened support in key sectors of 

the community to address opportunities, solve problems, and strengthen community responses. 

• Resources refers to human, natural, technological, and financial assets and the means to deploy 

them intelligently and fairly. It also includes having the information or guidelines that will ensure 

the best use of these resources. 

• Skills includes all the talents and expertise of individuals and organizations that can be marshaled 

to address problems, seize opportunities, and add strength to existing and emerging institutions.

Communities and the groups and institutions within them vary tremendously in capacity. Capacity 

is gained in degrees, sometimes slowly, other times rapidly. 
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 17

How is community capacity built?

The three essential ingredients of community capacity—

commitment, resources, and skills—do not “just happen.” Rather 

they are developed through effort and will, initiative and leadership. 

For example, effort, will, initiative, and leadership are needed to:

• Involve and educate community members, help shape opinion, 

and galvanize commitment to act.

• Attract and collect resources, compile information, and shape 

ways for deploying these resources to “catalyze” change in 

how problems are addressed and opportunities are seized.

• Organize people and work, develop skills, and coordinate or 

manage a sustained effort that builds up the positive qualities 

of community life that enable a community to address problems 

and recognize and act on its opportunities. 

The challenge for a community, group, or institution struggling to 

gain more capacity is to develop its own commitment, resources, 

and skills. The challenge for those outside that particular 

group—but wishing to help—is to create opportunities 

appropriate for that group that can help it grow in capacity.

[Adapted by permission from Measuring Community Capacity Building, 

pp. 1-4, Version 3/95, Aspen Institute/Rural Economic Policy Program. Adapted 

by permission of Rainbow Research, Inc., Minneapolis, MN.]
18 Peace Corps

Stories from the Field: 

Jamaica 

A young business major was assigned to the rural fishing community of Treasure Beach as an Environmental Business Advisor. He soon recognized the importance of developing rapport with the 

citizens before he could work effectively with them. To begin the process, he immersed himself into 

the community “runnings.. He related his experience as follows:

To get myself integrated into the community, I played football with some 

local youth. I played dominoes in the local bars and fished two to three 

times a week with local fishermen. I introduced myself to local business 

people and attended the South Coast Resort Board Jamaica Hotel and 

Tourist Association (JHTA) meetings twice a week. I interviewed local 

community people to learn what they wanted, and I went to schools. All 

these activities allowed me to get acquainted with the community before I 

began working on projects.
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 19

Ideas and Activities

for Practicing Your Role

as a Learner

Community Walks

Purpose

Through community walks, you are introduced to the community. People see you and become used to 

you. Additionally, as people lead you, they will show you what they deem important for themselves.

Activity

In conjunction with your PST trainers, Counterpart, or other initial contacts in the community, 

assemble a small group of community members to lead you on “guided tours” of the community. 

Explain that you would like to learn about the community. Let your questions flow based on what 

you see, taste, feel, hear, and smell, and pursue a line of questioning that follows what is pointed 

out to you. Think of some questions associated with your technical sector. For example, a natural 

resource development Volunteer might want to focus on how natural resources are being used. Here 

are several questions for such an inquiry: 

• What is that?

• How is it used? 

• Who uses it? 

• Who built it?

• How many types of soils are on your land? What are they called?

Or a health/nutrition Volunteer might want to look at medicinal plants and how families and community health workers use them. In this case, the questions might include:

• What is that?

• How is it used?

• Who uses it? Do they prepare and take it themselves or does someone else administer it?
20 Peace Corps

• What happens physically when someone uses (eats, drinks, applies) the treatment? 

• How long have people been using this particular remedy?

Possible Destinations

Markets, stores, water sources, community forests, agricultural areas, health centers, cemeteries, 

garbage dumps, ports, bus or train stations, municipal parks, churches, and so on.

• Be sensitive to the time constraints and workloads of people. 

• Mentally note what generates discussion, even if you do not understand what is being said. Pick out words that you hear often.

• Be aware that you will get different (often complementary or conflicting) information from different people depending upon their 

roles, personalities, and positions in the community. You may want 

to try to set up walks with a few different groups of various genders, 

ages, or ethnic makeup. If appropriate, ask your Counterpart, trainer, 

or host family to help you set up these walks.

• Be aware that what you see may vary according to the time of the 

day, season of the year, or festival. Repeat walks to the same places 

and note the differences. 

Tips

[Adapted from Learning Local Environmental Knowledge: A Volunteer’s Guide to Community Entry. Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC. 2002. (Manual: ICE T0126, Workbook: ICE M0071)]
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 21

Ideas & Activities

The Art of Asking Questions

Purpose

Asking questions, or informally interviewing people, is 

the form of communication most basic to getting to know 

people. Good questions can help you create a human bond, 

establish trust, and begin a partnership with those with 

whom you will work.

Activity

The art of asking questions involves selecting the kind of 

question structure that fits with the kind of information you 

are seeking. Look at different types of question structures 

listed below:

Question Structures

Closed questions: (yes or no)

Do you like to eat goat?

Do you use the health clinic?

Either/or questions:

Do most children eat ______ or ______ in the morning before school?

Is the clinic free or is there a fee?

Open questions (what, how, when, where, and sometimes why*):

What are some foods you like to eat?

When might you take your children to the health clinic?

* The word “why” is often interpreted as blame, 

 rather than curiosity, so use it with a careful tone. 

Personal question forms:

Do you throw your trash in the river?

How many children do you have?

Generalized question forms:

Do people throw trash in the river?

How many children do most families have?
22 Peace Corps

Practice the art of asking questions by doing the following exercises: 

Informally interview a colleague, a trainer, or a Counterpart but ask only closed

or either/or questions. Do this for about two to three minutes and then stop and 

discuss the type and quality of data you have learned about the other person. 

Then continue the conversation, but this time, ask only open questions (what, 

how, when, where, why). Stop after about three minutes or so, and again analyze the type and quality of the data you have gathered from your interviewee. 

(This is a fun exercise to do in language class.) Often, it is helpful to begin a 

conversation with a few easy, closed questions and then proceed to the openended questions to explore ideas, knowledge, and opinions. Sometimes, an 

open-ended question may be vague and difficult to answer, in which case you 

may want to move back to a more closed question. 

Ask your language facilitator to demonstrate and explain how she or he would 

approach someone in the community and initiate a conversation or informal 

interview. How would she or he establish rapport with the other person? Within 

the cultural context, what might be some non-threatening questions to use at the 

beginning of the interview? How would she or he read the nonverbal language 

of the other person? 

1

2

Once you have explored these characteristics of questions, select a topic of interest to you and an 

interviewee. Draft a set of questions about the topic and check them with your language trainer or 

Counterpart. Conduct the informal interview. If possible, take along another Trainee or a colleague 

to sit with you during the conversation and give you feedback afterwards on your style and skills. 

[Adapted from PACA: Participatory Analysis for Community Action. Peace Corps, Washington, DC. 1996. (ICE M0053)]

Many Americans begin conversations by 

asking “What do you do?” Culturally for most 

Americans, what they do is how they are known, 

rather than what family they are from. 

This probably evolved out of a combination of 

the mobility of most Americans—their family 

would be unknown—and a conscious effort 

by many to value someone’s achievements 

as opposed to who they are—

individualism rather than 

social status or group. 
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 23

Ideas & Activities

Learning about the History

of your Host Country

Purpose

To understand the significant people, places, processes, and events that have shaped the host country 

in which you are now living.

Activity

With the help of your trainer(s), divide the history of the host country into several important periods. 

Divide your training group into smaller teams or pairs and assign each a major historical period to 

research and report on. 

Using a variety of sources (trainers, family members, other community members, local teachers, and 

so on), gather key facts and interesting perspectives on your assigned historical period and how it 

has impacted the subsequent years of development. Try to investigate how the events, people, and 

places of your particular period relate to your technical assignment area. 

Organize the information into an informative presentation to make to other Trainees and trainers. 

Highlight several new vocabulary words that you consider important to your growing lexicon. 

[Adapted from a Peace Corps/Slovakia lesson plan.]
24 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Where the People Are: 

Exploring Community Activity Settings

[This activity is based on the asset approach to community development.] 

Purpose

Community life and individual life are organized around activity. By observing and listening to 

people in their activity settings, you identify the issues about which people have the strongest feelings and you gain insights about the patterns of activities. 

Activity

Initial questions to think about: What sorts 

of things do you do with others during 

the day? What are the main activities you 

do with your host family and/or friends? 

What do you most like to do in your spare 

time? By answering these questions you 

are describing your own activity settings.

Working by yourself or with a friend or 

trainer, go out into the community and 

observe several different activity settings. 

Examples of settings might include: playing soccer after school, braiding hair on 

a front porch, planting/harvesting crops 

with family members, preparing meals, 

hanging out with friends on the street 

corner, and more. At each setting, use the 

following questions to help you observe 

and gather information:

• Who are the people involved and what are their distinct roles? (individuals or groups)

• What are the “conventions of conversation”? (direct or indirect; differences in style according to 

status or gender)

• What are the themes of concern or opportunity expressed by people in the setting? (What are 

people happy about? Proud of? Hopeful for? Worried about? Sad about?)

• What are the various viewpoints related to the purpose of the activity?

• What ecological or environmental factors relate to the setting?

• What is the process of decision making? (What is the structure for involving people? How do 

people feel both about the decisions that are made that affect their lives and the way the decisions 

are made?) 
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 25

Afterwards, share your observations about your activity settings with other Trainees, trainers, or 

colleagues. Ask each other questions to explore each activity setting as thoroughly as possible. 

For example:

• What themes of concern or opportunity emerged? (What themes seem to contain or provoke 

emotional interest? Emotion is linked to motivation and often people are prepared to act on issues 

they feel strongly about.)

• What opinions were expressed and by whom? What words do people use most frequently to 

express their opinions about a particular theme? 

• How does this information help you understand the larger community? 

• How does this information relate to your technical sector and Peace Corps Project?

• How could you use the information to help you understand your future role as a Volunteer?

Ask the language facilitators for clarifications and comments on your observations. Try to draw 

some conclusions based on your collective experiences and reflections. 

Once you have spent some time with people in their activity settings, you will be able to note 

generative themes—that is, the issues that are so important to the community (or subgroups in the 

community) that they will generate enough energy to stimulate initiative in the members. 

[Note: This activity may be completely integrated with language training.]
26 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Community Mapping

Purpose

To gain insight into how people in your community view their immediate world in terms of resources 

and relationships, and to learn how they see themselves within a larger context. 

Activity

Community mapping is a learning tool for both you and the community members who participate 

in creating and discussing the map. The more participatory the activity, the more insight everyone 

stands to gain. A community map may show perceptions about topography, land use, ecosystems, 

and socioeconomic data such as the distribution of and access to resources. There are a number of 

ways to practice mapping exercises. Here are a few mapping exercises to consider, depending on 

where you are in your term of service and your level of language proficiency:

Exercise A: When you are in PST, practice community mapping on yourself—that is, 

get together with others in your training group and do a map of your training 

community. Consider dividing the training group by gender to create two maps, 

and then analyze the similarities and differences that emerge. You can do this 

sort of map within the first two to three weeks of training. 

Exercise B: As your language skills grow, try doing a map of the host community with a 

group of local children. Give them some instructions and let them create. It 

doesn’t matter if the map isn’t perfect; the goal is to have interaction with the 

children and learn about their perspectives on the community. 

Exercise C: Another type of mapping exercise you may want to try in the first few days 

at your site is one in which you sketch out a resource map based on your 

own perceptions and the information you have gathered to date about your 

community. Create the map gradually by taking walks around the community 

and exploring one area well at a time. Make mental notes about the resources 

and structures that exist in the selected area and then return home and draw the 

map from memory. Continue doing this weekly or biweekly until you feel very 

familiar with the physical layout and characteristics of your community. Look 

at your maps and think about the different systems that may be operating. Once 

you think you have a “good” map, show it to several community members (men, 

women, and youth) and ask them to point out mistakes or suggest changes.

Exercise D: If you are working with a particular interest group in the community, build a 

relief map that focuses on the topic or work environment. Examples of interest groups might include students studying geography, a women’s handicraft 

cooperative, or a coffee growers association. 
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 27

Later on, when you are situated in your community and beginning to co-facilitate participatory 

assessment activities, conduct a mapping exercise that includes a gender-analysis focus like the 

one described in the Peace Corps PACA manual (ICE M0053). Once you are ready to facilitate 

this level of participatory activity, study Toolkit 2: The Volunteer as Change Agent for more ideas 

and guidelines. 

Caution: Whatever mapping exercise you decide to try, remember that community members may 

misinterpret your motives for wanting to create the map. Make sure you are clear on the purposes 

of making the map—to help you learn about the community and to help them identify and take into 

account their developmental assets and deficits.

See the Peace Corps PACA manual (ICE M0053) for examples, instructions, and other additional 

information about mapping.
28 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Shadowing/Dialogue

With Community “Coaches”

Purpose

To begin to conceptualize how various people interact in relation to or within your technical sector 

environment and on what resources various livelihoods depend.

Activity

Identify a trainer, Counterpart, colleague, or friend who can advise on culturally appropriate ways 

to identify “coaches” to accompany or shadow. Ask your trainer or Counterpart to help you identify 

people in the community who are known for the work they perform and/or who use local resources 

relating to your technical sector. Some possible examples of coaches:

TECHNICAL SECTOR POSSIBLE COMMUNITY COACHES 

Education Teachers of different levels/subjects, directors, local religious

teachers, mothers

Natural Resource Mgt./Agriculture Farmers, herders, honey collectors, dairy producers, blacksmiths, 

park service workers, basket weavers, hunters

Health/Nutrition/Water Sanitation Traditional healers, midwives, community health workers, social 

workers, nurses, doctors, farmers, mothers, family garden keepers

Business/NGO Development Market sellers, local store owners, bank/credit lenders, cooperative directive members, chamber of commerce representatives, 

journalists, social services reps, women’s organization members, 

local politicians, NGO leaders

Youth Development Primary and secondary students, technical school students, youth 

who work in the market or in other informal jobs, religious leaders, sports coaches/leaders 

Ask your Counterpart or trainer to introduce you to those people and spend one day each with four 

or five different people in the community. Observe which resources they use and make mental notes. 

As opportunities present themselves, turn your observation into action and perform the same activity as your coach. Try to get a sense of where people spend their time, with whom they interact, the 

rhythm of their day, and the physical areas of importance. Be prepared with several questions that 

will promote good conversation.
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 29

Write about your experiences at the 

end of the day. Think about how many 

hours a day different people spend on 

activities like collecting water, cleaning, 

farming, collecting firewood, or relaxing. 

As you begin to understand different 

schedules and tasks, compare and contrast 

them. Make observations regarding the 

different roles and responsibilities in the 

community with respect to your technical 

context and how these roles may be 

complementary and/or conflicting. Draft 

any tentative conclusions about who 

has access to or control over resources. 

Additionally, note how knowledge varies 

among gender, social class, and/or ethnic 

group regarding the technical areas of 

focus (the surrounding natural resource 

base, the provision of family health care, 

small business management, and so on). 

If you are in PST, discuss your observations and reflections with your trainers and colleagues. In 

language class, use pantomime, pictures, and demonstration to extend your oral language skills and 

share as much information and perspective as possible. 

[Adapted from Learning Local Environmental Knowledge: A Volunteer’s Guide to Community Entry. Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC. 2002. (Manual: ICE T0126, Workbook: ICE M0071)]
30 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Gaining Local Technical Knowledge

Purpose

To learn about area-specific technical knowledge and with whom it resides.

Activity A:

If you are in PST, this is an activity you and your 

colleagues can conduct with the help of local 

students and teachers and/or members of your 

host family. If you are already living at your site, 

you and your Counterpart can invite a community 

group (students, youth group, women’s group, 

others) to help you carry out the activity. 

The idea is for you and others participating with 

you to informally interview community members 

to learn how they have traditionally valued and/

or used their resources and practices relating to 

the technical area. Interview the older people in 

community households and ask them to reflect on how their work and lives are different from those 

of their parents and grandparents. Afterwards, you and the other participants create some way to 

visually and/or orally represent what you have learned and present your findings to the group. You 

may want to consult trainers, teachers, or your Counterpart to develop a list of possible topics from 

which you can choose. Some possible topics for learning activities are:

• How farming, health services, education services, or credit opportunities have changed the community in the last 30 years 

• Lending, teaching, healing, or farming practices of our ancestors

• Changes in the landscape, land ownership, or population in the last 30 years

• How changes influence farming, schooling, health services, or business development today

• If you want to work with a local teacher and students, make 

sure you establish a relationship with them before seeking 

to influence curricula.

• Encourage participants to interview both men and women.

Tips
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 31

Activity B:

With help from your technical trainers or Counterparts, find and interview community experts (men 

and women). These will be the people who are considered innovators or experimenters, and those 

considered to be especially proficient in some aspect of the livelihoods that support the community. 

Try to find out from other community members why these people are considered experts, and then 

interview the experts themselves. Pose questions in the context of the profession. For example, 

interviewers might ask an expert farmer: 

• How would you characterize a good farmer? (or teacher, health worker, entrepreneur)

• What are some valuable farming techniques? (or teaching methods, health treatments, marketing 

strategies)

• What helps you the most with farming? (or teaching, providing health services, doing business)

• What and how have you learned from others about farming? (teaching, health, business)

• What do you value the most about the life of farming? (or a teacher, health worker, entrepeneur)

• What does religion advise about farming? (or teachng, health practice, entrepeneurship)

[Adapted from Learning Local Environmental Knowledge: A Volunteer’s Guide to Community Entry. Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC. 2002. (Manual: ICE T0126, Workbook: ICE M0071)]
32 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

AttendING a Local Meeting and

IntroducING Yourself to the Community

Purpose

To learn how people interact and make decisions at meetings; to explain to the host community who 

you are and what your community role will be during your stay.

Activity

With the help of your trainer, host family, or Counterpart, identify a local community group that 

meets periodically to share information and address issues. If possible, try to find a group that has 

some interest or purpose related to your technical assignment area (for example, a Mothers’ Club 

for health or nutrition, a Lion’s Club or Chamber of Commerce for small business development, an 

NGO coalition, a farmers’ cooperative, a youth club).

Respectfully ask the group leader if you may attend the next gathering as an observer. Ask the leader 

what the agenda will include and explain that you would like to have a couple of minutes to introduce yourself to the group. If the idea of attending a meeting makes you nervous, invite a friend to 

go with you. (The more relaxed you are, the more you will learn.)

In preparation, sketch out what you want to say to introduce yourself. There is no magic recipe for 

a personal introduction, but here are a few pieces of information people may find interesting:

• Your name and what it means in your North American culture and/or ancestry

• Where you are from and an interesting fact or two about your family

• A brief statement about what the Peace Corps is and an even briefer statement about why you 

decided to join

• What you hope to be doing as a community member and contributor during your stay (that is, 

either in your training community or in your site)

• One or two things you really enjoy so far about the community and its people
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 33

Write out your introduction and, as needed, ask your trainer, colleague, or Counterpart to help you 

translate and practice it. Get that person’s advice on any cultural protocols to be aware of. 

Also as part of your preparation, identify several meeting characteristics you want to observe. 

For example: 

• How many people attended the meeting? Who were they? (age, gender, ethnicity, and other 

factors)

• How long did the meeting last? Did it start on time? Did people stay for the duration?

• What items, issues, or concerns did the group address?

• How did people interact with one another? What roles did people take on during the course of 

the session? How structured was the format?

• Were any decisions made during the actual meeting? Through what process? 

Once you have attended the meeting (and impressed the group with your linguistic and cultural 

savvy), discuss your observations with your colleagues and trainers: What surprised you about the 

meeting format? How would you characterize the leadership in the group? How much “business” 

did the group get done? How similar or different was it to a meeting of a similar group in your 

United States community? 

(See Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator for more information and skill building on leading and managing meetings.)
34 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Keeping a Journal

Purpose

To monitor your learning; to discover assumptions (your own and other people’s); to internalize 

new information.

Activity

As you experience your new culture, community, 

and the Peace Corps, capture your thoughts and 

feelings in a journal. Use words, drawings, symbols, objects—whatever means you wish—to 

reflect on your learning. Here are a few trigger 

questions to consider: What has impressed 

you the most about the people in your community? In what ways are perceptions and 

practices here similar to those in the United 

States and in what ways are they different? 

What are some differences in the way you relate 

with your technical environment (health, education, 

natural resources, and so on) compared to how people 

in the community relate to it? What are some characteristics of the technical environment that seem to shape the 

daily lives of community members? What are your immediate impressions regarding gender roles 

and the technical environment in the community? How does what you know about your technical 

area differ from or compare with local knowledge? 

Periodically, go back and read what you have entered in your journal. Take note of points that are 

unclear, conflicting, or especially interesting, and of where you might be mistaken, have doubts, etc. 

Describe ways in which your preconceived notions regarding people and the technical environment 

have been challenged and changed.

• Focus on what the community has to offer, rather 

than on what it lacks.

[Adapted from Learning Local Environmental Knowledge: A Volunteer’s Guide to Community Entry. Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC. 2002. (Manual: ICE T0126, Workbook: ICE M0071)]

Tips
RVID Toolkit 1: Volunteer as Learner 35

Key Resources

for More

Information

and Insight

A Community Economic Development (CED) Training Guide for Peace Corps Volunteers. (Peace 

Corps, Washington, DC) 2002. [ICE M0069]

Culture Matters: The Peace Corps Cross-Cultural Workbook. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 

1997. [ICE T0087]

Idea Book Series: Beyond the Classroom: Empowering Girls. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 

2000. [ICE M0080]

Idea Book Series: DPM: Integrating Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation in Your Work. (Peace 

Corps, Washington, DC) 2001. [ICE M0084]

Idea Book Series: HIV/AIDS: Integrating Prevention and Care Into Your Sector. (Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC) 2000. [ICE M0081]

Idea Book Series: PACA: Using Participatory Analysis for Community Action. (Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC) 2005. [ICE M0086]

Learning Local Environmental Knowledge: Training Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 

2002. [ICE T0126]

An NGO Training Guide for Peace Corps Volunteers. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2003. 

[ICE M0070]

Volunteer On-going Language Learning Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2000. [ICE M0064]

Working with CCBI: Volunteer Workbook. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2004. [ICE M0073]

Working with Youth: Approaches for Volunteers. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2002. [ICE M0067]
36 Peace Corps

notes
THE ROLES OF THE VOLUNTEER 

IN DEVELOPMENT

Capacity Building

Toolkit

2

RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 1

Capacity Building Toolkit 2 

VOLUNTEER AS 

CHANGE AGENT

IN THIS TOOLKIT

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan ................................................................................... 2

What Is a Change Agent? ............................................................................................ 2

Models, Concepts, And Cases ........................................................................ 4

Community Participation ............................................................................................. 4

Working with Groups to Mobilize the Community ..................................................... 6

Community Leaders ..................................................................................................... 8

Participatory Analysis Tools and Methodology ........................................................... 9

Individual/Group/Institutional Capacities: Linking People ....................................... 18

Youth Capacity Building Best Practices .................................................................... 20

The Ladder of Participation ....................................................................................... 22 

Appreciative Inquiry as an Organizational/Community Change Process ................. 24

Diffusion of Innovations ............................................................................................ 28

Stories from the Field: Madagascar and Malawi ....................................................... 31

Ideas and Activities for Practicing

Your Role as a Change Agent .................................................................... 32

Practicing Participatory Analysis Tools ..................................................................... 32

Talking to Change Agents in Your Community ......................................................... 35

Conducting a Capacity Inventory .............................................................................. 36

	 Communicating to Persuade or Influence .................................................................. 37

Youth Participation and Your Peace Corps Project .................................................... 38

Case Study of One Volunteer’s Experience with 

Community Organizing and Change ......................................................................... 40

Key Resources for

More Information and Insight ............................................................... 43
2 Peace Corps

VOLUNTEER AS 

CHANGE AGENT 

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ATTITUDES

Knowledge, Community participation/ Selecting and using Flexibility, ability to deal

skills, and mobilization theories; participatory activities with with ambiguity; enthusiasm;

attitudes	 change models including 	 community/groups; gender	 confidence in change process;

(KSAs) you appreciative inquiry; analysis; inquiry skills; appreciative outlook; respect

need for this diffusion of innovation; strategic planning skills; for local values, traditions, 

role gender equity issues; youth promotion skills; relation- and ingenuity

development best practices; ship building for networknetworking ing and linking people

together for action

Your What knowledge you still Skills you need to gain or Things that will help you

initiatives to need and where to find it: improve and how you change any attitudes that will 

learn more might work on further skill hinder your role:

 development:

– – –

– – –

– – –

– – –

– – –

What is a change agent? 

A change agent is someone who generates ideas, promotes new practices, models healthy behaviors, 

draws attention to opportunities, and encourages networks to help people move forward in reaching 

their goals. Change agents do not impose their ideas on others, but rather help people see possibilities they might otherwise miss. For Peace Corps Volunteers, the role of change agent is virtually 

inevitable. People in your community will observe you closely as you go about your work and play, 

and some of them will try things they see you doing just because they think you’re “cool.” You may 

be influencing people to think and act differently without realizing it! And that is perhaps the single

most important reason to be conscious of your behavior not only when you are “on the job” but also 

when you are socializing and relaxing with others. 

As community members get to know and respect you, they will expect you to help them. This may 

mean they want you to get them “stuff” (money or goods). The challenge is to help people understand 

their options and make informed decisions about their future without trying to force a particular 

change on them. It also means helping them learn how to make their own changes. In this sense, the 

roles of change agent, community facilitator, and project co-planner are intertwined and intermittent—you initiate the sparks of change and then step back and “guide by the side” as people plan 

and implement their desired activities. 

CHANGE

AGENT 

ROLE
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 3

An important aspect of serving in the role of change agent is to be aware of the implications of 

change. Sometimes small ideas grow into big activities that eventually result in enormous change in 

people’s lives. While you cannot always predict the way things will turn out, you can try to analyze 

and understand the potential impact of your work in an effort to be less ad hoc and more intentional 

in serving your community. 

Examples of the change agent Role

Alicia, an agricultural Volunteer, introduces a group of local farmers to two new 

varieties of maize. She takes the local farmers on a field trip to the agricultural

extension station in a neighboring province, where they tour demonstration plots 

of the new maize varieties, and talk with the local extension agents who care 

for the plots. The farmers and agents talk at length about the pros and cons of 

the new plant varieties, and at the end of the tour, the farmers ask about getting 

some of the seed to plant along with their regular maize crop. Alicia suggests 

an approach in which the farmers conduct a pilot field test of the maize with

support from the extension farm agents. Alicia and the extension agents also 

offer to take the farmers to visit a neighboring community where a small group 

of farmers have already harvested from the new seed varieties. The farmers 

say they will discuss this proposal back in the community and make a decision 

within a few days.

Paul, an NGO development Volunteer, notes that the organization where he 

is working has successfully planned and implemented a series of projects, 

but lacks a long-range vision and plan for the future. He meets with the NGO 

leaders and suggests that they hold a strategic planning session for assessing 

and building organizational capacity. He recommends an appreciative inquiry 

approach, explaining the process and the outcomes they can expect. The NGO 

leaders decide to go with Paul’s recommendation and ask him to facilitate the 

planning sessions. He accepts with the condition that one of the NGO leaders 

co-facilitate some of the activities with him. The sessions go well and nearly 

everyone in the group feels energized from the process and resulting plans. 

Afterwards, Paul senses that the group may need help in monitoring and getting 

other systems in place that will support the long-range goals they have set. He 

offers himself as a resource for technical assistance. 

Linda, an education Volunteer, uses community-based content instruction 

(CCBI) with her students. After several classes focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, the students have become very engaged and want to organize some 

after-school activities in coordination with the local health clinic and one of 

the social service providers in the neighborhood. Several colleagues at the 

school hear the students talking about how “different” the Volunteer’s classes 

are and they ask Linda to show them what this methodology is all about. She 

gives them an orientation and also invites them to observe a class. Afterwards, 

a couple of the teachers seem to like the idea and want Linda’s help in CCBI 

lesson planning. Other teachers are more skeptical, saying the new approach 

might distract the students from their preparation for the comprehensive tests 

at the end of the semester. They also express concern about the informality of 

Linda’s teacher-student relationships. They say they want to wait and see what 

happens if other people try the new approach. 

1

2

3
4 Peace Corps

Capacity Building Toolkit 2

Models, Concepts, 

and Cases

Community Participation

What do we mean by community participation? Initially, participation is people getting together and 

getting engaged. Ultimately, it is the power to make decisions. Participation means people taking 

responsibility for their own development as a better way to achieve improvements in economic and 

social conditions. Participation recognizes the potential of human talents and energy—the most basic 

of development objectives and a human right. 

Promoting participation in a community mobilization process depends on your philosophical 

orientation as much as on program strategies, design, and procedures. Do you believe that the 

disadvantaged or uneducated can make an important contribution to their own development? Do 

you regard communities as sources of good ideas, organizational capacity, and rational thinkers, not 

just as sources of labor or as objects to be mobilized towards a programmatic outcome? Promoting 

effective and sustainable participation that empowers communities to make decisions affecting their 

lives requires investment in the process. 

How do we know if we have achieved full participation in our community mobilization efforts? 

We need to know who is participating as well as how much participation is occurring. Which 

groups are less involved in implementation, decision making, or accessing benefits? Women?

Youth? Ethnic minorities? Temporary landowners? Migrant workers? People living in the poorest, makeshift neighborhoods?

It is also important to know how participation is occurring. 

•	 Are communitiestaking the initiative themselves or are external

organizations taking the initiative?

•	 With a monetary incentive, voluntarily, or through coercion?

•	 On an individual basis or in an organized manner? Indirectly or

directly?

•	 Is the process sporadic, intermittent, or continuous?

•	 Is the process empowering?
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 5

A word about “incentives” for participation

Rewarding participation with monetary or other “incentives” will often create demand for incentives 

in the future. When the incentives are finished, so is participation. In some settings, this attitude has

become so pervasive that community members insist that they be compensated for their participation. Some organizations, fearful that the community will not participate in the mobilization effort, 

decide to give in to this practice, further increasing demand and dependency. Other organizations 

maintain that they will only work with those communities that are interested in helping themselves. 

When community members refuse to participate without incentives, the organization moves on to 

find a community that will participate without incentives or works with those individuals who forgo

external material rewards. 

Peace Corps Volunteers, who have few or no material incentives to offer, usually opt for the latter 

approach—they work with those individuals who are willing to forgo material rewards. But in communities where a strong precedent for incentives has been set by other organizations, this can be a 

challenging road to travel. The important thing is to remember to be consistent with the long-term 

aims of the project and the Peace Corps’ core values and principles. If you can get two or three 

people involved, others may become more interested and join the dialogue and work. 

Barriers and Resistance to

Participation by Community Members

Undoubtedly, it would be easier for you and your Counterpart/team to work only with those people 

who show up in response to a general announcement, but this may not be the wisest or most effective strategy if you truly want to reach priority groups (“rounding up the usual suspects”). There 

are many reasons that people may not want to or be able to participate in a community mobilization 

process. People should be free to decide whether or not they want to participate. There are times, 

however, when people do want to participate but may have barriers to doing so such as:

•	 Limited physical access to meeting sites

•	 Cultural limits to mobility and participation (e.g., women in purdah, caste structures, age, etc.)

•	 Family members or others prohibiting an individual’s participation (often husbandsinitially object

to their wives participating in meetings because they may not see the benefit, particularly if no

tangible incentives are provided)

•	 Opportunity costs of participation (“If I attend this meeting, I am forgoing something else that

may be more beneficial to me or my family.”)

•	 Low self-esteem (“I wouldn’t have anything to contribute.”)

You and your Counterpart need to listen to community members to be able to identify the barriers 

to participation and work with interested ones who would like to participate to develop strategies 

to overcome barriers. Often, those most affected by the issues you are working on are experiencing 

the greatest barriers to participation. 

[Adapted by permission from How to Mobilize Communities for Health and Social Change (draft form). Lisa HowardGrabman and Gail Snetro. Save the Children Federation, Westport, CT.]
6 Peace Corps

WORKING WITH GROUPS 

TO MOBILIZE THE COMMUNITY

Why is group organizing so important to the community development process? Some of the reasons 

follow. You may be able to think of others, too. 

•	 Collective action often creates more power to advocate for changes in policies, relationships,

resource allocation, access, etc., or brings life to inactive or ignored policies and systems that 

are supportive of healthy communities. 

•	 Combined resources can be stronger and more effective than uncoordinated individual resources.

•	 Community members gain awareness that they are not alone in their concern about and experience with development issues (health, environment, income generation, education, agriculture, 

youth development, and so on.) 

•	 Group experiences can create conditions for new leaders to emerge and for leaders and other

group members to practice new skills.

•	 Working with existing groups may strengthen these groups’ capacity to effectively address

development issues. 

•	 Newly established groups may evolve into local organizations or institutions that continue to

work on the particular technical focus or similar issues.

WORKING WITH EXISTING GROUPS

As part of getting to know your community, you will likely find numerous groups that already exist

for various purposes. These may include social clubs, sports teams, support groups, professional 

associations, church groups, and so forth. As you begin to explore the various interests and needs in 

the community, especially those related to your technical assignment area, you will have to make 

some decisions about whether to work with some of these existing groups or organize new ones. 

The advantages of using existing groups include the following:

•	 Avoidance of delays in start-up. Extra time is not needed to organize new groups and give members time to become acquainted.

•	 Group cohesion. In existing groups the group dynamics have already been worked out. The group 

is usually stable and cohesive and can turn its attention to new topics.
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 7

•	 Trust. Over the course of many discussions, group members develop a common bond and learn 

to trust each other. This trusting relationship enables them to have a more open discussion about 

the realities of their lives.

•	 Altruism. Group members have demonstrated their interest in giving support to others. 

On the other hand, trying to build on existing community groups is not always successful. Disadvantages may include some of the following:

•	 Inflexibility. Groups may not be open to adding new topics or tasks, or to organizing in different 

ways than they are accustomed.

•	 Dependency on incentives. Groups that were formed to receive to some tangible benefit, such as

food or agricultural supplements, may not be motivated to attend group meetings when concrete 

incentives are not provided.

•	 Dysfunctional formats. Some groups may be structured in ways that discourage the active participation of all group members. Also, existing groups may have fallen into patterns that discourage 

new ways of thinking and problem solving. Changing the dynamics of group composition may 

help the group get out of the rut.

•	 Existing structures may perpetuate inequities that may contribute to some of the development

issues (for example, poor health, inequitable education opportunities, restrictions on small 

business, and so on). When minority subgroups are excluded from participation in existing 

groups, their issues are not included on the community agenda and their needs remain 

unarticulated and unmet. 

[Adapted by permission from How to Mobilize Communities for Health and Social Change (draft form). Lisa HowardGrabman and Gail Snetro. Save the Children Federation, Westport, CT. Original source for text on working with existing 

groups from Mother Support Groups: A Review of Experiences in Developing Countries. BASICS. 1998.]
8 Peace Corps

Community Leaders

There are many types of informal leaders in your community, in addition 

to the formal leaders. Do you know who they are? Do you know how 

to work with them and get them to want to work with you? 

Community leaders generally include:

•	 Natural Leaders: They attract the trust of the community members and usually have a lot of common sense, integrity, and concern 

for others. Natural leaders are not easily identified because they are

not looking for power for themselves. They may not have much 

formal education or speak out much at public meetings, but they 

know the community very well and are familiar with its conditions 

and concerns. Examples of natural leaders might be a healer, owner 

of a grocery store, successful farmer, barber, soccer team captain, 

bartender, and so on.

•	 Institutional Leaders: They are connected with religious, educational, government, or 

non-government institutions. They have power within their respective institution and prestige 

and influence in the community. They may be appointed or elected to their position. If they don’t

approve of something (project, new idea, or process), the community is likely to reject it. 

•	 Prestige Leaders: These people have wealth and social position in the community, are 

usually well educated, and may even have traveled extensively. Prestige leaders often belong to 

families that have had influence in the community for many years and they guide many of the

social areas of the community. They are usually very concerned with “losing face.”

•	 Specialty Leaders: They have a particular field of expertise and are sought out by community

members for advice. They may have started out poor, but have now “made it.” They may have 

taken a risk to start a business and have achieved much success at it. They are known for acting 

carefully and giving sound advice.

•	 Voluntary Leaders: These people offer their energy and time to community and public 

causes that they believe in. They usually have definite ideas about what should be done and how

it should be done. They have energy and motivation, but probably not much time to research an 

issue. They are likely to be in the limelight because they are persuasive and may have garnered 

honors and awards. They are usually talented organizers and good spokespeople on behalf of 

a cause. 

[Adapted from The New Role of the Volunteer in Development Manual. Peace Corps. 1984. (ICE T0005)]
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 9

PARTICIPATORY ANALYSIS TOOLS

AND METHODOLOGY

Participatory analysis is a methodology to help community members assess where they are in their 

development and decide where they want to go in the future. (“Community” here refers to more 

than a geographic location — it may also mean neighborhood, institution, organization, professional 

group, or affinity group.) Using toolssuch asresource mapping,seasonal calendars, and institutional

relationships diagrams, the community: 

•	 Identifies and describes the resources, characteristics, and conditions of which it is composed.

•	 Organizes the information or data about the community in ways that make it easier to analyze

(that is, puts the data in the form of a map, diagram, matrix, or other graphic).

•	 Identifies and prioritizes changes it wants to make or issues it wants to address

•	 Prepares to move forward into concrete planning of specific community actions.

Peace Corps Volunteers and other development workers have been using participatory analysis tools 

and methods with community groups for several years now. Generally, the Volunteer’s role has been 

to (a) introduce the community to the tools, (b) suggest appropriate tools for the type of analysis the 

community wants, and (c) serve as a co-facilitator at least the first time the community conducts the

assessment activities. Given the substantive discussion that goes on during the analysis, the facilitators need good communication skills. As such, this is an excellent opportunity to team with your 

Counterpart or someone else who has a good command of the local language. 

ADVANTAGES OF PARTICIPATORY ANALYSIS TOOLS

Community Mobilization – The analysis is carried out in the community, under the responsibility of its members and with their active participation. Through participation, community members

raise their consciousness about their reality and what can be done to transform it.

Use of Visual Techniques – Semiliterate people participate more effectively when they use 

visual techniques for gathering, analyzing, and presenting information. These tools make use of 

maps, diagrams, and other graphics, which people design, interpret, comment on, adapt, and make 

corrections to during the exercises. 

Promotion of Grass-roots Development – The participatory methodology allows members to search for solutions in accordance with local criteria and priorities in areas such as technical 

and social feasibility, sustainability, cost, and the role of participants. 
10 Peace Corps

Partnership building and Collaboration with External Institutions – The participatory process provides a space in which community members and development workers can get 

to know each other better, clarify roles, and build trust over time. It also helps communities identify 

where they may need help from other groups to achieve a particular goal. 

Giving Everyone a Voice – The methodology encourages and offers a means for participation by all people, including men, women, youth, children, the elderly, and other diverse sectors of 

the community.

Integration of Themes – History, geography, social aspects, economy, and production themes 

are analyzed in relation to one another.

Low Cost – The materials used in applying the tools are low cost and easy to obtain.

Convenience – The analysis is done in or near the community and the activities may be scheduled 

around daily work routines. 

LIMITATIONS IN THE APPLICATION OF THE TOOLS

•	 False expectations can be raised in the community, especially regarding financial support. Sometimes community members will expect the development worker to bring funding in once they’ve 

all participated in and finished the assessment activities.

•	 Some of the information obtained through the activities can be superficial, false, or exaggerated.

•	 Every sector of the community is not always adequately represented (women, children, the elderly,

the landless, ethnic and religious groups)

•	 Community members may have trouble reading and understanding some of the matrices and

diagrams used in the tools. 

GENDER PERSPECTIVE IN PARTICIPATORY ANALYSIS

Gender perspective means learning about and taking into consideration the characteristics that 

distinguish women’s and men’s roles in a given society. These include: work, family and/or social 

responsibilities, behaviors, values, preferences, fears, activities, and expectations that society assigns 

in differentiated ways to men and women. 

It is helpful to understand the differences between “gender” and “sex” in the context of development work. Gender refers to the socially or culturally established roles of men and women. These 

roles will vary from one culture to another and will change over time. Sex refers exclusively to the 

biological differences between men and women. 

By analyzing gender roles, you are exploring the different needs and roles of men and women and, 

in some cases, how these might be changed. Adopting a gender perspective does not mean working 

exclusively with women. Its true significance is its recognition of the need to integrate women as

well as men, and girls as well as boys, into the processes of change. 
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 11

In the context of these participatory tools and activities, gender analysis identifies men’s and women’s 

points of view, criteria, and desires for change equally, giving them the same value when decisions 

have to be taken, activities implemented, and benefits distributed.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR USING 

PARTICIPATORY TOOLS AND METHODS

1.	 Define your community including all representative segments(gender, ethnicity, age, economic,

and educational groups)—for example, a school, a group of chicken farmers, a women’s co-op, 

a village.

2. Involve all representative segments from the community in the entire assessment process. 

3. View members of the community as partners, not objects to be studied.

4. Conduct the activities in the local language and at the site of the community.

5. Identify and respect local protocol.

6. Whenever possible, have a community member or agency partner work with you in carrying 

out the activities.

7. Prepare the community beforehand. [For details see PACA: Participatory Analysis for Community Action. Peace Corps. 1996. (ICE M0053)]

8. Remember that the overall goal is to build the community’s capacity to take action.
12 Peace Corps

SELECTED PARTICIPATORY ANALYSIS TOOLS 

Community Mapping

In community resource mapping, community members make a graphical representation of the 

community. Drawn on paper or on the ground, the map shows spheres of activity spatially over the 

landscape. It can be used in various settings to locate current resources, activity centers, institutions, 

and other areas frequented by the groups developing the map. It can be used in small communities, 

neighborhoods of larger communities or cities, workplaces, training centers, classrooms, and organizations to identify differences in perceptions, assets, needs, access to power, and so on. 

Once the maps are drawn, additional instructions can be given to enhance the information. For 

example, participants may be asked to indicate places they frequent daily, weekly, less often; places 

they like to be and others they dislike; what they would like to have that is not there (more land, 

school, clinic, store, transportation, repaired roads, and so on). After subgroups have completed 

their maps, they post and explain them to each other. This provides a more complete picture, as each 

perspective adds to the whole. The discussion of the maps can lead to identification of issues to be

addressed and potential projects they wish to undertake, or simply supply a baseline for measuring 

future activities. 

[For instructions and tips on using Community Mapping see PACA: ParticipatoryAnalysisfor CommunityAction. Peace 

Corps. 1996. (ICE M0053)] 

Example of Community Mapping
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 13

Daily Activity Schedules

In this activity, participants (women, men, girls, and boys) re-create a timeline of their daily activities that describes their gender and age roles in terms of labor. Most households have weekly and 

seasonal variations in tasks, and several schedules may be needed to get the whole picture. Information from Daily Activity Schedules may be important when determining who will need to train 

for a particular project, when in the day (or season) meetings and training events can take place, 

what type of labor-saving interventions might be possible, and how changes might impact different 

families and family members. 

[For instructions and tips on using Daily Activity Schedules see PACA: Participatory Analysis for Community Action. 

Peace Corps. 1996. (ICE M0053)]

Example of Daily Activity Schedule

Time Typical Day for Boys Typical Day for Girls

Jemal Fatma 

Kassem Salem 

Esaw Welesh 

Tesfaalem Helen 

6:00 am Wake up, wash face,

prepare for school

6:30-7:00 am Go to school Wake up, wash, eat, 

 put on uniform

8:00-10:00 am Help parents with food, 

 washing clothes, gardening, 

 do homework

11:00 am Eat

11:30 am Go to school

12:30 pm Go home, wash hands

1:30 pm Eat (cook if in boarding 

school), sleep, study, sports; 

get water from well, wash 

clothes and harvest (if in 

boarding school)

6:00 pm Go home

8:00 pm Eat dinner, watch TV (in city), Eat, wash dishes, watch TV

do homework (in city)

9:00-10:00 pm Go to sleep

10:00-11:00 pm Go to sleep
14 Peace Corps

Seasonal Calendar

Seasonal calendars trace seasonal variations in labor activities, income flow, and expenditure patterns. They can include various other factors: weather patterns, crops and animal production, plant 

and animal diseases, human health patterns, and social obligations and events. Many households 

experience periods of economic or other stresses, and these variations may have differential impacts on sex, age, and other subgroups. An understanding of these seasonal variations is important 

to the development of community activities. For example, the calendar can be used to determine 

opportunities for new productive activities, or conversely, the potential difficulties in adding activities to an already “full” calendar. Or in another example, the calendar might pinpoint when certain 

members of the household are overburdened with work and can open a discussion of whether these 

labor bottlenecks should be addressed in a project. 

[For instructions and tips for using seasonal calendars see PACA: Participatory Analysis for Community Action. Peace 

Corps. 1996. (ICE M0053)] 

Example of Seasonal Calendar
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 15

Institutional Relationships Diagram (Venn Diagram)

The Venn diagram shows existing community groups, institutions, and their social relations. The 

diagram is a type of social map of the community. It can provide insight into which individuals and 

groups have influence on decision making, as well as the relationships between the community and

outside forces, such as development agencies or the government. The diagram is usually designed 

on the ground, a floor, or a table with the community. Paper can be cut to different sizes to represent

different groups or institutions (women’s groups, artisan cooperatives, health committees, NGOs, 

agricultural extension office, and others). The larger the piece the more influence that group has in

the community. Designs placed inside a drawn circle represent individuals and groups in the community. If the cards touch or overlap it means there is some interaction or social network between 

the groups. The designs placed outside the circle represent organizations external to the community. 

Arrows are drawn to show how outside organizations interact with the community. Some questions 

you can ask while using a Venn diagram include:

•	 Which people or groups have power to make rules concerning _______ resources? (sector

specific)

•	 How do they work together? What happens when there is a conflict?

•	 What are women’s roles in decision making? In decisions on resource management? What are

men’s roles?

•	 What kinds of help or barriers come from outside the community concerning _____ ? (sector

specific projects/activities)

[Venn diagram description is adapted by permission from How to Mobilize Communities for Health and Social Change

(draft form). Lisa Howard-Grabman and Gail Snetro. Save the Children Federation, Westport, CT.] 

[See the Participatory RuralAppraisal and Planning (PRAP) Workbook. David Selener, Nelly Endara, and José Carajal. 

IIRR. 1999, for additional instructions and tips on using Venn diagrams.]

Example of a Venn Diagram

Men and women ranked each community organization’s importance (larger 

cut-out circles more important; smaller less important) within their village. As 

noted, men and women ranked the organizations differently. This exercise 

done by Trainees provided an insight into organizations and about attitudes 

toward them by both men and women from differing gender viewpoints.

example of institutional relationship diagram (venn diagram)

Men’s Perceptions

Soccer

Club

Church

Well

Committee

Men’s

Association Bar

Municipality School

Youth

Club

Women’s Perceptions

Bar

Health Clinic

Youth

Club

Well

Committee

Church

Municipality

School

Women’s Club
16 Peace Corps

Decision/Feasibility Matrix

The decision or feasibility matrix is a tool that may be used to help the community rank the relative 

importance or feasibility of proposed changes and solutions from several perspectives in an ordered 

and systematic way. In this technique, community members begin by discussing the proposed changes 

and solutions to ensure everyone understands the issues and options. After discussion, some of the 

changes or solutions may be combined or written as one clear item. Then, the group determines the 

criteria it will use to analyze and rank the options. Possible criteria include: productivity, sustainability, equity, time required to accomplish, costs, technical feasibility, social feasibility, and others. 

Once the criteria are established, group members discuss and agree on a ranking for each option 

under consideration. 

[For instructions and tips on using a Decision/Feasibility Matrix see PACA: Participatory Analysis for Community Action. Peace Corps. 1996. (ICE M0053)]

Solution/ Acceptability Sustainability Cost Benefits largest

Desired change to community number of people

Item 1 

Item 2

Item 3

Item 4 

Example of a Decision/Feasibility Matrix

The Chinese use two characters to write CRISIS.

One means opportunity,

the other means problem.
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 17

Building Intentional Relationships and Networks

When you begin your service in your community, you must meet your neighbors on both literal and 

figurative levels. Make a direct and focused effort to get acquainted with young and old neighbors,

town officers, bus and boat drivers, post office personnel, teachers, principals, shop owners, youth

workers, local NGO staff, governmental workers, members and leaders of local churches, business 

owners and managers, and anyone else who makes up part of the fabric of your community. The more 

you have sustained conversations with these folks, the more you become aware of their capacities, 

the personal assets they bring to community and organizational development. As you go about this 

style of networking, you will begin to notice potential linkages between individuals, groups, and 

institutions — linkages that lead to involvement and action. 

Tips for successful contact with people in the community

•	 Fact-finding—learn about the people you’re

interested in contacting; find someone who

knows them and ask a few questions.

•	 Walk by—get a feel for their workplace or

house.

•	 Participate with them in activity settings—the

market, sports field, informal meeting places,

dance clubs, porches, etc.

•	 Make a courtesy call—a brief “drop-in” visit;

a quick phone call; perhaps use a third person to schedule an appointment (if culturally 

appropriate).

•	 Explore areas of mutual interest—make a connection on a personal basis; look for shared 

ideas, beliefs, and/or values in conversation.

•	 Emphasize “process,” not “product.” Without

hurrying the relationship, look for appropriate 

opportunities to introduce collaborative activity. 

•	 Beware of people who seem to be overly eager

to please you, such as the “hangers-on.”

•	 Remember that every community has “quiet”

leaders—you may be talking to one!

[Adapted from a workshop in assets-based approaches 

and project planning conducted in Peace Corps/Western 

Samoa, 1996.] 

Reflection

Question

Consider the title of this 

piece — “building intentional 

relationships and networks.” 

What does it mean to you? 

Have you ever done this? 

Think about the social and 

professional networks you 

had in the U.S. before coming 

overseas. Who were the 

people or groups in your 

networks? How did you “find” 

them and get to know them 

in such a way that you were 

willing to be supportive and 

collaborate with one another? 

How might you apply this 

experience to building 

intentional relationships in 

your new community here? 
18 Peace Corps

Individual/Group/

Institutional Capacities: 

Linking People who Know with

People Who Want to Learn

As you begin to learn about your community’s resources and capacities, remember that people 

have been living, learning, and achieving there for a long time. They have a multitude of skills and 

knowledge that may be tapped for community action toward desired goals. The key is not only to 

recognize who has what skills/expertise but also to connect “people who know” with “people who 

want to learn.”

As a Volunteer, you can help your community identify the capacities of its individual members, 

associations, and organizations by using participatory analysis tools (mapping, Venn diagrams, and 

so forth) and through your own intentional efforts to build relationships and networks (see previous 

page). In the process of seeking out and valuing individuals’ skills and knowledge, both you and 

the community members will begin to see potential linkages that can lead to “those who know” 

teaching or assisting “those who want to learn.” Ideas for small doable projects or activities will 

often just suggest themselves. These can be ideas that may or may not surface in more traditional 

needs surveys or assessments. The diagram on the following page illustrates some of the linkages 

and partnerships that may be built from individual and group capacities. 

[For more ideas on creative partnerships, see Building Communities From the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and

Mobilizing A Community’s Assets. John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight. ACTA Publications. 1993.]
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 19

Building Relationships among Individuals, 

Community Groups, and Local Institutions

Find what works!

Build on successes!

Think creatively!

•	 Schools and firefighters conducting public fire-safety campaign

•	 Artists and craftspeople teaching in hospitals, schools

•	 Businesspeople tutoring in schools

•	 Youth group observing government in operation

•	 Senior citizens tutoring students

•	 Youth group leading tutoring and recreation program for preteens

•	 Marketing cooperative selling youth, senior, and hospital crafts

•	 Community nurse working with families to promote hygiene

•	 Bank supporting local businesses

•	 Police conducting young-adult recreation leagues

•	 Students performing for elderly and sick

[Text and diagram adapted with permission from Building Communities From the Inside Out:APath Toward Finding and Mobilizing A Community’s Assets. John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight. ACTA Publications. 1993.]

Village

Council

Student

Class

Marketing

Cooperative

Youth

Group

Church School

Hospital

Craftsperson

Farmer

Senior Citizen

Businessman
20 Peace Corps

 Youth Capacity Building Best Practices

In many developing countries, 75 percent or more of the 

population are youth under the age of 30. Although the 

concept of “youth as resources in development” is increasingly acknowledged, the practice of engaging youth 

in development activities as full partners is still not fully 

accepted. Meanwhile there is increasing concern about 

the status and employment of young people, particularly 

in countries transitioning from war with many demilitarized youth who have limited education and skills. The 

question becomes how to meet the needs of these youth to 

develop skills to earn a livelihood through engaging them 

in development.

The following list of best practices is offered for consideration in planning activities that focus 

on youth as resources in development activities. The intention is to help youth develop skills and 

competencies that they have an opportunity to practice while positively contributing to the development of their communities and nation. We hope this list will be tested further, evaluated, expanded, 

and refined as part of a growing trend toward identifying and relating to youth as full partners and

resources in development. 

•	 Give youth a seat at the table. Engage them as full contributing partners at all stages 

of program and activity planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

•	 Model and teach experiential learning.

•	 Advocate and provide internships, service learning, and mentoring as 

effective “hands-on-learning” approaches. Advocate and encourage communities and the public 

and private sectors to learn how to help youth gain skills through paid and volunteer services. 

•	 Provide opportunities for youth to develop a set of core skills that can be 

transferred to income-generating activities. Consider: project planning, budgeting, self-assessment 

and management, negotiation, teamwork, and conducting meetings.

•	 Focus on building human capacity rather than on quick and easy deliverables such 

as computers. For example, do not provide too many personal computers without building the 

human capacity to use and apply the tools to solve real life issues and problems. 

•	 Proactively select partners when engaging youth. Use carefully constructed 

criteria linked to the objectives of the activity for selecting youth as partners. Be as open and 

transparent about the criteria and selection process as the situation permits. (Not every young 

person has the personality and people skills to become a trainer-of-trainers or a community 

development outreach coordinator.)

Development without

including youth is not

sustainable.

— Virginia Gobeli
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 21

•	 Build on strengths. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use localized, tested training materials and 

resources. Help youth and members of the community appreciate what they do have as local 

resources (human, natural, social, and financial resources within the community).

[Adapted with permission from Report on USAID/USDA Youth Initiative Pilots in Uganda and Zambia, March 2000.]

Never doubt that a small group

of committed citizens 

can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing

that ever has.

— Margaret Mead
22 Peace Corps

The Ladder of Participation

Many development programs claim to involve children actively in the process. Roger Hart, a leading authority on environmental education, has studied hundreds of “children’s programs” and found 

many of them lacking in the true involvement of children in shaping their own and their communities’ 

futures. He adopted the metaphor of the “Ladder of Participation” to guide adults in critical thinking about how to support the involvement of children to the maximum of their desire and capacity. 

Most important, the ladder is meant to show what is not participation—that is, the types of programs described on the bottom three rungs of the ladder. The other five rungs of the ladder describe

programs of true participation. All children may operate on one of these levels depending on their 

ability and interest in the particular project. This conceptual view does not mean that projects at level 

8 (totally child-initiated) are better than projects at level 4 (still adult-initiated). It means that adults 

should create the conditions and opportunities for children to work at whatever levels they choose. 

1. Manipulation. If children have no understanding of the issues and hence do not understand 

their actions, then this is manipulation. One example is that of preschool children carrying 

political placards concerning the impact of social policies on children.

2. Decoration. This refers to those frequent occasions when children are given T-shirts related 

to some cause, and may sing or dance at an event in such dress, but have little idea of what it 

is all about and no say in the organizing of the occasion. This is described as one rung up from 

“manipulation” as the adults do not pretend that the cause is inspired by children. They simply 

use children to bolster their cause in an indirect way. 

3. Tokenism. Children are apparently given a voice, but in fact have little or no choice about 

the subject or the style of communicating it, and little or no opportunity to formulate their own 

opinions. There are many more instances of tokenism than there are genuine forms of children’s 

participation. A good example is the token use of children on conference panels.

4. Assigned but informed. This rung of the ladder marks the start of true participation. To 

be truly labeled as participatory it is important that:

	 •	 The children understand the aims of the project.

	 •	 They know who made the decisions concerning their involvement and why.

	 •	 They have a meaningful (rather than “decorative”) role.

	 •	 They volunteer for the project after the project was made clear to them.

5. Consulted and informed. The project is designed and run by adults, but children 

understand the process and their opinions are treated seriously.
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 23

6. Adult-initiated, shared decisions with children. Though the projects at this level 

are initiated by adults, the decision making is shared with the young people. 

7. Child-initiated and -directed. Children in their play conceive of and carry out complex 

projects. When the conditions are supportive, even very young children can work cooperatively 

in large groups. 

8. Child-initiated, shared decisions with adults. Regrettably, projects like these, on 

the highest rung of the ladder of participation, are all too rare. This is not a result of the absence 

of a desire to be useful on the part of teenagers. Rather, it is the absence of caring adults attuned 

to the particular interests of young people.

Ladder of participation

8. Child-initiated, shared decisions 

with adults

7. Child-initiated and -directed

 

6. Adult-initiated, shared decisions 

with children

5. Consulted and informed

4. Assigned but informed

3. Tokenism

2. Decoration

1. Manipulation

Note: 

1-3 = Non-participation

4-8 = Degrees of participation

[Adapted by permission from Children’s participation: from tokenism to citizenship. Innocenti Essays. No. 4. 

Roger A. Hart. UNICEF, New York, NY, 1992. Origin of the “Ladder of Participation” is an essay on adult 

participation by Sherry Arnstein, 1969.]

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8
24 Peace Corps

Appreciative Inquiry as an

Organizational/Community

Change Process

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an approach to building capacity and fostering innovation within organizations, groups, and communities. It has 

been used successfully with a wide variety of organizations and groups 

within the United States and internationally, including government and 

non-government organizations, coalitions, communities, associations, 

and corporations.

Through Appreciative Inquiry, members of an organization or community focus on their past successes and existing strengths to collectively 

develop a common vision for the future and initiate action to achieve 

it. The art of appreciation is the art of discovering and valuing those 

factors that give life to an organization or group. The process involves 

interviewing and storytelling that draws on the best of the past to visualize and develop possibilities.

As a method of organizational development, Appreciative Inquiry differs from conventional managerial problem solving. In this problem-solving approach, the basic assumption seems to be that we 

can repair a human system much as we might repair a car or computer. If we fix the problems, the

organization will succeed. In contrast, the underlying assumption of Appreciative Inquiry is that 

organizations are solutions to be embraced. As human systems are designed to be creative and innovative, organizations are full of solutions. 

To lead an organization toward healthy change, AI uses a process called the 4-D Model. Within that 

model there are four phases:

Discovery Determining what gives life to an organization; what is happening when 

the organization is at its best

Dream Imagining what might be; what the world is calling the organization to be

Design Setting up ways to create the ideal as articulated by the whole 

organization

Delivery Establishing an ongoing and iterative process to carry out the design

The 4-D Model represents not some static solution, but rather a dynamic process of continuous 

change as illustrated in the following diagram. 
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 25

As you read through the following description of the 4-D Process, think about how it may apply to 

your role as a change agent in your community. If you want to learn more about Appreciative Inquiry, see the Resource section at the end of this Toolkit for listings of several excellent references. 

Discovery — Appreciating

In the discovery phase, the important task is to appreciate the best of “what is” by focusing on times 

of excellence when people have experienced the organization as most alive and effective. People 

have to let go of analysis of deficits (such as needs assessment) and carefully inquire into and learn

from even the smallest examples of high performance, success, and satisfaction. Using the interview 

guide (see box below), they tell stories about all the aspects of their organization: inspired leadership, 

helpful partnerships and networks, technologies that make work go more smoothly or facilitate better 

service, planning that encompasses new ideas and diverse people, opportunities to learn, and so on. 

The Appreciative Interview Guide

1. Best experience. Tell me about a time when you felt most alive, involved, fulfilled, 

and excited about your work. 

– What made it an exciting experience?

– What was your role or contribution? Who else was involved and what were their roles?

– What were the qualities that made it a positive experience?

2. Values.

– What do you value about yourself? Your work?

– What attracted you to this organization?

– What are the energizing factors that you feel give life and meaning to your 

organization?

3. Best practices and core values. 

– What are your organization’s best practices (the things it does well) and core values?

4. Three wishes.

– If you had three wishes for your organization, what would they be?

[Interview questions excerpted with permission from Strategic Planning:An InquiryApproach, CEDPA Training 

Series, Volume X. The Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), Washington, DC. 1999.]

THE 4-D PROCESS

Discovery

“The best of what is.”

Appreciating

DELIVERY

“How to empower,

learn, and adjust.”

Dreaming

“What might be?”

envisioning

Designing

“What should be.”

co-constructing
26 Peace Corps

Working through the discovery phase, people 

share stories of exceptional accomplishments 

and discuss best practices of the organization. 

The interview data will help the group locate, 

illuminate, and understand the distinctive 

strengths that give the organization life and 

vitality when it is functioning at its best. 

Dream — 

Envisioning the Future

In this phase, participants envision a preferred 

future for the group (an NGO, a cooperative, 

a school—whatever its composition). They 

engage in conversations about the group’s 

potential, its mission, and the unique contribution it can make to people’s well-being. For 

many, this will be the first time they have been

invited to think great thoughts and create great 

possibilities. As the group imagines the future, 

they are grounded in the positive examples of 

the past. Like an artist’s paintbrush, the stories 

of unique and joyful moments in the past create 

a vibrant image of the future. 

Engaging in dreaming and visioning takes 

people beyond what they thought was possible. This is the time to wonder about the 

group’s greatest potential. “Five years from 

now what are we doing that is exciting, and 

worthwhile?” Participants create statements in 

the present tense that describe the ideal future 

as if it were already happening. Sometimes 

it’s helpful to prompt people with the phrase 

“what if” and then ask them to complete the 

sentence by stating a possibility. For example, 

“What if...we keep our clinic open during 

the hours most convenient to our clients?” 

One of the dreams might then be, “Our clinic 

services are accessible to our clients — we 

accommodate their work schedules and make 

it as easy as possible for them to use the clinic 

and its resources.” 

World Vision —

Community Capacity 

Building in 

West Tanzania

...We began with the Discovery step 

of the Appreciative Inquiry process 

by asking such questions as, “As 

a people of Kagera Region, what 

are you most proud of? Share some 

stories concerning your most valued 

traditions. What are your best practices 

in farming? Why have you been so 

successful in formal education and 

schooling? What core factors make 

life in Kagera possible?” At first the 

villagers stared at us wondering where 

our facilitation was leading. Then one 

teacher stood to say that the villagers 

have many problems. The children 

were dying of measles, the youth were 

dying of AIDS, the mothers did not 

have access to prenatal services, the 

fathers did not have enough money 

to pay school fees for their children, 

and the grandparents were left to 

care for the children whose parents 

had died of AIDS. Other villagers 

added more and more problems to 

the teacher’s list. We listened to their 

stories attentively and sensitively. Then 

we asked them if anything was working 

in the community. We requested them 

to focus for a moment on what is 

present in the village, the assets, the 

capacities, the pride of its residents, the 

cooperative and institutional base of 

the community, not on what is absent, 

or on what is problematic, or on what 

the community needs. To our surprise, 

the mood changed to one of laughter 

and clapping once the villagers, one 

after another, started narrating the 

good news stories of the proud people 

of Kagera.

[Adapted by permission from the paper 

“Capacity-Building using the Appreciative 

Inquiry Approach: The experience of World 

Vision Tanzania.” Dirk Bouy. 1998. Paper 

is included in Appreciative Inquiry in Action: A Practitioner’s Manual. The Global 

Excellence in Management (GEM) Project, 

Washington, DC.]
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 27

Design —

Co-Constructing/Aligning with the Ideal

During the design phase, the group members move from the image they have created together of 

their desired future and begin to design a “social architecture” that will support their shared dreams. 

This step requires careful consideration and dialogue on the part of all the group members about 

what the structure and processes of the organization will be. Possibilities are raised by the kinds of 

questions asked: What kind of leadership structure do we need and how do we want our leaders to 

act? What is our strategy for moving toward our shared vision? How can we organize ourselves to 

work together to get there? Who should be our partners in development? Are these strategies and 

processes congruent with the values reflected in our possibility statements?

Delivery — Sustaining

In the last phase of the 4-D cycle, the delivery phase, group members work together on an implementation strategy or action plan for moving forward in the immediate future. They make commitments and begin to take action. The emphasis is on becoming a “learning organization” in which 

all members are committed to continuous learning, adjustment, and innovation in support of their 

shared vision. The key to sustaining momentum is to build an “appreciative eye” into all the systems, 

procedures, and ways of working together. 

The appreciative inquiry process does not end with this final stage. It is a continuous process of

discovery, learning, and innovation. 

[Adapted by permission from Appreciative Inquiry in Action: A Practitioner’s Manual. The Global Excellence in Management (GEM) Project, Washington, DC.]

If one is not in a hurry,

even an egg will start walking.

— Ethiopian Proverb
28 Peace Corps

Diffusion of Innovations

As a development worker, you will be actively involved in the “diffusion of innovations,” such as 

communicating and promoting new practices and ideas. An understanding of the process of diffusion 

will give you insights into how to go about promoting new ideas and how to gauge the effectiveness 

of your activities over time. Here is a discussion of the basic theory. 

Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over 

time among the members of a social system. 

An innovation is an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or group. 

It doesn’t matter if the idea is really new—it could have already been around for years. If the idea 

seems new to the individual or group, it is an innovation. Once approximately 10-25% of the population has adopted an innovation, the adoption rate accelerates. In other words, the innovation “takes 

off.” [The use of cell phones is one such example.] 

People see innovations in a number of ways that influence how soon they adopt them.

1. Relative advantage is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as better than the 

idea or practice it supersedes. Relative advantage may be measured in terms of economics, 

social prestige, convenience, and/or satisfaction. 

2. Compatibility is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent with 

the existing values, past experience, and needs of the potential adopters. An idea that is not 

compatible with the prevalent values and norms of a social system will not be adopted as 

rapidly as an innovation that is compatible. An example of an incompatible innovation is the 

encouragement of condom use for HIV prevention in Roman Catholic nations. 

3. Complexity is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as difficult to understand

and use. For example, in some water and sanitation projects, health workers tried to explain 

germ theory to villagers as a reason they should boil their drinking water. The villagers did not 

understand the theory as presented and did not adopt the practice. 

4. Trialability is the degree to which an innovation can be experimented with on a limited 

basis. New ideas that can be tried on the installment plan will generally be adopted more quickly 

than innovations that are “all or nothing.” For example, farmers will often try out a new crop 

variety by planting a small plot to see if it will work in the local environment.

5. Observability is the degree to which the results of an innovation are visible to others. The 

easier it is for people to see the results of an innovation, the more likely they are to adopt it. 

Such visibility stimulates peer discussion of a new idea. For example, one or two local artisans 

might adopt the innovation of staying open later on certain evenings to attract tourist groups; 

other artisans notice the new business traffic and begin to experiment with extended hours and

services, too.
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 29

Communication Channels

Communication channels are the means by 

which messages get from one individual to 

another. Mass media channels are often the 

most efficient means to inform an audience

about the existence of an innovation—that is, to 

create awareness. Mass media channels (radio, 

television, Internet, newspapers, and so on) 

enable a source of one or a few individuals to 

reach an audience of many. On the other hand, 

interpersonal channels are more effective in 

persuading an individual to adopt a new idea, 

especially if the interpersonal channels link 

two or more individuals who are near-peers. 

Interpersonal channels involve face-to-face 

exchange between two or more individuals. 

Results from studies show that most individuals 

do not evaluate an innovation on the basis of 

scientific studies. Instead, most people depend

mainly upon the opinions and experiences of 

other individuals like themselves who have 

previously adopted the innovation.

The Innovation Decision

Process

There are five main steps in the adoption of an

innovation:

1. Knowledge (the innovation exists)

2. Persuasion (a favorable attitude)

3. Decision (to try it)

4. Implementation (trying it)

5.	 Confirmation (permanent or long-term

adoption of the innovation)

A sixth step, discontinuance, may occur. This 

is a later decision to reject the innovation that 

had previously been adopted. 

Reflection

Question

Think about a time when you 

were persuaded or influenced to 

consider and adopt a new idea 

or practice. The innovation might 

have been to stop doing something 

(such as stop smoking), to start 

doing/using something (such as 

buy and start using a cell phone), 

or to make a significant change 

in a process (such as change your 

major in college, change your 

job or career). Once you have 

centered on a particular example 

of “change” in your life, analyze it

for a few minutes:

•	 Who was involved in promoting

the innovation? Who persuaded 

or influenced you? What about 

this person/these people made 

you want to listen and take 

action?

•	 What aspects about the

proposed innovation made 

it appealing? Was it easy or 

difficult to adopt this change? 

Why?
30 Peace Corps

Role of Opinion Leaders in Diffusion of Innovation

Every society has certain people who are influential in forming opinions. This is a type of informal

leadership rather than a function of the individual’s position or status in the system. Opinion leadership is earned and maintained by the individual’s technical competence, social accessibility, and 

conformity to the system’s norms. They can be quite crucial to a community’s adopting or rejecting 

an innovation. 

One of the most striking characteristics of opinion leaders is their unique and influential position

in their system’s communication structure: they are at the center of interpersonal communication 

networks. The opinion leader’s interpersonal networks allow him or her to serve as a social model 

whose innovative behavior is imitated by many other members of the system. The influence and

respect the opinion leader holds can be lost, however, as happens when the leader deviates too far 

from the norms of his or her system. There is research evidence that opinion leaders can be “worn 

out” by change agents who overuse them. Opinion leaders may be perceived by their peers as being too much like the change agents, and may therefore lose their credibility with their followers.

[Adapted with the permission of The Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., from Diffusion of Innovations by 

Everett M. Rogers. Copyright 1982, 1971, 1963 by the Free Press.] 

We must be the change

we wish to see in the world.

— Mohandas Ghandi
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 31

Stories from the Field: 

Madagascar 

When a Volunteer first wrote from hersite she asked, “Who is my community?” She had been placed

at a forest station that serves as a zoo and captive breeding center for endangered lemurs. While her 

job to assist with developing environmental education programs and materials was well defined,

she wanted to do more with community development. The problem was that she was a long way 

from the closest village, with its market and community center. Her day-to-day contact was with 

the other people who worked and lived at the zoo. Well, she figured, I’ll make them my community.

The results turned into something much bigger than she ever imagined.

Located on a forestry station, Ivoloina Zoological Park is visited each year by thousands of Malagasy visitors. Zoo workers have the right to do a little farming there to produce some of their food 

needs. When she arrived, they mostly just grew rice. She asked around and found that there was a 

great interest from the park personnel in doing more with the small tracts of land they were given. 

The workers and their families worked with her to develop a project plan and proposal to train 

themselves in small animal production, beekeeping, agroforestry, and improved farming practices. 

In her last report she wrote “as of the end of September, all the houses have been built and populated 

with their respective chickens and ducks. Many of the local material hives already have bees in 

them.... There really is no other project like this going on in our area so I feel that the potential to 

pass this [information] on is high. I also feel like this is paving the way for Ivoloina to truly become 

a regional leader in conservation.”

Malawi

A knock at the door of my hut. I came to see who it was—a scout standing on my doorstep holding 

a homemade muzzle-loader gun. A water pipe as the barrel, a tree as the casing—the kind of weapon 

commonly used for poaching by local communities. Skipping the traditional greeting, I immediately 

asked, “Where did you get that?”

“A villager gave it to me, a member of the Natural Resource Committee we’ve been working with. 

They’ve been talking to the poachers, convincing them that the Wildlife Reserve is a good thing. 

One of the notorious poachers handed over his gun—he said he was finished poaching—and that

this would prove it to the village and to the government.” 

Over the next eight months, 27 firearms were voluntarily handed over by local villagers to the

Department of National Parks and Wildlife. An official “Handing Over Ceremony” was held on 5

August 1998, presided over by the Honorable Minister of Tourism, Parks, and Wildlife. 

— A Parks and Wildlife Volunteer, Malawi
32 Peace Corps

Ideas and Activities

for Practicing Your Role

as a Change Agent

Practicing Participatory

Analysis Tools

Purpose

Because participatory analysis tools promote lively and oftentimes powerful conversations among 

participants, they require “facilitation finesse.” Some Volunteers have tried to conduct participatory

analysis in their communities without first adequately practicing the tools—the results have been

dismal more often than not. You will do yourself and your community groups a big favor by practicing these techniques in “safe” situations until you feel comfortable with the process and smooth 

with the local language. 

Activity

There are several ways to get practice time with these tools before you attempt them in your community. At the beginning of PST, you can practice the tools with other Trainees and trainers in 

English, in the host language, or using a “half-and-half approach.” Later on, when your language 

skills are stronger, you can practice the activities with your host family and/or other “safe” groups 

in the training community. 

Once at your site, you can invite someone who already has experience (another Volunteer, an NGO 

leader, your Program Manager, or others) to co-facilitate with you in your first real participatory

analysis workshop with the community. Or conversely, you might ask if you can attend and assist 

at one of their workshops where they are using some of the tools. 

Here are a few specific ideas to get you started:

Community Mapping Tool

See the Toolkit: Volunteer as Learner for ideas on practicing this tool.
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 33

Daily Activities Schedules

Practice this tool by shadowing members of your host family during training. Draft what you 

think their daily activities involve and ask them to check and correct your work. If your language 

skills are developed enough, ask them some questions about their roles and responsibilities, and 

what they wish they could change. 

Seasonal Calendar

There are several options for practicing this tool, depending on your language skill:

•	 Make a seasonal calendar with your language trainers, asking them to play themselves,

or assume the roles of local community members.

•	 Make a calendar with a group of Volunteers who work in the same technical program or

with your program manager.

•	 Team with other Trainees, Volunteers, or Counterparts who have strong language skills

and practice the seasonal calendar with a local support group or club that has some 

familiarity with participatory activities. 

Institutional (Venn) Diagrams

In language class, make a Venn diagram of your own community, neighborhood, or school back 

in the U.S. Share your diagrams with one another and analyze them for common elements and 

interesting differences. 

Ask your trainers to help you organize a small group of local community members to do a 

Venn diagram with you and your Trainee teammates. Ask your language instructor to help you 

formulate the instructions for creating the diagram and some “safe” questions for the analysis 

part of the activity. Use your language resources wisely—have the Trainees with the strongest 

language skills lead the discussion portion of the activity. 

A final reminder: When you are ready to facilitate participatory analysis tools and activities 

in your community, remember that the process is as important as the outcome or the products. 

Let community members build the maps and diagrams themselves, give them opportunities to 

share their ideas and opinions with one another, pose questions that help them think critically 

about their roles and resources, listen for their desires and aspirations, and learn from them. 
34 Peace Corps

Having a Conversation about Leadership

Consider the set of questions listed below. First, think about your own individual 

views about “leadership,” then sit around with a few of your American friends (fellow Trainees or Volunteers) and have a conversation about the theme. After that, 

pose some of these same questions to your host family or other friends in the local 

community and listen to what they say about “leadership.” 

•	 What are the qualities of a good leader—that is, what kind of a person is a

good leader?

•	 What are the functions of a leader—that is, what does a leader do?

•	 What are the benefits of playing a leadership role in groups?

•	 What are the stresses connected to being a leader?

•	 What kind of support do people in a leadership capacity need from others?

•	 Who in history or in your life has been a good leader in your opinion? Why

do you think so? 
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 35

Ideas & Activities

Talking to Change Agents

in Your Community

Purpose

To learn how change agents work in the local community

Activity

If you are in PST, solicit the help of your trainers to arrange a 

meeting with someone in the local community who is considered to be an agent of change. If you are a Volunteer living in 

your site, ask your supervisor, Counterpart, or friends to help 

you identify some of these people. Examples of change agents 

might include: 

•	 A schoolteacher known to be dynamic and active in the

community

•	 A school director who works with parents in formal and

informal ways

•	 A local farmer who has been the “first” to try new agricultural/conservation practices and shares

his/her experiences with other community members

•	 A mother who has organized the women in her neighborhood to form a support group

•	 An entrepreneur who models successful business practices

Paying attention to local protocol, have an interview with the change agent. Here are a few questions 

you might use to get the conversation started—adapt them and add your own:

•	 Are you familiar with the term “agent of change”? What does it mean to you?

•	 How do you engage people in new activities and promote new ideasto people in the community?

(Can you please describe one or two specific experiences?)

•	 What are some of the cultural norms or rules that encourage or inhibit change?

•	 What are some factors (from inside or outside the community) that are currently influencing

people to consider certain changes?

Once you have conducted your interview, share your perceptions and insights with fellow Trainees, 

trainers, Volunteers, or Counterparts. If possible and desirable, spend more time with the change 

agent to gain a better understanding of his or her activities and relationships in the community.
36 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Conducting a Capacity Inventory

Purpose

To get experience with inventorying individual capacity among 

members of the training group and/or local community; to use 

the inventory to imagine or suggest possible linkages between 

people and/or institutions 

Activity

This practice activity can be done in PST in collaboration with 

members of your language or technical sector groups, or it can 

be adapted for an IST setting. 

1. With your colleagues, make a list of all the potential skills and knowledge areas that you think 

may exist in the local community. Consider these four categories as you create your list:

•	 Survivalskills/knowledge (preparing food, repairing houses, gathering water and firewood,

managing multiple tasks, budgeting and managing money, and so on)

	 •	 Social skills/knowledge (about rituals/traditional ceremonies, storytelling, and other matters) 

	 •	 Work skills/knowledge (performing trades, teaching, planning, providing services to others)

	 •	 Leisure skills/knowledge (playing soccer, dancing, and so on)

2. Once you have listed and organized as many of the different skills/knowledge as you can think 

of, use the list to conduct an informal survey with your host families. Ask different members in 

your family which skills/expertise they have. Ask them what other skills and knowledge they 

have that are not on your list, and add these items to your survey. 

3. Back in your training class, share your information with your colleagues. In as orderly a fashion 

as possible, put all of the information on the wall so you can see and study it. 

4. Do an inventory of your own capacities (yours and your colleagues’) and add these skills to 

the list on the wall. 

5. Study the “capacity bank” you have created from the inventory. Based on the resources 

you see, try to imagine some creative linkages between individuals, between individuals 

and institutions, and between institutions. Also consider the goals of your technical sector 

Project—are there linkages and activities that “suggest themselves”? Visualize your ideas 

through diagrams or drawings. 
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 37

Ideas & Activities

Communicating to

Persuade or Influence

Purpose

To practice communicating about a new idea or behavior change 

in a way that respects and builds on local cultural beliefs, 

values, and norms

Activity

1. Select an issue area that is of interest to you and to at least 

some people in your community. The issue may or may 

not relate to your technical Project. Examples of issues 

might be: 

	 •	 more educational opportunities for girls

	 •	 condom use for HIV/AIDS prevention

	 •	 teen pregnancy prevention

	 •	 alternative fuel sources (vs. depleting local forests or swamps)

	 •	 alternative credit sources for residents in poor urban neighborhoods

2. Write down your own understanding and views of this issue: What do you think people should 

start or stop doing that would bring about a desired change? Why? What are some of the 

consequences of making or not making the change? How do your beliefs and values influence

your position on this issue?

3. Conduct a cultural assessment of the issue or topic. Talk objectively to several different types of

people in the community to learn about their perceptions of the issue. (The idea here is to learn 

what they think about the issue, not to convince them about your viewpoint.) If your issue or 

topic is a particularly sensitive one, talk to those people with whom you’ve already built some 

trust (host family members, language trainers, your Counterpart’s family, and others). Try to 

listen for the cultural beliefs and values that may be at the core of people’s opinions. 

4. After your conversations with community members, compare your view of the issue with theirs. 

If you are doing this exercise with others in your training group, share what you have learned 

and ask your colleagues for additional insights that you may not easily see. 

5. Using your analysis of the data, compose a message about the issue that promotes the new idea, 

practice, or desired change in a way that takes into account the cultural and community context. 

6. Present your message to your colleagues, trainers, and/or friends and ask them for feedback. 

(Do as much of this whole exercise as possible in the local language.)
38 Peace Corps

 Ideas & Activities

Youth Participation and

Your Peace Corps Project

Purpose

To explore the potential for participation by youth and children in your Peace Corps Project activities

Activity

There are several possible ways to assess the potential for youth participation in your Project. First, 

read Youth Capacity Building Best Practices and Ladder of Participation in this Toolkit. Then, 

review the Project Plan for your technical assignment area and identify what it specifically says or

implies about youth participation in the Project activities:

•	 Does the Project design recognize young people as valuable community resources? How?

(Give examples.)

•	 Based on your understanding, where would you place this Project on the Ladder of Participation?

•	 What are the strategies for meaningful involvement of young people or children? How will this

Project build young people’s capacity? 

•	 What are some additional ideas you have about the roles that youth could play in this Project?

Discuss your findings and ideas with your colleagues, your

APCD, other Volunteers, and Counterparts. 

Note: You may apply these same assessment questions to

focus on women’s participation and capacity building.

As a complementary activity, invite several young people (girls 

and boys) in the local community to participate in a simple 

focus-group discussion. Ask them a series of questions that will 

help you find out what they know about the themes or issues

addressed in the Project, what their interest in the Project might 

be, and how they would like to be involved. Allow everyone to 

express his or her own views, if necessary separating the young 

people into girls’ and boys’ groups. After the focus discussion, 

meet again with your colleagues and trainers to discuss what you learned. [Note: If you are doing

this inquiry activity in your PST host community, you and your trainers should be prepared to

follow up with the young people assuming they express a positive interest in your Project. Do

small activities that will get them engaged and help them link with others in the local area who

are also working in your sector. In short, don’t raise their expectations about involvement in a

project and then leave them hanging.]
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 39

Still another activity is to invite several current Volunteers who have had successful experiences with 

youth involvement to come to PST and share best practices and lessons learned from their work. 

Once you’ve assessed the Project design and heard from youth representatives and serving Volunteers, 

craft a set of recommendations for youth participation in your Project and technical sector activities. 

Show the recommendations to your APCD and get his or her feedback.
40 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Case Study of 

One Volunteer’s Experience

with Community Organizing

and Change

Purpose

To identify key decisions and/or actions on the part of the Volunteer that contributed to the 

community’s success in reaching its goals and building its capacity

Activity

Read the following case study. As you go, highlight the points in the story where the Volunteer 

and the women’s group made decisions that were key to the success of the non-formal education 

program. Use the questions listed below to guide your analysis. Discuss your perceptions with your 

trainers and colleagues. 

Questions for reflection and discussion

•	 What did Mark do to build a relationship with the women’s group and the larger community?

•	 Was Mark using an asset-based or deficits-based approach in his work here? Please explain

your answer.

•	 What were the elements of capacity building in this project?

•	 What did Mark NOT do that contributed to the project’s success?

•	 Do you view this project as part of Mark’s overall job of coordinating the non-formal education

activities? Explain your answer.

•	 How would you characterize Mark in terms of risk taking?

•	 What would you have done differently along the way?

•	 If you were Mark, what would you do next with the women’s group and/or with the assignment

of “coordinating non-formal activities”?

Mark’s Case

Mark was assigned to work at the Los Encuentros Education Center in a poor neighborhood on the 

outskirts of a town in Panama. The Center housed both a secondary school and non-formal education facilities for adults. The formal school and the non-formal program were supposed to share 

facilities such as sewing rooms, carpentry equipment, and gardens. Mark’s job was to coordinate 

the non-formal education activities.
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 41

Upon his arrival, Mark found that the common space 

was not being shared as he had thought. The non-formal 

education program, made up predominantly of women, had 

been relegated to three small offices. The formal school

had expanded to serve twice as many students as originally 

projected. Space was so scarce that many of the non-formal 

activities had been abandoned and the office Mark had

been promised was in a closet. There was no hope of ever 

getting back the use of the common rooms because student 

enrollment in the formal school was increasing. The women 

said they understood and would rather their children have 

the space.

Mark surveyed the situation at hand. The women had 

organized themselves into a group to sew and sell school 

uniforms, and their greatest concern seemed to be making 

enough money to pay for their children’s fees. As Mark dis-

cussed issues informally with the women and observed their 

work, he realized that they needed proper working space 

for the sewing project. He suggested they call a community 

meeting to discuss the need for more space. 

At this meeting, someone proposed the idea of constructing 

a building for the women. Everyone—the mayor, commu-

nity elders, and the women themselves—thought this was a 

great idea. At the end of the meeting, everyone was saying, 

“If Mark can get us a building, we will have something to 

remember him for.”

Mark was distraught by the response. He knew that through 

Save the Children and other development organizations, 

he could only get funds to cover materials, not labor. He 

met with the women’s group and explained the situation, 

but they told him that they did not know how to build and 

urged him to find money to pay

a builder. Mark began look-

ing for additional funding when an idea occurred to him: 

why not train the women to build by constructing their own 

building? Not only would they have room for the activities 

they considered important, they would have learned new 

skills as well.

Mark got the Director of Housing in the Ministry of Natural 

Resources to agree to back the project. The Director’s only 

demand was that the group experiment with a new type of 

construction technology that used “soil-cement bricks.” He 

told Mark that he would assign a construction supervisor to 

train the women while they built. 

Mark called a meeting to discuss this idea with the women. 

They were very reluctant, for it was time to harvest their corn 

(maize), and besides, they did not think they could construct 
42 Peace Corps

the building themselves. They discussed the pros and cons of the idea for a long time. Mark tried 

to be encouraging, but resisted the women’s attempts to give him the major responsibility for the 

project. Finally, the women made the decision to try, even though it was something that had never 

been done in their village before.

Mark’s main worry was that as the work progressed, the women’s other family activities might 

pull them away from the project. He was careful to get everyone to agree that enough of the group 

would actually show up each day during the five-week construction period. When everyone was

sure they were ready to carry out their plan, Mark and the chairperson of the women’s group went 

to the capital to sign an agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources. 

During the first month, Mark helped the women make plans and preparations for the construction.

They found accommodations for the construction supervisor and an assistant. The women pressed 

the soil-cement bricks with a machine borrowed from the Ministry of Education. When construction 

finally began, the small community had become so excited about the project that over 30 people

were involved. 

Early each morning, Mark and the construction supervisor would mix the mortar so that construction could begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. The community members did all of the bricklaying. Even 

the weather seemed to cooperate—it rained only once during the five weeks. When the building

was completed right on schedule five weeks later, the women were very pleased with their efforts.

They called the new structure “our building” and had a party to celebrate.
RVID Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent 43

Key Resources

for More

Information

and Insight

ACommunity Economic Development (CED) Training Guide for Peace Corps Volunteers. (Peace 

Corps, Washington, DC) 2002. [ICE M0069]

Idea Book Series: PACA: Using Participatory Analysis for Community Action. (Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC) 2005. [ICE M0086]

Idea Book Series: Small Project Assistance Program: Supporting Sustainable Community

Development. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2003. [ICE M0082]

Life Skills Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2001. [ICE M0063]

An NGO Training Guide for Peace Corps Volunteers. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2003. 

[ICE M0070]

Promoting Powerful People: A Process for Change. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2000.

[ICE T0104]

V2 Volunteerism Action Guide: Multiplying the Power of Service. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 

2008. [ICE CD062]

Working with CCBI: Volunteer Workbook. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2004. [ICE M0073]
44 Peace Corps
THE ROLES OF THE VOLUNTEER 

IN DEVELOPMENT

Capacity Building

Toolkit

3

RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 1

Capacity Building Toolkit 3 

VOLUNTEER AS 

CO-TRAINER 

IN THIS TOOLKIT

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan .......................................................................................... 3

What Is a Co-Trainer? ........................................................................................................ 3

Models, Concepts, And Cases .............................................................................. 5

Principles of Adult Learning .............................................................................................. 5

Why Co-Training Is Harder and Better Than [Just] Training ............................................ 7

Creating an Effective Partnership Between Trainers and Participants ............................... 9

Ways to Reach and Train .................................................................................................. 10

Key Training Methods ...................................................................................................... 11

The Role of the Trainer in Experiential Learning ............................................................ 19

Template for a Session Design ......................................................................................... 23

Let’s Get Thawed: Icebreaker and Warm-Up Activities .................................................. 24 

Seven Steps for Planning a Workshop .............................................................................. 26

Stories from the Field: Kenya .......................................................................................... 28

Ideas and Activities for Practicing

your role as a Co-Trainer .................................................................................. 29

Indigenous Knowledge: 

Who Are the Trainers and Teachers in the Community? .................................................. 29

Interviewing a Colleague about a Learning Experience .................................................. 31

Learning to Sail – Individual Learning Styles ................................................................. 33

Assessing Learners and Setting Learning Goals .............................................................. 35

Kate’s Dilemma ................................................................................................................ 38

Group Dialogue on Axioms of Popular (Non-formal) Education .................................... 39

Each One Teach One ........................................................................................................ 41

Facilitation Skills Practice ................................................................................................ 42

Opening Exercises – Practicing on Your Own PST Training Group ................................ 43
2 Peace Corps

Framing Issues as Stories, Case Studies, or Critical Incidents ......................................... 44

Evaluation of Learning: How Do We Know They Know What We Taught? ................... 45

Planning and Conducting a Mini-Workshop in the Community ...................................... 46

Skill Inventory for Trainers .............................................................................................. 48

Key Resources for

More Information and Insight ............................................................... 50

Learning How to Learn

If you give a man a fish, he will have a single meal.

If you teach him how to fish, he will eat all his life.

— Kuan Tzu, Chinese Poet 
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 3

Volunteer as Co-Trainer

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ATTITUDES

Knowledge, Technical content; adult learn- Technical skills; presenta- Confidence to apply technical 

skills, and ing principles; non-formal tion skills (organizing and knowledge and skills; enthusiattitudes educational theory and presenting information, asm for subject; flexibility and

(KSAs) you methods; training design using visual aids, etc.); adaptability in relation to 

need for this process facilitation skills (listening, learners’ needs; ability to 

role questioning, encouraging, receive and use feedback from 

summarizing); leading learners

participatory training 

activities; session planning

Your What knowledge you still Skills you need to gain or Things that will help you 

initiatives to need and where to find it: improve and how you change any attitudes that 

learn more might work on further will hinder your role:

 skill development:

(Make a plan)

– – –

– – –

– – –

– – –

– – –

 

 

 

What is a co-trainer?

A trainer is someone who guides a learner or group of learners through a learning process. In the 

Peace Corps, Volunteers often team with their Counterparts or perhaps one or more leaders from 

the learning group to work as co-trainers. Together, they assess the needs of the learners, and 

then design participatory activities that help participants acquire the new knowledge and skills they 

want. In our context here, learners may be anyone—neighborhood children, local NGO leaders, a 

teachers’ association, nurses at the local health clinic, and so forth. Co-trainers establish partnerships 

with their learners, partnerships through which people discover their own strengths, develop critical 

thinking skills, and together play a more effective role in managing their environment. 

The role of the Volunteer as a co-trainer is similar to but not the same as the role of a community 

co-facilitator. For capacity-building purposes, we make the distinction between the two roles as 

follows: a co-trainer addresses specific requests from individuals or groups for new knowledge and 

skills relevant to their goals and pursuits. On the other hand, a co-facilitator helps groups identify 

and discuss goals and challenges, make decisions, and carry out tasks that will positively affect their 

well-being. Obviously, trainer and facilitator skills overlap, but since these two roles are so critical 

to the work of most Volunteers, we believe each one warrants its own toolkit. If you plan to do a lot 

of training and group facilitation, we recommend you study and use both of these toolkits.

co-trainer

role
4 Peace Corps

We also make a distinction here between “training” and “teaching.” The knowledge, skills, and 

attitudes emphasized in this chapter are related more to non-formal education situations than to a 

formal classroom or school context. If you are an education sector Volunteer, you will find these 

readings and activities most helpful in preparing yourself to plan and conduct in-service workshops 

with teachers or non-classroom activities with students. 

No matter what sector or program you work in, consider the merits of co-training versus leading 

alone. Carefully study “Why Co-Training Is Harder and Better Than Training” in this Toolkit and 

discuss the issues it raises with your peers, Counterparts, trainers, and/or APCD. 

Examples of the Co-Trainer Role

Lee, a National Parks Management Volunteer, was asked by her director to train 

park personnel to design and give interpretive talks to park visitors. During her 

two months at site, Lee had noticed a particular staff member, Ivan, who loved 

to mingle with park visitors, answer their questions, and offer impromptu stories 

from his experiences around the park. Since Ivan seemed to have natural gifts 

as a “park interpreter,” Lee asked him to team with her to lead the workshop. 

At first Ivan declined the invitation, saying he had no formal preparation, but 

Lee convinced him by pointing out their respective skills and underscoring how 

their strengths would complement one another. Lee also discovered she had to do 

substantial convincing to get the director’s permission to involve Ivan. During 

the actual workshop, Lee and Ivan worked smoothly as a team. At first, some 

of the participants were jealous of Ivan in his leadership role, but their attitude 

changed to one of respect when they began to practice the skills of presentation and realized it wasn’t as easy as it looked. Through their collaboration on 

the workshop, Ivan and Lee began a partnership that flourished until Ivan was 

transferred to another national park about a year later. 

 Maggie, a Volunteer who works with a local NGO, was approached by several 

members of the staff and asked to do a series of management training sessions 

(including such topics and skills as interpersonal communication, running 

effective meetings, conflict management, planning, and others.) Although she 

had a background in management and had done this type of training extensively 

in the United States, Maggie was well aware that culture plays a huge role in 

any communication-related topic and that she would need her colleagues’ help 

to adapt the concepts and methods appropriately. She explained her reservations 

to the NGO staff and suggested that they select several people from the group 

to co-train with her, a different person for each of the sessions. Maggie told 

the group that the team approach to training would require more time, energy, 

and patience on everyone’s part, but that the experience gained would be well 

worth the effort. During the ensuing weeks, only two of the five people selected 

showed any real interest in working with her on the project. At first Maggie was 

frustrated, but soon she realized that the two who were involved were proving to 

be creative and dedicated trainers. Over the course of the five sessions, Maggie 

took on an increasingly “backseat” role, such that by the fifth workshop, she 

was serving mostly as a resource to her colleagues. 

1

2
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 5

Capacity Building Toolkit 3

Models, Concepts, 

and Cases

Principles of 

Adult Learning

Malcolm Knowles, one of the great teachers on adult learning 

or androgogy, identified several ways in which adults differ 

from children in their learning patterns. For example, adults 

have more life experience than children do and as such they 

have more examples and parallels to draw upon as they learn. 

They have a clearer self-concept in terms of knowing what 

skills they already have, what new skills or knowledge they 

want to acquire, and when they feel ready for the new learning. 

Most adults want to be able to practice or apply what they are 

learning to their real world. These sorts of learning patterns 

imply certain guidelines for constructing effective training 

for adults. When designing workshops for adults (including 

young people of approximately 13 years or older), consider 

the following principles:

Adult learning occurs best when it:

Is self-directed

Adults can share responsibility for their own learning because they know their own needs.

Fills an immediate need

Motivation to learn is highest when it meets the immediate needs of the learner.

Is participatory

Participation in the learning process is active, not passive.

Is experiential

The most effective learning is from shared experience; learners learn from each other, and the 

trainer often learns from the learners.

Definition of 

Training

A structured 

learning process 

that enables 

participants to 

acquire (or enhance) 

knowledge, skills, 

and/or attitudes 

relevant to their 

personal lives 

and work.
6 Peace Corps

Is reflective

Maximum learning from a particular experience occurs when a person takes the time to reflect 

back on it, draw conclusions, and derive principles for application to similar experiences in 

the future.

Provides feedback

Learners want to know when they have learned something well and when they may need to 

improve or practice a skill or concept more.

Shows respect for the learner

Mutual respect and trust between trainer and learner help the learning process.

Provides a safe atmosphere

A cheerful, relaxed person learns more easily than one who is fearful, embarrassed, or angry.

Occurs in a comfortable environment

A person who is hungry, tired, cold, ill, or otherwise physically uncomfortable cannot learn 

with maximum effectiveness. 

[Adapted with permission from Training Trainers for Development, p. 11. CEDPA. 1995 and with permission from The 

Adult Learner: A Neglected Species/Fourth Edition, pp. 54-65. Malcolm S. Knowles. Gulf Publishing, Houston, TX. 1990.]

Adults remember — 

20% of what they hear;

40% of what they both hear and see;

80% of what they do.

— Malcolm Knowles
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 7

Why Co-Training Is Harder

and Better Than [Just] Training 

As a Peace Corps Volunteer, you will have 

innumerable opportunities to co-train with 

others (Counterparts, other community 

members, fellow Volunteers, and so on) 

during the course of your service. Cotraining is more than just two people 

taking turns presenting material and 

leading discussions during a workshop. It 

is two people integrating their skills and 

experience to jointly design and conduct 

the session or workshop. Co-training 

creates a synergy that produces a better 

result than if training were delivered by 

a single individual. In a cross-cultural 

context, co-training takes on an even higher 

value: For example, you may have current 

technical information and your co-trainer 

may have ideas about how to frame the 

technical information or message using local terms and analogies. It is important to note that 

while co-trainers may have differences in skills and expertise, this approach is not meant to 

suggest differences in status between the trainers. Rather it is a means to build the capacity 

of both people. 

The co-training approach has several advantages. Most notably it can ease the burden placed upon 

a sole trainer, reduce the possibility of fatigue and burnout by allowing for sharing of responsibility 

and workload, enhance the quality of interaction with workshop participants, allow for greater 

stimulation and variety in the conduct of training, and make it possible to adjust training sessions 

efficiently and rapidly. However, while co-training has significant benefits, it is by no means a 

simple undertaking. It requires more time of trainers for planning and debriefing sessions; it can be 

confusing for workshop participants if the trainers have very different or conflicting perspectives 

on the subject matter; and trainers can intervene too frequently in the session, sometimes competing 

for the limited time available. 

To prepare effectively for co-training, there are some important reflective steps you can take individually and with your co-trainer: 

• Identify your assumptions about adult learning that inform your approach to training.

• Share your expectations (both negative and positive) about the upcoming session or workshop. 
8 Peace Corps

• Assess your respective strengths and weaknesses regarding training in general and co-training 

situations more specifically.

• Clarify what each of your roles will be during the workshop.

• Agree on appropriate ways to intervene during the training session (i.e., how you will handle 

difficult participants, interruptions, and so forth). 

• Debrief with each other at the end of the workshop or every evening if the training course runs 

for more than a day. (For example: How well is training meeting the goals? What seems to be 

working or not working in the design? What adjustments seem appropriate? How effectively are 

we working as co-trainers?)

To be effective, co-training requires a high degree of commitment and coordination. When it works, 

both trainers and participants will feel rewarded. When it doesn’t, the result can be uncomfortable 

for trainers and less than helpful for participants. Critical to the success of the co-trained workshop 

will be your individual preparation and the time you and your co-trainers spend jointly reviewing 

the workshop design; determining how you will accommodate differences in style, expertise and 

skills; and sharing feedback with one another at regular intervals. The steps described above and the 

questions at the end of this reading are intended to facilitate the preparation process. We encourage 

you and your co-trainer to make the time needed for this planning and preparation process to ensure 

effective delivery of your session.

Questions for Co-Training Preparation

Complete these phrases for yourself, then sit down with your co-trainer and share responses. 

Use your reflections to open a dialogue on how to have a successful co-training experience.

1. The best thing that could happen in the upcoming workshop is....

2. The worst thing that could happen.... 

3. Some things I do well in a co-training situation are.... (skills, strong points)

4. Some problems I’ve had with co-training are.... (weak areas to get help on)

5. My expectations for the workshop that I will be co-training are....

[Adapted with permission from A Guide to Co-Training. Training Resources Group. Alexandria, VA]
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 9

Creating an Effective Partnership 

between Trainers and Participants

• Continue to ask yourself and your co-trainer “How can we maximize involvement and exchange 

among the participants while diminishing our roles as leaders?”

• Remember that an important overall aspect of the training 

will be to help the participants increase their self-confidence 

and feeling of self-worth.

• Encourage others to express their ideas.

• Encourage people to accept each other’s ideas, experiences, 

and feelings.

• Try not to talk too much. Let the participants do most of the talking.

• Be willing to share leadership and actually give over the leadership to the participants whenever 

you can and whenever they are ready to accept it.

• Evaluate often. Even a simple “what was most helpful and what was least helpful” at the end of 

a session, or day, can be beneficial to all.

• Set time limits for small groups and encourage them to stick to the limits. This will help them 

to learn to accomplish goals within a time frame and to set priorities.

• Don’t feel you and your co-trainer must have all the answers. Much is to be gained when the 

participants must work on issues/challenges and find their own alternatives or “solutions.” 

• Be prepared and well organized.

• Try to make the physical training environment as comfortable as possible. Is the training area well 

ventilated? Reasonably clean? Is there adequate space for everyone? Are there enough chairs, 

stools, floor, or ground space?

• Remember that the process as well as the goal is important. Are people enjoying themselves? 

Are they trying to deal with differences in a positive way? Are they changing? Growing?

• Above all, remember to treat each other with RESPECT. We all need to receive it and we can all 

give it. 

[Adapted with permission from Navamaga: Training Activities for Group Building, Health, and Income Generation,

p. 18. Dian Selsar Svendsen and Sujatha Wijetilleke. UNIFEM/OEF International. 1986.]
10 Peace Corps

Ways to Reach and Train

The following checklist includes various techniques or methods that are common to participatory 

training programs. Perhaps you can use some of these ideas to build your own training activities. 

Remember though, first decide what and why you want to communicate through the training activity, 

then decide how you will reach your goal. 

Various forms of drama or “acting out” help de-personalize a sensitive situation:

• Puppet plays • Pantomimes

• Role plays • Flannel board and flannel figures

• Dramas or skits

Looking at a separate but similar situation encourages participants to reflect on and discuss their 

own situations:

• Stories read aloud • Story cards/picture cards

• Pictures • Case studies

Methods for gaining a better understanding of oneself and sharing ideas with others:

• Individual reflection • Meeting in twos or threes

• Small and large group discussions • Interviewing each other

Ways to gain firsthand experience or insight:

• Field visits • Observation/community survey

• Practical demonstrations or actual experience 

(e.g., mixing a rehydration drink or leading a 

meeting)

Ideas for discovering participants’ information needs:

• Interviews, questionnaires, or quizzes • Small group expectation exercises

• Puppets and other drama forms

In addition to these techniques or methods, you can create new ones by combining two or more and 

adapting any to meet your culture, needs, and learner group. 

[Adapted with permission from Navamaga: Training Activities for Group Building, Health, and Income Generation,

p. 19. Dian Selsar Svendsen and Sujatha Wijetilleke. OEF International. 1986.]
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 11

Key Training Methods

When you are designing training sessions, workshops, or programs, select participatory methods that 

are appropriate to the kind of learning you are hoping to achieve. Do the participants need knowledge 

or information about the topics? Do they need to practice and build skills? Is attitude development 

an important goal of your workshop? Use the chart below to help you match the type of learning 

with appropriate activities or methods. On the next few pages, you will find in-depth descriptions of 

six “classic” training methods. In addition, the Resources section of this Toolkit lists other excellent 

books and how-to manuals for building your repertoire of training methods. 

KINDS OF LEARNING TRAINING ACTIVITIES/METHODS

Knowledge, Facts, Information, Ideas Lectures/presentations, readings, video, brainstorming, inventories, tests, on-site program 

tours, guided observation, information gathering 

tasks, panel discussions, storytelling, individual 

worksheets, games to reinforce learning, and so 

forth

Skills (manual, planning, and so on) On-the-job training, live or video demonstrations 

followed by practice, case study, games,

simulations (to assess skills at beginning of 

training or apply skills later on), problem-solving 

tasks, design tasks by individuals or teams, action

plans, role play, mental imagery, puzzles, and so 

forth

Attitudes, Feelings Role play, group discussion, debates, video or 

skits followed by discussion, individual reflection, 

socio-dramas, modeling, values clarification 

exercises, rating exercises, self-assessments, 

interviews, mental imagery, observation with 

discussion, critical incidents, learning contracts, 

and so forth

Humor in training: 

No laughter, no learning.

— Jane Vella, 

American Educator 
12 Peace Corps

TRAINING METHODS CONTINUUM

Lecture Guided Demonstration/ Structured Role Case Small Group Simulation

 Discussions Practice Exercises Plays Studies Discussions

Trainer

Centered

Learner

Centered

[Adapted with permission from Training Trainers for Development. The Centre for Development and Population Activities 

(CEDPA), Washington, DC. 1995.]
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 13

Key Training Methods: PRESENTATION

DESCRIPTION

A presentation is an activity to convey information, theories, or principles. Forms of presentations 

can range from straight lecture to some involvement of the learner through questions and discussion. Presentations depend more on the trainer for content than does any other training technique.

USES

• To introduce participants to a new subject • To convey facts, statistics

• To provide an overview or a synthesis • To address a large group

ADVANTAGES

• Covers a lot of material in a short time • Useful for large groups

• Can be adapted to any kind of learner • Can precede more practical training techniques

• The lecturer has more control than in 

other situations

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF BEFORE 

YOU DECIDE TO USE A LECTURE

• Emphasizes one-way communication • A presentation is common in formal situations

• Is not experiential in approach • Learner’s role is passive

• Lecturer needs public speaking skills to • Inappropriate for changing behavior or for

be an effective presenter learning skills

• Learner retention is not as great unless it 

is followed up with a more practical technique

PROCESS

1. Introduce the topic—tell the learners what 

you’re going to tell them.

2. Tell them what you want to tell them—resent 

the material using visual aids.

3. Summarize the key points you’ve made—tell 

the learners what you’ve told them.

4. Invite the learners to ask questions.

[Adapted with permission from Training Trainers for Development, The Centre for Development and Population Activities 

(CEDPA). Washington, DC. 1995.]
14 Peace Corps

Key Training Methods: DEMONSTRATION

DESCRIPTION

A demonstration is a presentation of a method for doing something.

USES

• To teach a specific skill or technique • To model a step-by-step approach

ADVANTAGES

• Easy to focus learner’s attention • Shows practical applications of a method

• Involves the learners when they try 

the method themselves

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF BEFORE 

YOU DECIDE TO USE A DEMONSTRATION

• Requires planning and practice ahead of time • Not useful in large groups

• Demonstrator needs to have enough materials • Requires giving feedback to learners 

for everyone to try the method when they try the method themselves

PROCESS

1. Introduce the demonstration—what is the purpose?

2. Present the material you’re going to use.

3. Demonstrate.

4. Demonstrate again, explaining each step.

5. Invite the learners to ask questions.

6. Have the learners practice the method on their own.

7. Discuss how easy or difficult it was for them—summarize.

[Adapted with permission from Training Trainers for Development, The Centre for Development and Population Activities 

(CEDPA). Washington, DC. 1995.]
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 15

Key Training Methods: CASE STUDY

DESCRIPTION

A case study is a written description of a hypothetical situation that is used for analysis and discussion.

USES

• To discuss common problems in a typical situation

• To provide a safe opportunity in which to develop problem-solving skills

• To promote group discussion and group problem solving

ADVANTAGES

• Learners can relate to the situation • Involves an element of mystery

• The hypothetical situation does not • Learners are involved

involve personal risks

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF BEFORE 

YOU DECIDE TO USE A CASE STUDY

• The case must be closely related to the learners’ experience.

• Problems are often complex and multifaceted.

• There is not always just one right solution.

• Requires a lot of planning time if you need to write the case yourself.

• Discussion questions need to be carefully designed.

PROCESS

1. Introduce the case.

2. Give the learners time to familiarize themselves with the case.

3. Present questions for discussion of the problem to be solved.

4. Give the learners time to solve the problem(s).

5. Have some learners present their solutions and answers.

6. Discuss all possible solutions and answers.

7. Ask the learners what they have learned from the exercise.

8. Ask them how the case might be relevant to their own environments.

9. Summarize. 

[Adapted with permission from Training Trainers for Development. The Centre for 

Development and Population Activities (CEDPA). Washington, DC. 1995.]
16 Peace Corps

Key Training Methods: ROLE PLAY

DESCRIPTION

In a role play, two or more individuals enact parts in a scenario related to a training topic.

USES

• To enable people to see the consequences of • To enable learners to explore alternative 

their actions on others approaches to dealing with situations

• To provide a safe environment in which • To contribute to changing people’s 

participants can explore problems they may attitudes

feel uncomfortable discussing in real life

ADVANTAGES

• Stimulating and fun • Engages the group’s attention

• Simulates the real world

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF BEFORE 

YOU DECIDE TO USE A ROLE PLAY

• A role play is spontaneous—there is no script 

to follow.

• Actors must have a good understanding of their 

role for the role play to succeed.

• Actors might get carried away with their roles.

PROCESS

1. Prepare the actors so they understand their 

roles and the situation.

2. Set the climate so the observers know what 

the situation involves.

3. Observe the role play.

4. Thank the actors and ask them how they

feel about the role play—be sure that they 

get out of their roles and back to their real selves.

5. Share the reactions and observations of the observers.

6. Discuss different reactions to what happened.

7. Ask the learners what they have learned and develop principles and/or guidelines.

8. Ask the learners how the situation relates to their own lives.

9. Summarize.

[Adapted with permission from Training Trainers for Development. The Centre for Development and Population Activities 

(CEDPA). Washington, DC. 1995.]
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 17

Key Training Methods: SIMULATION

DESCRIPTION

A simulation is an enactment of a real-life situation.

USES

• To allow learners to experience decision making in “real” situations without worrying about the 

consequences of their decisions

• To apply knowledge, develop skills, and examine attitudes in the context of an everyday situation

ADVANTAGES

• Practical • High involvement of the learner

• Learners are able to discover and • Immediate feedback

react on their own

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF BEFORE 

YOU DECIDE TO USE A SIMULATION

• It is time-consuming.

• The facilitator must be well prepared, especially with logistics.

• A simulation is often a simplistic view of reality. 

PROCESS

1. Prepare the learners to take on specific roles during the simulation.

2. Introduce the goals, rules, and time frame for the simulation.

3. Facilitate the simulation.

4. Ask learners about their reactions to the simulation.

5. Ask learners what they have learned from the simulations and develop principles and guidelines.

6. Ask learners how the simulation relates to their own lives.

7. Summarize.

[Adapted with permission from Training 

Trainers for Development. The Centre for 

Development and Population Activities 

(CEDPA). Washington, DC. 1995.]
18 Peace Corps

Key Training Methods: SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

DESCRIPTION

A small group discussion is an activity that allows learners to share their experiences and ideas to 

solve a problem.

USES

• To enhance problem-solving skills • To promote teamwork

• To help participants learn from each other • To clarify personal values

• To give participants a greater sense of 

responsibility in the learning process

ADVANTAGES

• Learners develop greater control over their • Allows for reinforcement and clarificalearning tion of lesson through discussion

• Participation is encouraged

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF BEFORE YOU 

DECIDE TO USE A SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

• The task given to the group needs to be very clear.

• The group should be able to listen to each other, even if they don’t agree.

• Group discussion should not be dominated by any one or two people.

• Questions help guide the discussion.

• Everyone should be encouraged to participate.

PROCESS

1. Arrange the learners in groups of four to seven.

2. Introduce the task that describes what should be discussed.

3. Ask each group to designate a discussion facilitator, a recorder, and a person to present the 

group’s findings to the larger group.

4. Check to make sure that each group understands the task.

5. Give groups time to discuss—this should not require the trainer’s involvement unless the 

learners have questions for the trainer.

6. Have one person from each group summarize the findings of the group (this could be a solution 

to a problem, answers to a question, or a summary of ideas).

7. Identify common themes that were apparent in the groups’ presentations.

8. Ask the learners what they have learned from the exercise.

9. Ask them how they might use what they have learned.

[Adapted with permission from Training Trainers for Development. The Centre for Development and Population Activities 

(CEDPA). Washington, DC. 1995.]
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 19

The Role of the Trainer

in Experiential Learning

Note: Before reading this description of the role of the trainer in experiential learning situations, please review the introductory reading on the Experiential Learning Cycle in Toolkit 1: 

Volunteer as Learner. 

experiential learning cycle

experience

planning and

application

Now What?

relfection

What?

drawing 

conclusions/lessons

learned

So What?

The experiential learning cycle requires the learner to progress through the four phases of a learning 

process. The role of the trainer is to help the learner through the process. A good trainer must have 

the competence to understand what goes on at each phase and to facilitate the learning process. In 

this discussion we will go through each of the four phases and identify:

• Appropriate training activities • The role of the trainer

• The kinds of questions a trainer can 

ask the learner

WHAT HAPPENS IN PHASE 1: 

THE EXPERIENCE 

The learner uncovers or experiences new information that requires a response on her or his part.

Activities to Use

• Group problem solving • Skills practice

• Case studies • Games

• Role plays • Group tasks

• Field visits 
20 Peace Corps

Trainer’s Role

The trainer’s primary role is to give structure. He or she must present the objectives of the activity 

and clarify norms, rules, and time limits. Information should be presented in a way that is meaningful to participants and that will stimulate their interest (for example, by using visual aids or by 

asking questions). 

For small group activities, the trainer needs to be very clear about the task. The task, including discussion questions, should be written on a flip chart or handout. Group members should be assigned (or 

volunteer for) roles of secretary, discussion leader, timekeeper, and reporter. Although most of the 

processing goes on in the next phase, the trainer can ask some questions now. These might include:

• Are there any questions about the task? • Is there anything else you need to know?

• How’s everything going? • Have you thought about ___________?

• Could you be more specific? • How much more time do you need?

• Are you ready to record your work on a 

flip chart?

WHAT HAPPENS IN PHASE 2: 

REFLECTING ON THE EXPERIENCE

The learner sorts out or analyzes the information developed in phase 1. 

Activities to Use

• Small group or pair discussion • Large group discussion

• Participant presentations • Reporting from small groups

• Writing in journal and sharing entries

Trainer’s Role

The trainer’s role is to help the learner reflect on what happened during phase 1 and what the experience meant. The trainer should be sure that important aspects of the experience are not ignored. 

An effective way to help the learner reflect is to ask questions about what happened and how the 

learner reacted. Phase 2 is when learners share their ideas and reactions with each other. These are 

examples of the kind of questions the trainer might ask:

• What happened? • How do you feel about the experience?

• Does anyone feel differently? • What did you notice about...?

• Does anyone else have something to add? • Do you realize that...?

• Do you agree or disagree with what they 

are saying? Why?

Notice that the trainer uses open-ended questions to stimulate discussion.
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 21

WHAT HAPPENS IN PHASE 3: 

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED 

The learner interprets what was discussed during phase 2 to determine what the reflections on the 

experience mean, what lessons can be learned, and what lessons may be drawn from the experience.

Activities to use

• Synthesis discussion in large group • Demonstration

• Synthesis lecture • Reading assignments

• Listing main points on flip chart

Trainer’s Role

The trainer’s role is the conventional role of the educator—to guide the learner. More than any 

other phase, the trainer needs to be knowledgeable about the subject matter and be a credible information source. This does not mean that the trainer needs to provide all the answers during this 

phase. In fact, the learners will probably internalize the learning better if they find the answers 

for themselves. As a guide, the trainer helps the learner focus on the implication of the experience 

and reflection phases so that the learner can acknowledge having learned something new. There 

are two basic approaches to do this: (1) the trainer can provide a summary for the learners (as in 

a lecture or reading assignment) or (2) the trainer can ask probing questions that enable the learners to reach their own conclusions (as in a consensus-seeking discussion). The latter approach 

requires strong facilitating skills.

Some useful questions the trainer might ask include the following:

• What did you learn from this? • What does all of this mean to you?

• Is there an operating principle here? • What lessons can be learned?

• How does all that we are talking about • What are some major themes we are

fit together? seeing here?

• Have you gained any new insights about...?
22 Peace Corps

WHAT HAPPENS IN PHASE 4: 

APPLICATION

In order for the learner to feel the training is significant, the new learning must relate to her or his 

own life situation. During phase 4, the learner makes the connection between the training setting 

and the real world—the two are rarely the same. This link can be strengthened through practice and 

planning for application after training. 

Activities to use

• Action planning • Practicing new skills

• Field visits • Discussion

trainer’s role

The trainer’s primary role here is that of a coach to the learner. As the learner tries doing things on 

her or his own, the trainer can provide advice and encourage the learner to try to improve new skills. 

The key question to ask here is, “How should I do this differently the next time?”

Some questions the trainer might ask include:

• What have you enjoyed the most about this?

• What do you find the most difficult?

• How can you apply this in your situation where you live and work?

• What do you look forward to doing most after training?

• What do you think will be most difficult when you use this?

• If you were to do this in your own project, how would you do it differently?

• How could this exercise have been more meaningful to you?

• Are there areas you would like to practice more?

[Adapted with permission from Training Trainers for Development, pp. 28-32. The Centre for Development and Population 

Activities (CEDPA). Washington, DC. 1995.]

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

— Albert Einstein
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 23

Template for a Session Design

[This template is useful for outlining a training session or even a short 

workshop. Adapt it to suit your and your co-trainers’ styles.]

Title of Session

Total Time Allotment

Knowledge, skills, and attitudes

that will be addressed

(See “Guidelines for Planning and Conducting a Workshop”)

Learner Objectives

(State the objectives in terms of what the participants will be able to do as a result of the training.)

Activities with specific time allotments

List the steps and activities you will use to help participants learn. Write enough description in each 

step so that you and your co-trainers can follow the outline without forgetting important points. If the 

activity is a discussion, list the questions you want to ask the group. If the activity involves a task, 

write out the specific instructions you want to give to the participants. Also note the time allotments 

for each step and activity. The following sequence is appropriate for experiential session outlines:

1. Climate setting and review of session objectives (rationale/motivation for learners)

2. Experience (such as a role play on techniques for interviewing mothers in the community)

3. Reflection (such as a large group discussion on what happened in the role play)

4. Lessons learned (such as guidelines or dos and don’ts for conducting effective interviews)

5. Application (such as practice in groups of three—interviewer, interviewee, observer)

6. Closure (key points to remember; linkages to next session or meeting; evaluation)

Resources

List people, materials, supplies, and equipment needed during the session. 

What Happened

After the session, make notes about what happened—impressions of what went well, suggestions 

for improvements, key people who should be contacted and used as resources if and when you do 

the session again in the future, and other notes.

[Adapted with permission from Training Trainers for Development, pp.18-22. The Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA). Washington, DC. 1995.]
24 Peace Corps

LET’S GET THAWED:

ICEBREAKER AND WARM-UP ACTIVITIES 

The activities suggested below are generally helpful in three ways:

• To break the ice and help participants warm up to the learning task at hand

• To assist participants in getting acquainted—people share more willingly and easily when they 

know the people with whom they are working

• To help in identifying group members as possible future resources 

They are fun, too. This list is just the beginning—add to it as you gain more and more experience 

as a participant or trainer. 

1. Paired Introductions. Participants pair off and interview one 

another. Each person then presents 

his/her partner to the rest of the group. 

The interview may include questions 

that focus on personal information, 

training-topic-related opinions, or 

expectations of the workshop.

2. Quartets. Same as above, but 

instead of introducing partners to the 

entire group, each pair meets with 

one other pair to form a quartet and 

introductions are made within the 

smaller grouping. (Suitable for large 

groups.)

3. One-Minute Biography. Each person is given one minute to tell about himself or herself. 

Use a timekeeper and do not let anyone go over one minute. Restrictions can be set as to what 

information may or may not be shared (such as work-related only, family/personal only, and 

so on.) If group is larger than 15, break into subgroups.

4. Structured Introductions. Working individually, participants write their own epitaphs, 

a press release about their accomplishments, or an ad about their “qualities.” Depending on 

the size of the group, each person shares with a partner, a small group, or the larger group. 
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 25

5. Life Map. Using paper and markers, each person makes a 

rough map of his or her life and shares it with others in the 

group. The drawing may incorporate symbols, stick figures, 

words, and so on. 

6. Pocket or Purse. Each individual pulls out an item from 

a purse, pocket, or backpack—an item that represents a value 

they hold. Participants take turns showing their selected objects 

and explaining what they mean. 

7. Secret Share. Each person writes a “fun” secret about himself or herself on a piece of paper and places it in a common 

box. Each person in turn draws a secret and reads it aloud (as 

if it were his or her own), and the group guesses whose secret 

it really is. Voting is permitted. 

8. Picture Me. Participants fold a piece of paper in fourths. 

They then draw the following, one picture in each quadrant: 

something I do well; something I wish I did better; something 

I dream of; something I value. Everyone divides into pairs and 

explains the drawings to partners. Each person then introduces 

her or his partner to the group in terms of the drawings. 
26 Peace Corps

Seven Steps for

Planning a Workshop

Step 1 Who?

Who are the participants? What is their profile? (Literacy level; age range; diversity of 

cultural, ethnic, economic, educational backgrounds; rural or urban based or mixture) 

What languages do people speak? How many participants want to attend? Who should 

the trainers be? 

Step 2 Why?

Why do the participants want the training? What is the situation that prompts them to want 

to enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes about the training topic(s)? How much 

about the training topic(s) do they already know? What kinds of relevant prior training 

have they received?

Step 3 When? 

What is the time frame for the workshop? (How long should it be? One longer session vs. 

two or more shorter sessions?) When can we schedule it such that participants can easily 

attend? What other factors do we need to consider before setting the date and time?

Step 4 Where?

Where should the course be given? Which settings are most accessible and comfortable 

for our participants? What type of facility and equipment will we need? Are there transportation costs to consider?

Step 5 What? 

What is the content of the course that participants want to acquire? It is helpful to break 

the content into three types of learning: knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Step 6 What for? 

What are the achievements or results that participants can expect from the course? What 

do we hope participants will be able to do by the end of the course? These are the workshop objectives. 
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 27

Step 7 How? 

What is the structure of the program? What are the specific learning activities and how 

should we sequence them? How do we make people feel comfortable at the beginning of 

the workshop? What materials do the trainers and participants need? (For example, flip 

charts, markers, notebooks, pencils, handouts, and so on.) How will we know what they 

have learned? (That is, how will we monitor and evaluate the workshop?)

[Adapted from Training Through Dialogue: Promoting Effective Learning and Change with Adults, pp. 10-13. Jane 

Vella. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, CA. 1995. This material is used by permission of Jossey-Bass, Inc., a subsidiary of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.]
28 Peace Corps

Stories from the Field:

Kenya

In the following story told by an Agroforestry Volunteer, the Volunteer gains several opportunities 

to work with other Volunteers and members of the community to co-train a group of women in 

an AIDS education seminar series.

I was working with several groups in Mutindwa village when I was approached by the volunteer 

health workers from the village health clinic. They wanted to get the local women and clinic volunteers involved in an advanced education program. They came to me and asked for help.

At first, the women and I just talked. I talked with one village nurse, the traditional birth attendants 

(TBAs), the health volunteers, and women from the church guild. I started doing short question and 

answer sessions on AIDS education. They liked the sessions so much, they asked me to teach a full 

course. So I organized a five-week, five-session AIDS education seminar series to be held on the grass 

outside the village health clinic. I took a list of the initial 25 women who wanted to participate. The 

idea was to have a “training of trainers” to train the women so that they could train other women. All 

the women could then educate their families and, gradually, pass the education to their community.

As the women from the surrounding villages heard about the classes, the number of participants 

grew to 40 women. We made announcements in the churches and schools each week to remind the 

participants to attend the classes. And so, more and more women arrived for the second, third, and 

continuing classes. The women started bringing their daughters to the classes and their daughters 

brought their babies with them. All the women and children sat on the grass as I taped posters and 

papers to the dispensary door and taught the afternoon classes.

A young man, the only man in attendance, volunteered to translate into Kimeru so that all the 

women could understand. As the sessions continued, the young man’s role grew to co-facilitator 

and he became animated about the classes. His mother came to all of the sessions. With the help 

of the translator, the health clinic nurse, and several other Volunteers, the five sessions went very 

well. We covered HIV infection, transmission, prevention, home care, and community awareness.

Based on a Ugandan home care AIDS awareness manual, I told a story using pictures of a village 

family affected by HIV and AIDS. I used the story to initiate discussions on HIV and AIDS. I invited a guest speaker, a fellow Volunteer, to do a presentation and condom demonstration during 

one class. I also used cartoons, group skits, stickers, posters, handouts, and pamphlets to get them 

involved. At the end of the seminar series, I gave an exam and asked for the participants to evaluate 

the class. I ended the seminar by presenting certificates to the participants and taking a class photo.

The women surprised me afterwards with tea and snacks they planned and brought from home. They 

thanked me for my efforts, then they had several requests. First, they asked me to hold the seminar 

series again so that more women can be trained to teach others. Second, they asked me to talk to 

the village primary and secondary school students about HIV and AIDS. Finally, they asked what 

they could study next.
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 29

Ideas and Activities

for Practicing Your Role

as a Co-Trainer

Indigenous Knowledge:

Who Are the Trainers and

Teachers in the Community?

Purpose

To learn how training and informal education happen in the local community

Activity

With the help of your trainers, fellow Trainees, or Counterpart, identify and interview several people 

around the community who are involved in helping others learn new knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes. Here is a partial list you may want to consider:

• A parent educating his/her children 

• An older sibling teaching a younger sibling

• A carpenter training an apprentice

• A religious leader instructing students

• A farmer teaching family members to manage the crops and animals

• A local hospital manager leading continuing education classes with nurses or other hospital 

workers

• A business owner helping a junior manager or younger family member “learn the business”

Once you decide who you want to interview, draft a short list of questions to guide your dialogue. 

The idea is to find out how local people approach helping others learn new skills and knowledge. 

Here are a few possible questions you may adapt to fit your particular technical subject.
30 Peace Corps

• What methods do they use to teach skills? Give information? Develop attitudes?

• How is learning rewarded in this community?

• Who else in the community does what they do?

• How did they learn their teaching or training skills?

• What do they like most about the experience of training others?

• In their view, how have teaching and/or training methods changed in the past 15 years?

Once you have had conversations with a few of these people, share and discuss your insights with 

your colleagues and trainers. What are some of the similarities and differences between your own 

learning and teaching experiences (that is, your experiences in the United States and in PST) and 

those of the host culture? How would you use this indigenous knowledge in planning a workshop 

with a local group? 
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 31

Ideas & Activities

Interviewing a Colleague

about a Learning Experience

Purpose

To identify characteristics of adult and/or non-formal learning

Activity

This is an appropriate exercise for language or technical class during PST. Pair up with another 

Trainee and interview one another about a self-directed learning experience or “project.” The 

experience should be one that was undertaken outside of formal educational situations (that is, 

outside the classroom). It can be related to your area of technical expertise, a hobby, and so on. 

Pose these questions:

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

• What was your self-directed 

learning experience?

• What was the goal of your 

learning? 

• Why were you interested in 

learning about this particular 

goal? 

• Where and with whom did your 

learning experience take place?

• Did you encounter any problems 

in completing the project? How 

did you deal with the problems?

• What motivated you to continue 

your project? (that is, to carry through and finish it)

• How much total time did you spend on the project?

• How have you benefited from the learning you gained on this project?

Once you and your colleagues have finished the interviews, select one of your group to lead the 

group in a processing discussion around these questions:

• How did the learning take place?
32 Peace Corps

• Did the learner have a choice in the learning method?

• How would you describe the learning environment?

• How did the learner know the learning actually took place in the end?

• What did you learn about your partner’s motivation to learn something new? What were your 

partner’s reasons for wanting to learn?

Based on all of these learning experiences, make a list of characteristics about “how people learn 

best.” Compare your list to the Principles of Adult Learning found in this toolkit. If relevant to your 

work assignment, discuss whether you think these characteristics of adult learning may or may not 

also apply to young people. 

Finally, talk about how these characteristics might affect the way you would plan a training activity 

or workshop for a group of people in your community. 
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 33

Ideas & Activities

Learning to Sail — 

Individual Learning Styles

Purpose

Just as people have different personalities, we also have different preferences in the way we like to 

learn. As a trainer, you need to be aware of your own learning style because it influences the way you 

train others, and you also need to be aware of the individual learning styles of the participants in your 

workshop. This short exercise helps to dramatize the different ways in which people prefer to learn. 

Activity

You need a group of people for this activity—fellow Trainees and trainers if you are in PST, or your 

Counterpart and friends if you are already at your site. 

1. Whatever your group, ask them to imagine the following scenario: 

Imagine you are given the responsibility for sailing a boat across a three-mile lake. You don’t 

know how to sail, but you have a day to learn. You are sitting on the beach with a variety of 

resources at your disposal. 

[If you work in a waterless world where people have no concept of what sailing is, by all means, 

adapt the scenario to make it more appropriate. Select a skill that people have some ideas about 

but few or none in the group know how to do.] 

2. Show the following list to the group (on flip chart paper, a chalkboard, or a handout):

Resources for Learning to Sail

A manual on how to sail

A sailboat ready to sail (with safety gear)

A video on how to sail (complete with battery-powered VCR and monitor)

A child who knows how to sail

An encyclopedia of sailing techniques

A workbook on sailing with a self-test on procedures

Pencil and paper

A peer to learn with you (who knows as little as you do about sailing)
34 Peace Corps

3. Ask the people to think about the resources they (as individuals) would choose in order to learn 

best how to sail. Explain that they may choose any number of resources and they can write 

them down if they like. Ask them to put their selected resources in the order they would use 

them.

4. Going around the circle, ask people to tell which resources they would use and how they 

would use them. Process this a little further by asking people to notice how many different 

ways of approaching the task there are within the group. What conclusions can they draw 

from the activity? What implications might learning styles have for facilitating training 

workshops with people?

Note: One of the key reasons the experiential learning model works so well in skill and attitude 

development types of workshops is because it addresses the different learning styles of the participants. An experiential session is likely to engage everyone in the room at some point in the 

learning process. 
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 35

Ideas & Activities

Assessing Learners and

Setting Learning Goals

Purpose

To identify ways that trainers and teachers can find out what learners want in the way of new 

knowledge, skills, or attitudes; to transform what learners want into learning goals

Activity

Have you ever been in a situation where the trainer or teacher spent a lot of time covering material 

you already knew? How did that make you feel? How did it affect the morale of the group in general? 

In order to make training as relevant as possible, trainers need to find out specifically what the 

learners want or feel they need to learn, and what level of understanding they already have about 

the subject areas they identify. 

With your colleagues in a language or technical class, brainstorm a list of questions you would ask 

to find out about a particular group of learners. Here are a few examples: 

• What roles and tasks do the learners perform in relation to the general topic areas?

• How familiar are they with the topic areas? 

• What are their attitudes and beliefs about the topic areas?

• What successes and problems have they encountered?

• What is their skill level?

• How well do participants know one another?

Once you have a fairly complete list, consider the options you have for conducting an assessment 

that will answer these questions. Start with your own PST situation: What methods have your PST 

trainers used to assess you as a learner? (For example, skill inventory, interviews, and so on.) Next, 

think about the possible groups with whom you will be working as a Volunteer. How could you 

gather information about them—who they are, what they want to learn, what they already know, 

and so forth? Use the following needs assessment model to help you:

Ask

study observe
36 Peace Corps

Ask: Create a questionnaire related to specific training; 

conduct interviews with a sample of learners. What 

else might you ask?

Observe: Walk around; note relationships; note where resources are located; note who talks in meetings. 

What else might you observe?

Study: Study the group; read profiles; read reports of previous training done in the community; read government studies of the area. What else might you study?

Try out the Ask-Observe-Study model using one of the situations below (or adapt them to suit your 

technical sector):

Situation A: The Mayor’s Class

Fifteen village women have been named by the mayor to learn methods of oral 

rehydration therapy to treat infants with symptoms of dehydration. You are invited 

to design and lead the training, which will be done in the village for a period of 

two weeks. How can you use the Ask-Observe-Study model to assess this group?

Situation B: Youth and the Environment

A local teacher has invited you to work with an environmental awareness youth 

club she has formed at her school. The club currently has 30 members. She wants 

you to design and teach a series of classes that raise students’ awareness about the 

local park preserve (where you work) and the need for conservation efforts on the 

part of the local community. How can you use the Ask-Observe-Study model to 

assess this group?

As you consider ways to ask, observe, and study your learners, get some perspectives from your 

trainers and/or Counterpart regarding the cultural appropriateness of the methods. 

Once you have assessed the learners, you can use the data to: determine the training content, obtain 

case material (examples, illustrations, case studies, role play scenarios, and so on), and develop a 

relationship with the participants. In determining the training content, it is very useful to look at the 

learners’ desires in the following terms:

•	 Desire for knowledge, information, facts (includes content or cognitive learning, 

acquiring knowledge, comprehending information, analyzing concepts, and so on)

•	 Desire for new or improved skills (includes manual skills, carrying out a procedure, 

demonstrating techniques, communication skills, problem solving, decision making, leadership, 

and so on)
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 37

•	 Desire to adjust or enhance attitudes (includes confidence in applying new knowledge and skills, respect for people’s sensibilities and fears, patience, accuracy, thoroughness, 

conscientiousness, curiosity, tolerance for opposing views, integrity, diplomacy, tact, enthusiasm, 

satisfaction, and so on)

By describing what the learners want in these terms, you are already drafting the learning goals for 

the session or workshop. 

To get some practice, think of your own technical learning desires: What do you want to learn in 

order to be an effective Volunteer in your technical area of expertise? What knowledge do you hope 

to gain? What new skills do you want? What kind of attitude would help you serve your community? 

List a few examples of learning goals (for yourself) and discuss them with your technical trainer. Or, 

alternatively, review the list of goals and objectives your technical trainer gave you at the beginning 

of PST. Do they include knowledge, skills, and attitudes? In your opinion, do they accurately express 

your learning desires? What changes would you suggest to improve them?

[Ask-Observe-Study Model from Learning to Teach, p. 54. Jane Vella, Save the Children Federation, Westport CT. 1989. 

Reprinted by permission.]
38 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Kate’s Dilemma

Purpose

Learning is most complete when it addresses all three learning domains (knowledge, skills, and attitudes). We learn new ideas, we practice with them, and we discuss how we feel about them and how 

they fit into our lives. Here is a story that will help you examine the relationship between learning 

(knowledge, skills, and attitudes) and training approaches. 

Activity

Read the following critical incident and discuss with your colleagues how Kate could use the three 

domains of learning (and anything else you know about non-formal and participatory approaches) 

to enhance her teaching. 

Kate’s Dilemma

Kate is a Volunteer in Haiti. She speaks French well, since she was an exchange student 

in France when she was in high school. She is assigned to work at a clinic where mothers 

come to receive food supplements for their children under five. She has been teaching 

a group of mothers about infant nutrition and the use of their babies’ growth charts to 

monitor health and development. 

The 15 women she is working with clearly do not read and write. They have never been 

to school. Kate is telling them all she learned about nutrition and growth monitoring in 

her nursing classes and in PST. But they do not seem to get it! 

She thinks these Haitian mothers are not too smart. Why can’t they understand and 

demonstrate to her how they can feed their babies from all the food groups and how 

they can tell from the growth charts whether their child is doing well or not? Instead, 

they sit there like lumps, nodding respectfully, nursing their babies, not learning a thing! 

Kate is frustrated. 

[Adapted from Training Through Dialogue: Promoting Effective Learning and Change with Adults, pp. 123-124. 

Jane Vella. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, CA. 1995. This material is used by permission of Jossey-Bass, Inc., 

a subsidiary of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.]

KNOWLEDGE

SKILLS ATTITUDEs
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 39

Ideas & Activities

Group Dialogue

on Axioms

of Popular

(Non-formal) 

Education

Purpose

To practice critical thinking about some 

of the basic principles of non-formal 

education

Activity

This activity requires a few companions 

—fellow Trainees, Volunteers, Counterparts, other community members. As 

a group, read the “Axioms of Popular 

Education.” Explain which axiom is 

most meaningful to you and why. Also, 

discuss which axiom might be most 

challenging for you to uphold. Allow 

everyone to share his or her ideas, then 

ask, “What other axioms would you add 

to the list?”
40 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Trainer-Centered Activities

Learner-Centered Activities

Axioms of Popular Education*

Axiom: An established rule or principle or a self-evident truth.

1. Don’t tell what you can ask; don’t ask if you know the answer—tell, in dialogue!

2. A warm-up is a learning task related to the topic.

3. You can’t teach too little; you can’t go too slowly.

4. A learning task is an open question put to a small group along with the resources they need 

to respond to it.

5. Don’t write on a chart anything you won’t use again.

6. A critical incident (a case study posing a problem) needs to be far enough away to be safe, 

close enough to be immediate.

7. The learning task is a task for the learner.

8. Pray for doubt!

9. If you don’t dispute it, you don’t learn it.

* Popular education is the term Brazilian educator Paolo Freire gave to his adult learning approach 

based on dialogue between teacher and learner and among learners. 

[From Training Through Dialogue: Promoting Effective Learning and Change with Adult, p. 45. Jane Vella. JosseyBass Publishers, San Francisco, CA. 1995. This material is used by permission of Jossey-Bass, Inc., a subsidiary of John 

Wiley & Sons, Inc.]
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 41

Ideas & Activities

Each One Teach One

Purpose

Trainers need to develop a wide repertoire of teaching methods and techniques to draw from when 

working with different types of participants and with different kinds of training content. A great 

way to start building that repertoire is to practice on your friends and trainers (including language, 

technical, and cross-cultural trainers).

Activity

There are several ways to practice different training techniques. One easy way is to think of a specific 

technical or language objective, and select an appropriate method to practice teaching it to your 

fellow trainees. For example, you might want to use the role play method to practice interviewing 

techniques, or you might select a case study to teach business planning skills, or perhaps you want 

to organize a field trip to show the major types of soil erosion in the local area. In this sort of “each 

one teach one” approach, the technical trainer serves as a resource to the Trainee leading the activity. 

Here are a few guidelines for this type of practice:

1. Select or identify the learning objective. 

2. Select a method that is appropriate to the learning objective and design a short learning activity. 

(See “Training Methods by Learning Domain” in the Models, Concepts, and Cases section.)

3. Lead your group in the activity, including processing the learning. (Remember the experiential 

learning cycle.)

4. Afterwards, outline for the group the steps involved in using your particular method; discuss 

the method’s advantages and disadvantages.

For more information on specific training methods, see “Key Training Methods” in the Models, 

Concepts, and Cases section of this Toolkit or ask your trainers for support materials. Almost every 

“how-to” manual on training has good descriptions of common training methods such as:

• Role play • Small group discussion

• Critical incidents • Presentations

• Case study • Learning games

• Demonstration • Field trips

Once your language skills are strong enough, you and a teammate can practice these different methods with small groups of participants in the community. The more you can practice, the more you 

will understand the potential and limitations of each method. 
42 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Facilitation Skills Practice

Purpose

Since all participatory training involves group discussion, it is critical that trainers develop skills to 

encourage and facilitate interchange of ideas, opinions, and perspectives among participants. These 

skills include: asking questions, paraphrasing, summarizing, and dealing with difficult people. Group 

dynamics—the way people interrelate with one another—can be tricky at times. The more you can 

practice with your own peer group, the better prepared you will feel co-facilitating discussions in 

your community. 

Activity

See the activity “Practice Facilitating Discussions” in Toolkit 4: The Volunteer as Co-Facilitator. 

Use this activity as a way to begin building or enhancing yours skills, then continue looking for 

opportunities to practice group facilitation as often as possible during PST. Get into the habit of 

sincerely asking for feedback on your performance. (Ask, for example, “How was I helpful during 

that discussion?” “How can I improve?”) This practice will help you in your role as a co-trainer 

and as a community facilitator (that is, in facilitating small group tasks, plenary discussions, cofacilitating meetings, and so on). 
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 43

Ideas & Activities

Opening Exercises — Practicing 

on Your Own PST Training Group 

Purpose

To practice and experience a wide variety of opening exercises that may be adapted for use with 

community groups 

Activity

Pre-Service Training (PST) is an ideal environment to practice opening exercises such as those 

described in the Models, Concepts, and Cases section of this toolkit. Talk to your language and 

technical trainers about the best way to organize the practice. In center-based or hub-based training, 

some PST groups have approached opening exercises as follows: every week, two Trainees sign up to 

be the climate-setters who will conduct warm-up exercises that will set the tone for the group’s work. 

They meet briefly with the technical trainer to get familiar with the topics and goals for the week. 

Then they select and facilitate opening exercises with the group at appropriate points throughout the 

week, and get feedback on how well these activities worked. Each Trainee (or pair) is responsible 

for writing up the activities that worked well and, at the end of the training, the PST group compiles 

everyone’s entries into a “Training Openers Idea Book” to take to site. 

Another way to practice opening exercises is to make a list of several workshop topics relevant 

to your technical sector—topics that are likely to be addressed in workshops once you are in your 

communities. Each Trainee or pair of Trainees selects one of the topics and creates and demonstrates 

a suitable opening activity. 

In community-based PST, practice the opening or warm-up activities with your language cluster 

first, and then experiment with them as you begin to conduct training or other kinds of meetings in 

the community. 

However you decide to practice opening activities, it is helpful to experiment with large and small 

group scenarios (Which icebreakers work well with small groups? How can you find out participants’ expectations when the group is large? and so forth). As always, it is important to critique the 

activities for their cultural appropriateness. 
44 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Framing Issues as Stories, 

Case Studies, or Critical Incidents

Purpose

Most workshops address technical or social issues that require participants to do critical thinking 

and apply concepts to the real world. A story, case study, or critical incident is often used to frame 

the issue such that participants can relate to it more easily. Sometimes trainers can find stories or 

cases that fit the issue; other times trainers create them. 

Activity

Select an issue and gather some data about it from local resources. For example, you might want to 

address the issue of young people “hanging out” on the street corner with nothing to do. Another 

example might be credit opportunities for women and youth. Once you have an idea to practice 

with, talk to members of your host family, friends, and/or trainers to get ideas about how to relate 

the issue to real life. Ask: “Have you (or someone you know) ever dealt with this issue? What was 

your situation? What did you do or wish you had done?” 

Once you have enough information and insight about the issue, select the method you want to use 

to frame the issue—story, case study, or critical incident:

Stories are particularly good for illustrating a point or teaching a lesson. Also, many 

cultures have a tradition of teaching through storytelling. In telling a story, you want to (1) 

establish the setting or scene, (2) build the action toward a challenge or dilemma (what would 

you do next?), and (3) give the climax such that it carries the listener to new and perhaps 

unexpected directions (the punch line with a lesson). 

Critical incidents provoke people to think about options for addressing an issue or 

solving a problem. They may be written or presented orally, but either way, they should 

be brief and focus on a single issue. A good critical incident gives just enough information 

to put the reader or listener in the shoes of the protagonist, then asks the question: “What 

would you do in this situation?” or “What are the options here? (See “Kate’s Dilemma” for 

an example of a critical incident.)

Case studies are good for helping people identify multiple facets or dimensions to a 

complex issue and then determine or evaluate the best ways to address it. See the description, “Training Method: Case Study” in the Models, Concepts, and Cases section. 

Make your first draft, including writing out the text and the discussions questions. Then, test the 

story or case on trainers or friends to see how well it works. Did they recognize the key issue(s)? 

Did they seem interested or “hooked” during the activity? Was any critical information missing, or 

conversely, was there too much distracting detail? What suggestions can they make about improving 

the piece? (This pretest is a nice activity to do in language class.)

Incorporate feedback from the pretest to make improvements on your text and/or discussion questions. Once you’ve finished your story, case study, or critical incident, share it with others in your 

group and get copies of their pieces for future use or adaptation.
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 45

Ideas & Activities

Evaluation of Learning: How do we

know they know what we taught?

Purpose

As trainers, we need to always ask ourselves this key evaluation question: How do we know they 

know what we have taught? The answer relates directly back to the learning objectives—to know 

that learning has happened, we need to identify and measure indicators of the knowledge, skills, 

and attitudes learned. 

Activity

Working by yourself or with a colleague, design a way to evaluate the training with the 15 women 

described in the Mayor’s Course (see the activity “Assessing Learners and Setting Learning Goals” 

in this Toolkit). You may alter this scenario to make it suitable for your technical area. Think about 

an evaluation task that would measure the quality of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes about oral 

rehydration therapy gained by the women in this workshop. Once you have your evaluation task 

designed, share it with your colleagues and trainers to get more evaluation ideas.

Another useful exercise is to work with your trainers to design an evaluation plan for your PST. 

How can you measure what you have learned in the way of new knowledge, skills, and attitudes 

for service as a Volunteer? What are some specific indicators? How can you measure the quality of 

your learning? 

[Adapted with permission from Learning to Teach, p. 63. Jane Vella. Save the Children Federation, Westport CT. 1989.]
46 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Planning and Conducting 

A Mini-Workshop In The Community

Purpose

Perhaps the best way to learn to design and conduct a workshop is to actually do it in your host 

community during your PST (whenever your language and technical skills can support it). This 

activity gives you the opportunity to “put it all together” and try out many of your training skills. It 

is also a way to give something back to your host community. 

Activity

If you are in a center-based training program, you can plan and conduct the workshop as a team with 

others in your technical group. If you are in a community-based program, you can join together with 

other Trainees in your cluster. The main idea is to identify a workshop team that will be responsible 

for planning, preparing, and conducting the workshop. 

After you have identified your workshop team, begin a dialogue with community members or a 

specific group within the community about their interest in acquiring a new skill or learning about a 

new topic. Once you have a few ideas from them, select a topic about which they have some interest 

and about which you have some expertise. Since you are in a practice mode, try to pick topics that 

are not too controversial and/or complex. Then go through the rest of the steps for planning and 

implementing the workshop. (See “Seven Steps for Planning a Workshop” in the Models, Concepts, 

and Cases section of this Toolkit.) 

Note: The planning process will need to begin anywhere from two to four weeks before the 

actual workshop. The length of the workshop will depend on the participants and their learning 

goals, and, to some degree, the size of the workshop team. Since this is a practicum, everyone 

on the team should get the opportunity to carry out planning tasks and co-facilitate an activity 

during the workshop. If your planning team is larger than eight people or so, consider splitting 

it into two teams and conducting separate workshops (consecutive or sequential). 

Here are a few suggestions to help make the experience a successful one:

• After each major task in the planning process, stop and process the experience: How well are we 

accomplishing our tasks? How well are we working together as a training team? What are the 

challenges so far and how can we address them? Are we involving the participants in the planning and implementation phases? 

• If possible, invite one or two of the host country participants to work with you as co-trainers. Try 

to select individuals who have a natural interest and ability for teaching or training. Working with 

a local co-trainer will probably mean more time for planning and practicing, but the rewards will 

be great for both or all of you.
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 47

• Use your technical and language trainers as resources as you plan sessions, prepare materials, 

and arrange logistics. During the workshop, ask your trainers to be “on the sidelines” ready to 

help if at some point you need their input. Clarify ahead of time how you will ask or signal for 

their help. 

• Pay particular attention to the way you open the workshop. Make sure you’ve gotten local 

advice on protocols and the appropriateness of the icebreaker and other opening activities you 

have selected. 

• Visual aids are virtually always an important part of a workshop. If you are still less than comfortable working in the host language, then visual aids can be particularly helpful. Make sure the 

visuals are appropriate to your participant group (for example, literate or semiliterate, different 

age groups) and to the local environment (use of recycled newsprint).

• Be sure to make a plan for how you will evaluate what the participants have learned. (How will 

you know they have learned what you taught?)

• At the end of the workshop, have a meeting with everyone involved in the process to discuss 

lessons learned and how you will apply them to your work in the field. Celebrate your success! 

Keeping A “Best Training Practices” Notebook

Great trainers “shamelessly steal” training ideas, activities, and approaches from one 

another. Rather than depend on your memory, carry a notebook with you whenever you 

attend a workshop or session. Write down notes about elements of the training design and/

or facilitation that you find particularly appealing and effective. Examples might include: 

•	 A neat icebreaker

•	 An innovative way to break a large group into smaller teams

•	 A metaphor that illustrates a difficult or important concept

•	 A story that is relevant to many participant groups

•	 Discussion questions that promoted a high level of interaction in the group

•	 A sensitive but effective way to handle a disruptive participant

•	 Flip chart techniques that make the visual aids particularly attractive

•	 A participatory method for summarizing the day’s work

Organize the notebook by categories (Openings/Icebreaker, Stories, Group Management,

and so forth), by training event (such as July IST on Community Participation), or whatever 

approach makes sense to you. Each time you begin planning a workshop, browse through 

the notebook to see if some of these best practices fit into your new design. 
48 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Skill Inventory for Trainers

Purposes of the Inventory:

• To help you identify the training skills you already have or need to develop in order to work 

successfully in this capacity building role

• To serve as a tool for giving and receiving feedback on trainers’ performances during and after 

workshops; for example, you and your co-trainer may use the form to exchange perceptions and 

offer suggestions for improvements

How to complete the form:

For each skill area described on the following pages, consider your level of comfort and experience. 

Imagine yourself using the skill with a typical training group. Give yourself a rating according to 

the following scale:

3 = Feel comfortable taking a lead role in this skill area

2 = Feel comfortable, but would prefer to take a support role with another 

trainer in the lead

1 = Feel comfortable only with a limited role; need to develop more

Interpret each skill area from the starting point of cultural appropriateness—that is, virtually all 

of these skill areas require an understanding and respect for the host culture of the people 

you train. 

Presentation Skills

Use climate-setting and/or opening activities that 

help participants begin thinking about the subject at hand and link the workshop to the larger 

framework of the community or organization.

Explain learning objectives and relate them to the 

planned activities of the session.

Deliver interactive presentations that meet participants’ needs and 

draw on their experiences.

Use appropriate stories or work-related examples to illustrate a learning point or theory-technique application. 

Design and use visual aids (flip charts, transparencies, etc.) that are 

attractive, easy to understand, and support or reinforce the content 

of the session.

Use closure activities that help participants reflect on and integrate workshop activities.
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 49

Facilitation Skills

Give clear and succinct instructions to guide participants through individual, small group, and 

large group tasks.

Ask questions that promote discussion, stimulate thoughtful exchange among participants, and 

move the group toward accomplishing their learning objectives.

Solicit feedback from participants regarding how well the training activities are meeting their 

needs, and make appropriate adjustments that take into account their feedback. 

Use active listening behavior to understand participants’ concerns; maintain a nonjudgmental 

stance with participants.

Offer timely and accurate summaries or paraphrases to assist participants in relating discussion 

to key learning concepts.

Make culturally sensitive interventions that diminish disruptive behavior or resolve conflict 

among participants or between participants and trainers.

Use a variety of discussion techniques to encourage participation from everyone in the group. 

Help group members balance the “product” and “process” aspects of the learning situation 

(for example: establish, monitor, and adjust group norms). 

Monitor small group and individual tasks; intervene as necessary to clarify goals or correct 

the group’s course.

Be able to facilitate a variety of experience-based small group activities including (rate 

each one):

____ role play ____ brainstorming/prioritizing

____ case study ____ simulations

____ games ____ questionnaires or surveys

____ other

Identify the three skills in which you feel strongest and best prepared to 

work as a trainer.

1.

2.

3.

Identify the three most important skills you feel you need to improve as 

a trainer.

1.

2.

3.

[Adapted with permission from AmeriCorps Supervisory Skills Training of Trainers. National Crime Prevention Council, 

Washington, DC. 1997]
50 Peace Corps

Key Resources

for More

Information

and Insight

HIV/AIDS Training Resource Kit. CD-ROM. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2007. [ICE T0136K]

Life Skills Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2001. [ICE M0063]

Nonformal Education (NFE) Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2004. [ICE M0042]

Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) Training Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, 

DC) 2007. [ICE M0053]

Promoting Powerful People: A Process for Change. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2000. 

[ICE T0104]
RVID Toolkit 3: Volunteer as Co-Trainer 51

notes
52 Peace Corps
THE ROLES OF THE VOLUNTEER 

IN DEVELOPMENT

Capacity Building

Toolkit

4

RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 1

Capacity Building Toolkit 4 

VOLUNTEER AS 

CO-FACILITATOR 

IN THIS TOOLKIT

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan ................................................................................... 2

What Is a Co-Facilitator? ............................................................................................. 2

Models, Concepts, And Cases ........................................................................ 5

Facilitating Group Discussion ..................................................................................... 6

Understanding Group Process ..................................................................................... 8

Working with Different Types of Group Members .................................................... 10

Feedback: What It Is and How to Give It .................................................................. 13

The Facilitator’s Role in Group Development .......................................................... 15

Solving Problems and Making Decisions in Groups ................................................. 23

Helping Community Groups Analyze and Prioritize Issues ...................................... 26

Brainstorming and Listing ......................................................................................... 27

Decisions by Consensus ............................................................................................ 29

Planning and Facilitating Meetings ........................................................................... 31

Stories from the Field: Papua New Guinea ............................................................... 35

Ideas And Activities For Practicing

your Role as a Co-facilitator ................................................................... 36

Practice Facilitating Discussions................................................................................ 36

Using “Decision Dots” ............................................................................................... 38

Using Snow Cards (Snow = Small Notes on Wall) ................................................... 40

Practicing Problem-Solving Techniques .................................................................... 41

	 Reaching Consensus in a Group: A Values Clarification Exercise ............................ 42

25 Questions about Group Facilitation ...................................................................... 44

Key Resources for

More Information and Insight ............................................................... 45
2 Peace Corps

VOLUNTEER AS 

CO-FACILITATOR 

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ATTITUDES

Knowledge, Knowledge of sector-specific Listening, questioning, Willingness to share leaderskills, and groups and projects; group encouraging others; team ship; trust in group process; 

attitudes dynamics theory; leadership building; facilitating group patience and perseverance; 

(KSAs) you styles; types of decisions; tasks; decision making, respect for diversity

need for this participatory methods	 e.g., consensus; conflict

role resolution; co-leading 

 meetings; modeling

Your What knowledge you still Skills you need to gain or Things that will help you 

initiatives to need and where to find it:	 improve and how you change any attitudes that will 

learn more might work on further hinder your role:

 skill development:

(Make a plan)

– – –

– – –

– – –

– – –

– – –

 

 

 

What is a co-facilitator ?

A co-facilitator assists the community in deciding what it wants to do and then partners with the 

community to get the work done. As a co-facilitator, the Volunteer works jointly with a Counterpart 

or another community member to guide the group through a process to identify and discuss goals, 

make decisions, and carry out tasks that positively affect their well-being. He or she models good 

leadership and stewardship but makes sure the decision-making rights and responsibilities remain 

with the community. 

In some ways, the role of a facilitator is like that of an orchestra conductor. They both try to ensure 

that all members of the group participate and contribute their unique talents, that the group is clear 

on what is to be accomplished, and that the group works smoothly together. However, there are two 

significant differences in their roles: (1) A conductor chooses the composition the orchestra will

play, while a facilitator assists the group in deciding on their own agenda. (2) A conductor has a set 

score to follow, but a facilitator needs to remain flexible and move with the group to successfully

complete the group’s goals.

In capacity-building terms, the roles of “facilitator” and “trainer” are distinct, although they overlap 

in several key skill areas. For our purposes here, we distinguish between the two as follows: a trainer 

addressesspecific requestsfrom individuals or groupsfor new knowledge and skills 

relevant to their

cofacilitator

role
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 3

goals and pursuits; a facilitator guides a group through a process of expressing ideas, analyzing 

issues, making sound decisions, and building relationships. If you anticipate doing a lot of group 

facilitation and training, you will benefit from both of these toolkits.

Facilitation is an exciting and challenging role, but it requires excellent language skills and an 

understanding of the local culture and community issues. As a Volunteer you are likely to have opportunities to become involved in the facilitation of meetings and other community activities, and 

sometimes it will be appropriate for you to “take the lead.” Much of the time, however, it is more 

productive to help a local person develop the skills to serve as facilitator. 

Examples of the Co-Facilitator’s Role

Sam, an Agriculture-sector Volunteer, and the Director of a local Farmers’ 

Association have decided to co-facilitate a series of meetings between association members and a Municipal Planning Committee about road construction and 

other transportation issues in the surrounding geographic area. The Association 

Director has been involved in informal discussions with the Planning Committee 

for several months and now the two groups will need to sort through several 

controversial issues and make decisions that will have long-term impacts on the 

area. Since Sam has a strong relationship with both of the community groups, 

the Association Director considers him an ideal person to help organize and 

co-facilitate the meetings. Sam spends considerable time planning with the two 

group leaders before they hold the first meeting.

Judy, a Small Business Volunteer, joins with the leader of a women’s group 

to co-facilitate a team-building workshop with the women at the start of a 

small-scale income generation project. The group is newly formed and this is 

the first substantial project they have undertaken. The group leader is anxious

about her high-profile role and wants everything to work smoothly. Judy helps

the group leader identify the goals of the team-building sessions and suggests 

several activities. Once they have their plan in place, they discuss how they 

will co-lead the sessions. During the actual workshop, Judy limits her time in 

front of the group and uses participatory activities to focus group members’ 

attention on themselves and their leader. As part of the closing session, Judy 

asks the group leader and members to make suggestions about how she might 

continue to support the group as they begin the income generation project. 

After the workshop, Judy meets with the group leader to debrief and make a 

plan for next steps. 

1

2
4 Peace Corps

Matt, an Education Volunteer, has been working for a few months with an

extracurricular youth group. They have concentrated mostly on environmental 

care and now several of the strongest group members want to convene a town or 

neighborhood meeting to raise awareness and issues about youth participation in 

local government. Matt believes this meeting has the potential to be strategic for 

legitimizing the youth group’s efforts and galvanizing needed support, but also 

risky in terms of alienating local leaders who may perceive the youth agenda 

as too radical. When he first started working with these young people, he never

imagined they would get so involved! Through analyzing the situation, Matt 

realizes that he needs to engage another teacher or an interested person from 

the local community to team with him in guiding the group and helping them 

clarify their agenda to take to the public. 

3
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 5

Capacity Building Toolkit 4

Models, Concepts,

and Cases

Qualities of a Good Facilitator

Becoming an effective facilitator requires time and experience. Learning by doing is the best 

way. Nevertheless, there are certain qualities that enable someone to become a good facilitator. 

These are outlined below:

Trust in other people and their capacities

Patience and good listening skills

Self-awareness and openness to learning new things

Confidence without arrogance

Respect for the opinions of others, not imposing ideas

Practice in creative and innovative thinking

Ability to create an atmosphere of confidence among participants

Flexibility in changing methods and sequences, not always sticking to a preset sequence 

or agenda

Knowledge of group development including the ability to sense a group’s mood and change 

methods or adjust the program on the spot

A good sense for the arrangement of space and materials in order to create an attractive 

physical arrangement for participants

Skill in drawing and handwriting

[Adapted with permission from VIPP: Visualization in Participatory Programmes, p. 39. UNICEF, New York. 1993.]
6 Peace Corps

Facilitating Group Discussion

Facilitation of group discussion is a skill that encourages the group to express and discuss its own 

ideas. The group is the reservoir of knowledge and creativity; the facilitator serves the group by 

building trust, remaining neutral, and not evaluating or contributing his or her own ideas. The role 

of the facilitator is to encourage the discussion, help clarify when necessary, assist the group in 

summarizing their ideas, and keep them “on task” and moving toward their goal. The facilitator is 

concerned about the process; he or she does not control the content. 

Facilitation requires skills in asking questions, listening and paraphrasing, and summarizing. It also 

demands careful attention to what is happening in the group. The facilitator may need to encourage 

quiet people, move the conversation away from dominant persons, and deal with disruptive persons. 

There is no prescription for good facilitation. That said, one good rule is to let the group do about 

95 percent of the talking. Facilitators need to be aware of how much they talk. They should not 

dominate the conversation or be the focal point. The diagrams below show the difference between 

controlling and facilitating a discussion.

Facilitators need to tolerate silence—even enjoy it! Silence can mean various things: a lack of 

understanding of a question or of the process, confusion, thinking or reflecting, or needing time to

translate ideas and language. 

Facilitators need to consider how the group views them. Often, non-verbal behaviors—such as nodding the head negatively, or gesturing toward a point one supports—shows the group the facilitator’s 

point of view of what he or she expects from the group.

facilitator

X

X X

X

X

X X

Controlling

X

X X

X

X

X X
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 7

Specific skills that facilitators need are the following:

1. Asking Questions

Facilitators use questions to help group members bring out relevant information, clarify 

points of view, summarize information, and draw conclusions. These types of questions are

particularly useful: 

Open-ended – Can you give us some examples of...?

Probing – Will you explain a little more about that?

Encouraging other views – Can anyone provide another viewpoint or suggestion about this?

Summarizing – Will someone summarize the points presented so far?

2. Listening and Paraphrasing

Communication has been described as 80 percent listening and 20 percent speaking. Listening 

is a skill and a way of being with people. By listening actively, the facilitator tries to understand 

what a participant is saying, feeling, and thinking. The facilitator then checks for understanding 

by paraphrasing. The process of listening and paraphrasing is much like catching a ball and 

throwing it back. Listening and paraphrasing honor the contributions of the participants and 

also help to clarify issues for the group. Paraphrase starters:

What I heard you say was........ Is that correct?

I think you said that........ Is that right?

It seems to me, your viewpoint is....... Is that stated accurately?

You differ in opinion from Mary in that you think....... Is that right?

3. Summarizing

The purpose of summarizing is to:

a. pull important ideas, facts, or information together

b. establish a basis for further discussion or make a transition

c. review progress

d. check for clarity or agreement

Summarizing requires careful listening as it requires organization and systematic reporting 

back of information expressed. Summarized information ensures that everyone is clear about 

what transpired in that portion of the discussion. Wherever possible, encourage someone in the 

group to do the summarizing. Always ask the group or relevant members of the group “Does 

this summary capture your thoughts and ideas correctly?”

Starter phrases for summaries:

If I understand, you feel this way about the situation...

There seem to be the following points of view about this...

The group has presented these five issues so far...

I think we agree on this decision: what we are saying is that we...

[Adapted from PACA: Participatory Analysis for Community Action, pp. 114-116, Peace Corps, Washington, DC. 1996. 

(ICE M0053)]
8 Peace Corps

Understanding Group Process

Every group has three basic elements, which exist at all times:

Structure: How the group is organized in terms of formal and informal authority and leadership; 

timing, location, and physical environment in which the group operates. Some groups 

have very little structure while others may operate in a well-defined and controlled

structure. 

Task: The reason the group exists; its task, work, purpose, 

and output.

Process: How the group works together within the structure to 

accomplish its tasks. 

In group process, there are three basic needs that team 

members have:

•	 the need to achieve tasks

•	 the need to maintain group cohesion and 

well-being

•	 the need to express and satisfy individual 

interests or desires.

Everything people do during group interactions can be linked to one of these needs. Sometimes a

group is focused too heavily on achieving the task and may forget to pay attention to the relationships among members. As a result, tensions may rise and simple problems may become “heavy.” 

Other times, the group may emphasize maintaining relationships so much that they don’t have time 

left to complete their tasks or they do them too quickly and sloppily. As a result, motivation of 

group members may decline and individuals may begin to lay blame on others. Sometimes when a 

group is under stress or has not developed well and members feel their needs are not being met, they 

engage in self-centered behaviors to try to draw attention either toward or away from themselves 

(e.g., dominate the discussion, clown around, withdraw). 

You can encourage group members to play some specific roles that will promote a healthy balance

between the functions of task (getting results) and maintenance (taking care of one another). A nice 

way to describe task and maintenance roles is to visualize the two wheels of a bicycle as shown on 

the next page. When you ride a bicycle, the front wheel steers you toward your destination, while 

the rear wheel stabilizes your motion and supports you on your journey. In a similar fashion, the 

task roles help the group reach its goals while the maintenance roles help group members feel supported and in harmony. 

[Adapted with permission from On Becoming a Better Supervisor: A Resource Guide for Community Service Supervisors, National Crime Prevention Council, Washington, DC. 1996.]
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 9

Task Roles Maintenance Roles

 for Members for Members 

 

Initiate tasks and discussions Be a gatekeeper—include everyone

Clarify the task	 Encourage quiet members

Offer ideas Call people by name 

Focus and summarize Question and test for agreement 

Make decisions Use humor

Take notes Reduce tensions 

Close Keep time

[Bicycle metaphor adapted with permission from Learning to Teach: Training of Trainers for Community Development, 

p. 48, by Jane Vella. Save the Children, Westport CT. 1989.]

 

 

If the people will lead, 

the leaders will follow. 

— Ghandi
10 Peace Corps

Working with Different

Types of Group Members

Ideally, in a discussion all group members participate equally. Rarely does the ideal happen. Factors 

such as cultural protocol, age, personality type, and historical relationships among the various group 

members affect the ways in which people interact. It is the facilitator’s role to encourage active and 

equal participation, working to keep disruptive or controlling behaviors in check so that they do not 

prevent the group from completing its task(s). Below are some general guidelines for facilitators to 

keep in mind as they encounter different types of interaction behavior among participants. 

1. Keep in mind the goal: to eliminate or minimize the behavior so that it does not continue to 

disrupt the group process or isolate some members from participating. 

2. Diagnose accurately; take time to think through:

	 	 •	 What is the “problem” behavior?

	 	 •	 Why is it happening?

3. Wait to respond.

Give yourself time to assess the situation carefully.

Give the person a chance to change his or her behavior.

Give the group a chance to control the behavior themselves.

4.	 Care about everyone in the group. Everyone has needs and should be respected. Try to address

all group members according to what they need. Maintain the self-esteem of the person causing 

the problem by intervening carefully and appropriately.

5. Take the appropriate action and follow-up.

Identify possible alternatives.

Select best alternative to minimize the disruption while maintaining everyone’s self-esteem.

On the following page, we describe several “difficult” behaviors and potential actions to alleviate

the problems. Since people’s behaviors vary with the culture, review the list with your Counterpart 

or trainers and determine how relevant it is to the group dynamics you have observed in your local 

community. Use the worksheet on the second page to determine some “Possible Actions of the 

Facilitator” appropriate for your cultural situation. 
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 11

Working with Different Types of Group Members

Type of Possible Possible Action

Behavior Reasons of Facilitator

Domineering, 	 •	 Eager	 •	 Keep silent; let group respond.

controlling	 •	 Well informed	 •	 Recognize contribution and redirect to someone

•	 Formal or informal 	 	 else.

leader in community	 •	 Avoid looking directly at the person.

	 	 •	 Establish a procedure whereby everyone

 contributes one idea before group discusses.

	 	 •	 Ask person to summarize ideas so others can

 contribute.

Argumentative, 	 •	 Combative personality	 •	 Identify areas of disagreement and decide if

uncooperative	 •	 Hidden agenda	 	 they should be discussed now or “parked” for

•	 Personally upset by 	 	 later.

	 some other situation	 •	 Direct conversation away from person.

•	 Threatened	 •	 Let group handle him or her.

•	 Forced participation	 •	 Set and reinforce group norm or rule that all

 ideas are acceptable.

Silent	 •	 Timid, insecure	 •	 Encourage with eye contact or invitation to

•	 Never given a voice 	 	 speak.

(due to age, gender, 	 •	 Speak to privately to find what she/he is thinking

social class, or ethnic or feeling. 

	 group)	 •	 Use icebreakers and warm-ups to make the

 environment more comfortable.

	 	 •	 Direct questions to this person when she or he

 has expertise or shows non-verbal willingness 

 to speak.

Side •	 Need to clarify, maybe	 •	 Set group norms or guidelines at beginning of 

conversationalists through translation meeting.

•	 Not interested in 	 •	 Stop meeting and say everyone needs to hear

discussion everything.

•	 Culturally acceptable	 •	 Address needs for translation beforehand.

	 to do this	 •	 Make sure points are clarified throughout

 discussion.

Speak silver, reply gold.

— Swahili proverb
12 Peace Corps

Make Your Own “Working with Different Types

of Group Members” Worksheet

Type of Possible Possible Action

Behavior Reasons of Facilitator

 (fill in this column according to what 

you have observed in your community)

Domineering, 	 •	 Eager	 •

controlling	 •	 Well informed	 •

•	 Formal or informal 	 •

leader in community

Argumentative, 	 •	 Combative personality	 •

uncooperative	 •	 Hidden agenda	 •

•	 Personally upset by 	 •

some other situation

•	 Threatened

•	 Forced participation

Silent	 •	 Timid, insecure	 •	

•	 Never given a voice 	 •

	 (due to age, gender, 	 •

social class, or ethnic 

group)

Side •	 Need to clarify, maybe 	 •

conversationalists	 	 through translation	 •

•	 Not interested in 	 •

discussion

•	 Culturally acceptable 

to do this

Other?	 •	 	 •

•	 	 •

•	 	 •

[Adapted from PACA: Participatory Analysis for Community Action Handbook, pp. 117-119. Peace Corps, Washington, 

DC. 1996. (ICE M0053)]
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 13

Feedback: What it is

and how to give it

Feedback is a way of helping another person understand the impact of his or her behavior on others. 

It is a communication to a person (or a group) that gives that person information about how he or 

she affects others. Feedback helps people keep their behavior “on target” and thus better achieve 

their goals. It may be positive or “corrective” in nature, though people usually find it harder to give

feedback that concerns negative behavior and impact. 

As facilitators, we need to be able to offer feedback to group members and to solicit feedback on our 

performance from them as well. Examples of feedback in the context of group work might include:

•	 Giving feedback to a group member who is constantly dominating the discussion

•	 Asking group members to give one another feedback on how well they did a particular task

(what worked about that approach? What are some suggestions that could help us do it better 

the next time?)

•	 Explaining to a team several positive ways in which it has developed and become more selfsufficient

•	 Asking your Counterpart how you could improve your process skills with the community groups

with whom you work

Every culture has mechanisms for providing feedback, oftentimes in forms that are less direct than

the typical Western approach. For example, many people use a third party (a friend, colleague, or 

relative) to convey constructive feedback rather than say it directly themselves. Sometimes people 

will use metaphors or stories to get across their message. In some cultures, “saving face” and avoiding confrontation are extremely important. Try to observe and find out what feedback approach is

most appropriate for you where you live and serve. [See Culture Matters, Chapter 3, “Styles of 

Communication” (ICE T0087) for more insights about interaction in different cultural contexts.]

In North American culture, feedback is considered more effective when the following criteria 

are used:

1. It is specific rather than general. To be told that one is talkative will probably not 

be as useful as to be told that “just now when we were deciding the issue, you talked so much 

I stopped listening.” 

2. It is descriptive rather than judgmental. By describing one’s own reaction to 

another’s behavior, it leaves the individual free to use it or not to use it as he or she sees fit.

Avoiding judgmental language reduces the likelihood of a defensive response. (Judgmental: 
14 Peace Corps

“You don’t care about this project!” Descriptive: “You haven’t attended the last three work

sessions and the other group members are having trouble keeping up with the tasks and staying 

on schedule without you. How can we get back on track?”) 

3. It takes into account the needs 

of both the receiver and the 

giver of feedback. Feedback can 

be destructive when it serves only our 

own needs and fails to consider the 

needs of the person on the receiving end. 

(Inappropriate: [Volunteer speaking to 

Counterpart] “I wish you’d helped me out

more today when I got so tongue-tied in 

front of the group—I sounded like Tarzan.”

More appropriate: “I know it’s considered 

impolite to interrupt, but I really need your 

help sometimes when I get flustered and

tongue-tied with the language.”)

4. It is directed toward behavior 

that the receiver can do something about. Frustration is only 

increased when a person is reminded of 

shortcomings over which he or she has no control.

5. It is solicited rather than imposed. Feedback is most useful when the receiver has 

formulated the kind of question that those observing can answer.

6. It is well timed. In general, feedback is most useful at the earliest opportunity after the 

given behavior (depending, of course, on the person’s readiness to hear it, the support available 

from others, and so forth).

7. It is checked to ensure clear communication. One way of doing this is to have 

the receiver try to rephrase the feedback in order to see if it corresponds to what the sender had 

in mind.

8. It is checked with others to ensure accuracy. Both the giver and the receiver 

of the feedback should check with others in the group as to its meaning. Is this one person’s 

impression or an impression shared by others?

How would the above list need to be modified to provide effective feedback 

in your host country?

[Adapted with permission from Feedback Guidelines by James McCaffery, Training Resources Group, Alexandria, VA. 

1982.]
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 15

The Facilitator’s Role

in Group Development

Stages of Group Development

People get together to work in groups for many different reasons. Sometimes they need to work 

on one single issue for a limited amount of time. For example, if an agency will provide sewing 

machines only to women’s sewing cooperatives, a group of women may get together to qualify to 

receive a couple of sewing machines. Once they have obtained the machines, the group disbands and 

the machines go to individual homes. Other times, people may want to work together in a sustained 

way to achieve medium- or long-range goals they hold in common. Whatever their goal and term 

of existence, all work groups move through several predictable stages of development as they grow 

from being a loose collection of individuals into more cohesive and productive teams. In reality, 

few groups ever reach the final stage of being completely self-sustaining.

As a facilitator, you can help your group(s) move through these stages more gracefully if you are 

able to recognize the specific stage they are in and offer the appropriate kind of support. As you

read through the following descriptions, think about what you might do at each particular stage to 

help your group(s) grow stronger.

STAGE 1: FORMING

•	 Everyone is uncertain about what is going to happen.

•	 There is no organization and there are no officers.

•	 Members wonder about who they are, how they will work together, and what their roles will be.

•	 Establishing common expectations is the main issue.

•	 Leadership begins to emerge informally.

•	 Membership is relatively small.

•	 Some groups disband without ever getting beyond this stage.

STAGE 2: START PERFORMING

•	 The group has agreed upon at least a general purpose and has decided on an initial project.

•	 Some standard ways of doing things begin to emerge.

•	 Small successes are achieved; members are optimistic; no bad experiences have happened yet.

•	 Procedures and protocols for getting things done have become more established.

•	 Formal organization begins to take shape (elect officers, etc.).
16 Peace Corps

•	 Members begin to take the group seriously and believe in it.

•	 Commitment is high.

•	 Members feel that their goal is realistic and they expect success.

STAGE 3: STORMING

•	 Group experiences first crisis, a serious unexpected obstacle.

•	 Only two or three members come to an important meeting when many were expected.

•	 Hidden conflicts within the group emerge or become apparent.

•	 Members start blaming one another.

•	 Less commitment and a “wait and see” attitude develop.

•	 Dropout rate (or threats to drop out) increases.

•	 Less work is accomplished.

STAGE 4: NORMING

•	 Recovery from first crisis results in stronger organization and clearer objectives.

•	 Members know each other better and work together more easily.

•	 Active membership may be small, sometimes less than 10, but is effective.

•	 Others do not come to meetings regularly but help in other ways.

•	 Members are very strongly committed to group’s goals.

•	 Leadership is stable and well developed.
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 17

STAGE 5: HIGH PERFORMING

•	 Goals are likely to be achieved.

•	 Members are exuberant—“on top of the world.”

•	 Group is likely to receive publicity and favorable notice from the rest of the community.

•	 Local politicians and others who perhaps have been enemies in the past may approach group

leaders. Group’s leadership may be invited to join the establishment.

•	 Self-confidence is at an all-time high.

STAGE 6: ADJOURNING OR RE-ALIGNING STAGE

•	 Pace slows down; self-confidence turns into complacency.

•	 Number of people at meetings drops sharply. Some new members may attend one meeting, but

they are not made to feel welcome and rarely come back.

•	 Commitment drops; membersshift energiesto theirfamilies orjobs which they may have neglected

during the height of the group’s activity.

•	 Leaders become discouraged;some members, including leaders, may wish to retire. They believe

they have made their contribution.

•	 Group’s action becomes social rather than issue oriented.

STAGE 7: SELF-SUSTAINING STAGE

Ultimately the group becomes stable and established in the community. Group is also acknowledged 

and respected in the community. It is no longer dependent on the Volunteer or other external groups 

for its survival, but rather has mutually beneficial partnerships with groups and individuals. It has

developed effective procedures for carrying out essential functions, including: 

•	 Planning and goal setting

•	 Accomplishing its goals

•	 Leadership development and rotation

•	 Problem solving and handling crises

•	 External relations and getting outside advice

•	 Evaluation
18 Peace Corps

It may be helpful to think of the different stages of group development in the context of the Community Action Cycle (CAC). Typically, the “forming and start performing” stages of group development occur in the “getting organized” and “exploring the situation/setting priorities” phases of

the CAC. The “storming” stage often occurs at the end of the “exploring the situation and setting 

priorities” stage and/or during the “planning together” phase of the CAC. The “norming” stage often

occurs at the end of the “planning together” phase when plans are being finalized and coordination

mechanisms put into place. The “high performing” stage often occurs during the “community action” and “participatory evaluation” phases of the CAC. Finally, “adjourning” or “realigning and 

self-sustaining” may occur at the end of the “participatory evaluation” phase. At this point, group 

members may renew their commitment to the same development focus and determine whether they 

would like to maintain the same structure, roles, and responsibilities and composition or change the 

makeup of the group (returning to the “forming” stage and “getting organized” phase of the CAC). 

[The Community Action Cycle diagram and associated text is adapted with permission from How to Mobilize Communities for Health and Social Change (draft form) by Lisa Howard-Grabman and Gail Snetro, Save the Children Federation, 

Westport, CT. 1989.]

planning

together

Storming and

Norming

community

actions

Norming and

High Performing

EXPLORING THE

SITUATION AND

SETTING PRIORITIES

Start Performing 

& Storming

GETTING

ORGANIZED & 

IDENTIFYING

RESOURCES

Forming

evaluating

together

Realigning or

Adjourning and

Self-sustaining

Group Development Stages

in the Community Action Cycle
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 19

Stages of Group Development

and Your Role as Team Builder

For each of the stages described on the previous pages, there are some actions you can take as a 

facilitator that will help your group grow into a cohesive team. We list a few of these below. However, 

keep in mind that every group has its own personality as well as cultural norms, and as such, we 

cannot prescribe exactly what you should do. Talk to other Volunteers and their Counterparts who 

have been working with groups in your host country—what have they observed about stages of group 

development and what they have they done or are they doing to help build teams?

NORMING STAGE

The work of the Volunteer varies according to the amount of initiative shown in the group. In many 

cases, the Volunteer must be the “glue” that holds the group together. This may mean you will need to:

With any group—

•	 Get to know the members individually—what are their interests, concerns,

lifestyles?

•	 Build a relationship of trust. Help people whenever possible and expect help

in return.

With groups needing more assistance—

•	 Collect information on issues of importance to them.

•	 Lead initial planning meetings.

•	 Do intensive follow-up after the meetings to make sure that tasks are being

carried out.

•	 Build commitment among members by helping them gain recognition.

•	 Help the group set realistic goals.

•	 Do everything you can to ensure the group’s first steps will succeed.

ADD MORE IDEAS: 

START PERFORMING STAGE

You may need to still be directive at this stage, but begin to transfer skills and responsibilities to those in the group. 

•	 Discourage overconfidence by helping the group maintain realistic goals.

•	 Anticipate problems that may be building beneath the surface and prepare the

group for them.
20 Peace Corps

•	 Encourage the group to expand its membership.

•	 Help the group improve its skill in getting things done, running meetings, performing the basic

functions of maintenance.

•	 Reinforce the commitment of the members.

•	 Avoid taking credit for the group’s success—pass recognition along to the group members.

•	 Pass on information to the group.

•	 Encourage and help members to take leadership and responsibility even when this takes more

time than doing it alone.

•	 Encourage group membersto sign up for and perform routine dutiessuch as making arrangements

for the meeting place and so forth. The members should be doing these tasks now, not you. 

ADD MORE IDEAS: 

STORMING STAGE

Virtually all groups experience a fall—the idea is not to help the group skip over this phase, but 

rather to help them survive it, learn and grow from the experience, and move on to the next phase.

•	 Don’t get depressed.

•	 Help group members and yourself refrain

from blaming other individuals in the 

group.

•	 Provide a little humor, a little perspective,

and a lot of faith and confidence.

•	 Help the group analyze the reasons for

the crisis.

•	 Train the group in problem solving and

conflict resolution.

•	 Encourage the group to set new goals,

if necessary.

•	 Help the group develop new leadership,

if necessary.

ADD MORE IDEAS: 
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 21

NORMING STAGE

Skills transfer may be easiest at this stage.

•	 Pass the responsibility for planning on to the group as soon as possible.

•	 Train group leaders and others.

•	 Help the group develop and refine the essential

processes to carry on. These include: 

– planning and goal setting

– meeting and celebrating its goals

– recruitment

– leadership development

– group maintenance

–	 resource identification and mobilization

–	 problem identification and solving

–	 partnership building/networking (getting

outside help and advice)

– evaluation of the group’s work and identification of areas for strengthening

ADD MORE IDEAS:

HIGH-PERFOMING STAGE

Strengthen and support the group; serve them as a resource.

•	 Encourage celebration of accomplishments.

•	 Refuse to take credit for the group’s success.

•	 Help the group decide if it wants to continue and, if so, encourage members to begin looking for

new opportunities and setting new goals.

ADD MORE IDEAS:
22 Peace Corps

ADJOURNING OR REALIGNING STAGE

As necessary, facilitate the group’s decisionmaking.

•	 Explain what is happening and discussit openly; talk frankly about motivation and help the group

make decisions about renewal or disbanding.

•	 If the group wants to continue, support them in setting new goals and work plans; help the group

broaden its horizons.

•	 Help the group institutionalize the gains it has made so that they are not lost in the slowdown.

•	 Help the group find new members and rotate its leadership.

•	 Encourage members to draw on their networks and coalitions for support (e.g., new ideas, training, and so on).

ADD MORE IDEAS: 

SELF-SUSTAINING STAGE

Share your admiration for their work with the group itself and with others.

•	 Feel proud for everyone in the group, including yourself.

•	 Look to this group as an example for others.

•	 Have members from this group work with you in other groups that may be at a different stage.

ADD MORE IDEAS:

[The description of group stages is adapted from the Tuckman Model of Group Development developed by Bruce Tuckman 

(1965) and from Peace Corps/Nicaragua training materials, including adaptation of the article “Guide for the Perplexed,”

reprinted in VISTA CURRENTS, AmeriCorps*VISTA, Washington, DC.]
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 23

Solving Problems and

Making Decisions in Groups

Every group has issues and problems it needs to address in order to make wise decisions and move

forward in its work. The basic steps for problem solving are:

1. Identify and clarify the issue or problem.

Group members must be clear on what the problem is before they take steps to resolve it. 

Since people may have very different perceptions about the issue, it’s important to have 

each person offer his or her understanding and then push for better clarity. Sometimes you 

will need to break the problem down into smaller pieces and/or look for underlying causes

in order to define it.

2. List the alternative solutions. 

This is the time for creative thinking. Use a technique like brainstorming to get out as many 

different thoughts and ideas as possible. Don’t prejudge ideas and don’t jump too fast to select 

a particular solution. The result of this step should be a list of all possible ways to address 

the issue. 

3. Evaluate the solutions and decide on the best alternative.

All of the possible solutions should now be reviewed to determine whether they are likely to 

solve the problem and whether their implementation is feasible. Techniques that may be helpful at this point are identifying the advantages and disadvantages of each option or applying 

a specific set of criteria for success. Sometimes the group analysis will produce a new option

that builds on several of the earlier propositions. The result of this step is the identification of

the most desirable option.

4. Implement and monitor the decision/solution.

To ensure that the decision or solution is carried out and has a chance to work, the group should 

devise a plan for implementation. The level of detail in this plan will depend on the complexity of the issue and the solution. At a minimum, the group should determine the action steps, 

resources required, and key roles and responsibilities. Monitoring involves checking the process 

and outcomes—are they having the desired effect? Is the solution working, and if not, what 

adjustments should we make? 
24 Peace Corps

PROBLEM-SOLVING AND DECISION-MAKING TECHNIQUES

Techniques to define and clarify the issue/problem: 

Round Robin – The leader goes around the room, asking each person in turn for his or 

her input. 

Key Word Analysis – Each group member is asked to give his or her definition of key

words in the basic problem statement. For example, if our problem is “we do not have access to 

quality health care services for our children,” then the key words to analyze include “access,” 

“quality services,” and “children.” (That is, what do we mean by access? What kinds of services 

do we expect and what is our standard for quality? Children up to what age?)

Nominal Group Technique – Each person writes down ideas before sharing them with

the group, allowing everyone to think about the topic and offer his or her thoughts.

Graphic Illustration – Each member, either individually or in a team, illustrates the problem as he or she sees it, through drawings, cutouts, or illustrations. 

Role Reversal – Group members adopt one another’s roles in an effort to understand one 

another’s positions. For example, a teacher might ask boys and girls to switch roles to explore 

the impact of non-school responsibilities on their studies. 

Problem Tree – The group constructs a visual diagram of the problem, showing its causes 

and effects. The “trunk” of the tree is the main problem, the “roots” are the causes, and the 

“branches” are its effects. The visualization of the cause-effect relationship helps to prevent the 

common error of solving only a symptom of the problem. 

Techniques to Generate Possible Solutions: 

Brainstorming – Group members generate as many ideas as possible for solving the problem. The facilitator records each suggestion and does not allow the group to evaluate or judge 

any of the ideas until the “storm” is over. (See the next reading in this section for more details 

on brainstorming.)

Force-Field Analysis – Group members work together to identify the forces driving toward 

or restraining againstsolving the problem or reaching the desired goal. Once they have identified

the forces on both sides, the group looks for strategies that will strengthen the driving forces or, 

alternatively, diminish the restraining forces and allow them to reach their goal. The diagram 

below illustrates how the analysis is charted. 

Desired Change/Goal

Driving Forces Restraining Forces 

 
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 25

Techniques for Reaching Consensus/

Choosing the Best Solution or Option:

Straw Votes – Straw votes are non-binding votes that “take the temperature” of the group. 

Each member votes informally by a show of hands. This technique usually enables the group

to delete some solutions and concentrate on others. 

Rank Order – Group members are asked to rank-order the alternatives. The least popular 

alternatives are omitted. [See the PACA: Participatory Analysis for Community Action, Peace 

Corps, Washington, DC. 1996. (ICE M0053) for instructions on different ways to use ranking

with groups.]

Applying Criteria – The group identifies its criteria for an acceptable solution by completing the statement “an ideal solution to this problem would have these characteristics...” and 

then applies the criteria to each solution on the list. (See Toolkit 2: Volunteer as Change Agent

and the PACA: Participatory Analysis for Community Action, Peace Corps, Washington, DC. 

1996. (ICE M0053) for more information on this technique)

Weighted Voting – Each participant gets several votes (usually in a ratio of 1:3 in relation to the number of alternatives on the list) to distribute among alternatives he/she thinks are

more desirable. Participants may vote more than once for items they particularly like. The most 

unpopular alternatives are eliminated. 

Negative Voting – Ask if any member of the group cannot live with a specific solution.

Listing the Pros and Cons – The group identifies the advantages and disadvantages of

each option. 

SOME COMMON ERRORS IN PROBLEM SOLVING

The problem is not clearly defined or the group does not have enough 

information to understand the problem. 

The problem is stated too narrowly. Only a symptom is dealt with—not the real 

problem.

Tentative solutions are chosen too early in the process (before the problem is 

understood).

Some major constraints to solving the problem are overlooked or ignored.

Traditional solutions are preferred despite lack of effectiveness.

An implementation plan is not developed or not well thought out.

Resources needed to carry out a solution are not clearly specified and obtained 

early enough in the process.

The cost (in time and/or money) of the solution is not weighed against the 

potential benefits. 
26 Peace Corps

Helping Community Groups

Analyze and Prioritize Issues

Different ways to discuss a list of community 

or group issues before setting priorities

Some of the following suggestions may provide appropriate ways to discuss the issues your community or group has identified as important. Depending on your list, select one or two ways to look

at the choices—you need not use all of them. 

1. Urgency

2. Level of interest or need: men/women/girls/boys, other

differences

3. Resources—“doable” with locally available resources

4. Cause-effect analysis (for problems)

5. Scope or complexity—time involved, outside resources, 

and so on

6. Risk

7. Links to other projects, other organizations working on 

the issue, sources of support or information

Possible Ranking Criteria

Often ranking is done by using the criteria “Which is most important?” Though useful to know, it 

may be that the most important items are not ones within the power of the group or community to 

address. A second ranking using one of the suggestions below might bring to the top of the list more 

“doable” project ideas.

•	 Which can we do within a year?	 •	 Which will benefit the most people?

	 –	 complex vs. simple	 •	 Which might bring the biggest impact?

	 –	 short-term vs. long-term	 •	 Which can we do with our own resources?

How (physically) can items be ranked?

•	 Traditional ways of decisionmaking 	 •	 Voting	 	

(whatever means are culturally known – Physically placing votes (stones, corn

and appropriate) kernels, etc.)

•	 Sampling various subgroups	 	 –	 Voting by raising hands

•	 Discussion to reach consensus	 	 –	 Secret ballot
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 27

Brainstorming and Listing

Brainstorming and listing are techniques that groups may use to explore and address issues of concern. Both techniques are extremely useful, but people often confuse them. Here is a description 

that will help you understand the distinctions between the two and use them appropriately in your 

work with groups. 

Brainstorming is a divergent thinking process that encourages us to broaden our range of thinking and ideas. In other words, brainstorming is a creative thinking technique in which we take a 

question or issue of concern and explore its possibilities. For example, we might ask, “What could 

make our PST more participatory?” 

To help us establish a good climate for creativity, we need to follow four rules when brainstorming: 

1. No judging of ideas. Not judging or evaluating ideas for a certain period of time allows 

us to form new connections and perspectives on the ideas put forth. Withholding judgment and 

comment also encourages us to let our ideas flow more freely.

2. Quantity of ideas is important. The 

more ideas we have, the better the chance that 

we will have some good ones!

3. Adding on to others’ ideas is encouraged (as in “piggybacking”). Sometimes we make an association from another’s 

idea that enables us to refine or even go off in a

different direction.

4. Crazy, unusual, or creative ideas are 

encouraged. It is often through the unusual 

that we eventually come up with an idea that 

works (the solution we had been seeking but 

didn’t know it).

Once we have finished the brainstorming activity, we

still need to analyze and judge the ideas on our list and 

develop them into viable alternatives for group decision making. Begin this process by helping the group

•	 Eliminate duplicate ideas;	

•	 Cluster ideas under various themes or topics; and

•	 Come up with a list of ideas to examine, explore,

and develop further.
28 Peace Corps

Listing is a convergent thinking process where the group is trying to recall or research a limited 

set of responses. For example, if the group wanted to determine how many organizations in a given 

district provide maternal and child health care services, it would use a listing process. There are a 

specific number of organizations providing such a service. On the other hand, if the group wanted

to determine how to encourage new mothers to use available services, the group would use a brainstorming process. There could be a multitude of creative ways to interest mothers, not a limited set 

of approaches. 

[Adapted with permission from Facilitation Skills: An Introductory Guide, pp. 93-95, by Dian Seslar Svendsen and Rolf 

Sartorius. Social Impact and Project Concern, Reston, VA. 1997.]

When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.

— Proverb of the Kikuyu people of East Africa
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 29

Decisions by Consensus

Consensus decision making involves a deep exploration of the issue(s) and the possible options or 

solutions. Consensus occurs when all members of a team are committed to the decision and 

believe that it is the best agreement or choice they can make collectively. It does not necessarily 

mean that everyone agrees 100 percent with the decision, but it means they can support it and do 

not feel they are compromising their ethics, values, or interests in doing so. 

If the consensus process is managed well, people generally feel a high degree of satisfaction about 

it and a commitment to the decision. That said, people often overuse consensus. Since it requires 

significant time and energy, consensus should be used in situations where there is a high need for

commitment from everyone for the decision or action to be a success. Generally speaking, consensus 

works best when:

•	 the group has clear authority to make and

implement the decision

•	 time for discussion is plentiful

•	 the need for buy-in is high

•	 quality of the decision must be high

•	 the possibility for consensus is present

•	 expertise on the topic exists among group

members (or may be tapped from an accessible resource person)

•	 the amount of division on the issue is not so

high that it makes consensus impossible

•	 working relationships in the group make

discussion, creativity, and flexibility possible

•	 the group isfocused on a shared goal that can

help individuals rise above differences

As you get more and more involved with groups in your community, you will notice many 

opportunities for consensus building. One example would be a case in which the local community 

wants to establish a parent-teacher association. The parents and teachers want to reach agreement—

consensus—on their main goals and respective roles and responsibilities in the new partnership. The 

association will only work if both groups feel committed and do their part. The school principal has 

already said he will support whatever the group determines its best plan to be. 
30 Peace Corps

Whenever you are co-facilitating a consensus-building discussion, remain as neutral as possible 

and try not to influence the group one particular way or another. Be aware of your own biases 

about the issues or certain people in the group so you can adjust for them. Also, ensure that all 

members get equal opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, or offer alternative suggestions. Use round robin or other techniques that will facilitate individual contributions. If cultural 

norms prevent direct participation by some community groups, consider holding discussions in 

smaller separate groups (such as women-men, youth-adult, and others) and then using an alternative 

ranking method to reach final decisions.

[Adapted with permission from: “Facilitating for Consensus” by James A. McCaffrey, in Facilitation Skills for Trainers, 

Facilitators, and Group Leaders, Volume II, Training Resources Group, Inc. Alexandria, VA.]

A good friend is one who tells 

you your faults in private. 

— Anonymous
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 31

Planning and

Facilitating Meetings

Facilitating group meetings in a culture different from your 

own is tricky, as how people behave may have entirely different 

meanings than you expect. In the U.S., if some group members 

are silent, people may assume they are shy, or that they don’t have 

any ideas or strong feelings about the subject, or that they feel 

intimidated by other group members (including the facilitator). 

But in some cultures, the highest status individuals may be the 

quietest, showing their wisdom and respect for others by their 

ability to reflect and hold back the first idea that comes to mind.

Setting an agenda, dealing with disruptions, keeping the group on 

task, and reaching consensus all are culturally based behaviors. 

Expecting groupsin your host country to act likeAmericans can

be frustrating and counterproductive.

Before attempting to co-facilitate a meeting with a local group, use your cross-cultural skills and your 

ability to observe and ask discreet questions to understand group behavior in your host country. Go 

to local meetings and/or work alongside a local group. Observe and then discuss your observations

with trainers, peers, Counterparts, and/or friends. Look for some of the following:

•	 What formalities are observed? Who opens and closes the meeting, and how?

•	 Where do people of different status sit? (Consider age, gender, politics, ethnic group, and so on.)

•	 How are topics introduced? By going straight to the point? By careful indirection?

•	 Which topics are introduced first? (In some cultures, the most important ones are saved for last.)

•	 What seemingly irrelevant topics are introduced? Are they really irrelevant?

•	 How do people get permission or find an opening to speak? Are there people who have no voice?

•	 How long does it typically take the group to decide on something? What is the process for coming to a decision? 

•	 How do people express their dissatisfaction with another group member? By quiet ostracism?

By pointing out the behavior directly?

•	 What kinds of decisions are made outside the meeting? Where and how are they made? By whom? 

•	 How are decisions or other data recorded and kept?

•	 [Add your own questions]
32 Peace Corps

Once you feel ready to take on the responsibility of organizing a meeting, invite your Counterpart 

or one of the group leaders to co-facilitate with you. Ask your co-facilitator to help you adapt the 

guidelines below to make them acceptable and compatible to local norms. (If you are in PST, practice 

co-facilitating meetings with your training group before doing it in the host community.)

Guidelines for Effective Meetings

PREPARATION (with your co-facilitator )

•	 Clarify the purpose of the meeting. (What is the overall goal or reason for bringing these

people together?)

•	 Determine who should attend the meeting. Check the list again

after you’ve developed the agenda.

•	 Develop the agenda. (Gather suggestions or pertinent information from others, as necessary.)

•	 Prioritize the agenda. (Sometimesit is better to start with an item

you can easily get agreement on to get the group in a positive 

frame of mind before you tackle the tough issues.)

•	 Organize the agenda in terms of:

– What the issue is

– Who has responsibility for leading the discussion of 

each issue

– How much time is allocated for each issue

– What outcome is expected in relation to each issue

(e.g., a decision, common information, list of options, 

recommendations)

•	 Identify and announce, with lead time, any pre-work that needs

to be done by people attending. 

•	 Let all attendees know the time, place, and duration of the meeting in writing or by other

means appropriate to your group. Clarify any special roles you may want them to assume 

during the meeting. 

•	 Discuss with your co-facilitator how you will share the responsibilities of the meeting.

RUNNING THE MEETING (with your co-facilitator )

•	 Start the meeting on time (whatever “on time” might mean in your host culture).

•	 State the purpose of the meeting.

•	 Present the agenda and adjust if necessary.

•	 Introduce any visitors and explain why they have been invited.

•	 Manage the process of the meeting:

– Keep people on track.

– Work from the agenda.
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 33

–	 Ensure that participants feel comfortable about

their opportunity to speak and contribute ideas 

and opinions.

– Check with the group to see that each item has 

been completed.

– Manage the time spent on each item.

– Deal effectively with interfering or overbearing 

group members.

– Keep notes on newsprint or blackboard if possible. 

(A visible record helps the group focus on the task, 

eliminate repetition, produce clarity, and review 

complete notes for analysis and decisionmaking.)

•	 Review the action itemsthat were generated in the meeting

before adjourning.

•	 Critique the process of the meeting:

– How well did the meeting go? 

– How well did we work together?

– What could be done to improve the next meeting?

•	 If the leadership is being rotated, identify the leader for

the next meeting.

•	 Decide and confirm the date, time, and location of the next meeting.

•	 Thank participants and adjourn the meeting on time. (Ending ahead of time is great, too!)

FOLLOW-UP (with your co-facilitator )

•	 Prepare and distribute the minutes of the meeting within a few days’ time.

•	 Be sure that anyone who missed the meeting is informed of decisions or actions taken that will

affect them or issues that they will be responsible for handling at the next meeting. 

•	 Take a deep breath and start the process all over again!

Rotating Roles in Meeting Management

If you are going to be conducting regular meetings with the same group of people, you can encourage 

leadership and share responsibility by using a management technique called rotating roles. In rotating roles, you select or ask four people to volunteer for the roles of facilitator, timekeeper, recorder, 

and process observer for each meeting. At the end of every meeting, four more people sign up to 

perform these same roles the next time. Group members continue rotating through the roles and, 

over time, polish their skills in meeting management. Briefly, the roles are:

Facilitator: The facilitator basically runs the meeting by working through all of items on 

the agenda as productively and efficiently as possible. The facilitator keeps the group focused,

ensures everyone’s participation, and manages people’s “airtime.” [You and your Counterpart

can work one-on-one with the facilitator ahead of time to make sure she or he feels prepared 

and comfortable in the role and understands the agenda and desired outcomes.]
34 Peace Corps

Timekeeper: The timekeeper acts as an alarm clock, not as 

a judge. If a given agenda item needs more time, the facilitator will negotiate that with the group. If the group decides to 

allocate additional time, the timekeeper “resets the clock” as 

necessary. The timekeeper pays special attention to the end of 

the meeting and reminds the group to save time for the process 

observer’s report.

Recorder: The recorder’s job is to write down the group’s 

ideas and information as generated so everybody can see it and 

read it. Before the meeting, the recorder makessure flip charts,

markers, and other needed supplies are in place. As necessary, 

the recorder clarifies whatshe/he heard from the various group

members (e.g., “Dave, have I got what you said?” or “Could 

you repeat that, Leticia, I missed part of it.”). 

Process Observer: The process observer watches (like a 

camera, without judgment) how the members work together 

and how the facilitator, recorder, and timekeeper perform in 

their respective roles. At the end of the meeting, the observer 

shares key insights with the group. (This role should be adjusted 

to conform to the interpersonal communication norms in your 

host culture.) 

If your only tool is a hammer, 

pretty soon all the world appears to be a nail.

— Mark Twain
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 35

Stories from the Field:

Papua New Guinea

[In the following paragraph, a Volunteer describes her experience of helping the community apply for a small project grant.]

I would arrive with my portable typewriter and sit, sometimes for hours, on the ground, in the middle 

of the village waiting for someone to tell me what to write. It is funny when I think back on it; they 

must have thought I was crazy. But one day, Joseph, a village member who had been very quiet up 

until now, handed me a piece of paper. Written in almost perfect English wasthe completed proposal.

I was floored. It proved to me again that you get what you expect from people. I expected them to

write the proposal, and they did. 

[From Above and Beyond: Secondary Activities for Peace Corps Volunteers, p. 17. (ICE M0052)]
36 Peace Corps

Ideas and Activities

for Practicing Your

Role as a Co-Facilitator

Practice Facilitating Discussions

Purpose

Facilitation is a performing art and a skill. The more you perform and practice the skills of asking 

questions, listening, paraphrasing, and summarizing, the more helpful you will be to the groups 

with whom you work. 

Activity

If you are in PST, you can do this activity in technical, cross-cultural, or intermediate/advanced language groupings. If you are already at your site, you can practice with small groups of community 

members, including young people. The activity requires six or more people; large groups may be 

divided into subgroups of approximately six people each.

1.	 Read the handouts “Facilitating Group Discussion” and “Working with Difficult Group

Members” in the Useful Concepts section of this Toolkit. 

2. Designate one person in each group to act as the facilitator, another person as the observer, and 

the remaining people as group members. 

3. Select a topic that is of considerable interest to members of the group—the more controversial, 

the better. The person who is in the facilitator role leads the group in a 20-minute discussion about 

the chosen topic. The facilitator tries to practice asking questions, paraphrasing, summarizing, 

and so on, to the extent possible. The observer watches and makes note of examples of effective 

and less-effective facilitative behaviors. If some of the group members exhibit 

“difficult”

behaviors such as controlling or holding side conversations, the facilitator tries to diminish or 

deal appropriately with these. 
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 37

4. After the discussion, the observer offers examples of helpful and less-helpful facilitation 

behaviors he or she saw. The group briefly processes the experience and makes suggestions

for how to improve the facilitator’s performance. 

5. Depending on the time available, repeat the activity with different people playing the 

roles of facilitator, group members, and observer. Try to apply the lessons learned during 

the first round.

Lead from the back of the room. 

— Anonymous
38 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Using “Decision Dots”

Purpose

Paper dots are a helpful tool for facilitating decision making in groups. Basically, people use the 

dots to visually express their opinions or vote on a particular issue or alternative. The dots allow 

everyone to have a say in the outcome and the visualization of the group’s viewpoint can have a 

powerful, even galvanizing effect on the process. Three of the most common ways in which decision 

dots are used are to (a) summarize quickly the convergence or divergence of opinion or viewpoint 

about a specific issue, (b) select the most important issues felt by participants, and (c) make a choice

between different alternatives. 

Activity

You can practice with decision dots in almost any setting where you have a group of people who

need to discuss and come to agreement on something. For example, you can discuss a cross-cultural 

issue in your language class and use the dots to help you see where people stand on the issue or what 

solutions they would opt for if problem solving is the goal. In a PST or IST technical session, you 

can use decision dots for deciding which discussion topics are of highest priority for the agenda and 

so forth. Try them out as follows:
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 39

1. First, make the dots. The classic way is to cut them out of paper and have tape or glue handy 

for attaching them to flip chart paper (as illustrated in the photo above). If you are working in

a rural environment, you may want to experiment with beans, seeds, or other small objects that 

can be stuck or laid onto another surface. The other option is to have people simply draw dots 

directly on the flip chart paper where you have the issues or alternatives listed.

2. Practice the single-dot question. Single-dot questions allow group members to express their 

viewpoint immediately by putting a colored dot on a scale, range, or matrix that allows different 

options. This is used to decide on the next step of a group process, to get over an impasse in 

discussion, to discuss the feeling of the session or the day, or to evaluate group process. Each

person gets one dot to place, either openly or in private (depending on the issue and the group 

composition). The facilitator makes no initial judgment, but leads the group in an interpretation 

of the results of the voting. 

3. Practice the multi-dot question. In this version, everyone has a chance to put several dots to 

indicate his or her priorities on a selected number of issues or alternatives. This is a good method 

when there are several alternatives (10 to 20 for example) and a selection or a prioritization is 

useful. The number of dots for each participant depends on the number of participants and the 

number of items (alternatives, issues to prioritize, etc.). For example, if there are 15 alternatives 

to choose from and 20 participants, only two or three dots per person should be distributed. 

Once the dots are placed, count them, and then put the alternatives in numerical sequence to 

prioritize. Don’t be too rigid—even after counting the dots, let the group discuss and evaluate 

the priorities.

For more information about the use of dots and other visual decision-making and planning tools, 

see the VIPP manual referenced below. 

[Adapted with permission from VIPP-Visualization in Participatory Programmes, UNICEF Bangladesh, 1993.]
40 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

USING SNOW CARDS 

(Snow = Small Notes On Wall)

Purpose

Snow cards are simply small white cards that participants use to write down an idea and post it on the 

wall. Using snow cards encourages active participation in discussion and helps the group organize 

the information it has generated. For example, a group might brainstorm all the possible ways to raise 

community members’ environmental awareness. Group members list their ideas on snow cards—one 

idea per card—and then cluster the cards into logical categories for further consideration. The cards 

may also be moved around to illustrate sequencing or processes (that is, formed into a flowchart).

Activity

Experiment with snow cards in your training environment.

For example—

•	 In a technicalsession where you and your group are exploring all the factorsthat affect a particular

situation, use snow cards to list and organize the information to show cause-effect relationships. 

•	 Use snow cards to list and sequence the daily activities of women, men, girls, and boys in your

host community. Show the cards to your host family members and ask them to help you put them 

in order and identify activities you may have missed. Use the cards to engage them in dialogue.

•	 Use the cards for any type of brainstorm activity where you need to generate ideas and then do

something with the list. 
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 41

Ideas & Activities

Practicing 

Problem-Solving Techniques

Purpose

To gain experience with the different techniques that facilitators can use to help a group 

identify and solve problems or address important issues. To learn to select techniques that 

are appropriate to the different steps in the 

problem-solving process. 

Activity

Problem solving is best if practiced on real 

issues and there is usually no shortage of 

these during PST! The issue may be related 

to cultural differences, intensity of workload, 

progress in language learning, ambiguity 

about technical role assignment, and so on. 

When you and your colleagues and trainers 

need to address a problem, try out some of the 

techniques suggested in the reading “Solving 

Problems and Making Decisions in Groups” 

(pp. 23–25 of this Toolkit). Pay particular attention to selecting techniques that are appropriate to each step in the process. For example, 

use brainstorming only after you are sure you 

understand the problem. 

After you experiment with the steps and methods in problem solving, take a few minutes to critique 

how well you and your group managed the process. Suggest ways to improve it the next time. 
42 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Reaching Consensus in a Group — 

A Values Clarification Exercise

Purpose

Before jumping into facilitating consensus with community groups, it’s helpful to experience and 

practice the process as a participant (i.e., as a group member). Consensus building is a lifelong skill 

that will serve any person well. 

Activity

You will need a group of five people or more to do this activity. If the group is large, divide into

sub-groups of five to seven. It is helpful to assign one person in the group to serve as the “observer”

and offer insights at the end of the discussion. 

1. As preparation for the activity, review “Understanding Group Process” (pp. 8–9) and “Decisions by Consensus” (pp. 29–30) in this Toolkit. 

2.	 Read the values clarification situation presented on the next page and follow the instructions

for the self-ranking and group consensus exercise. Take about 30 minutes to reach agreement 

as a group. 

3. Afterwards, ask the observer of your group for feedback on how well you worked together to 

push toward consensus. As a group discuss these questions:

•	 What were some examples of “task” and “maintenance” roles played by various

group members? 

•	 How did people try to influence others? How would you characterize the leadership in

the group?

•	 Was consensusreached? If yes, what happened during the discussion that facilitated it? What

hindered it?

•	 What other types of decisions were made en route to the overall goal of reaching consensus?

NOTE: If the group already has a controversy or challenge to discuss and get agreement or 

resolution on, by all means use that topic rather than the values clarification suggested here. 

However, in this case it is particularly important to have at least one or two people step back and 

serve as observers of the process. Make sure you process the consensus-building experience by 

asking yourselves some of the questions listed above in item 3. 
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 43

Values Clarification Exercise

A multimillion-dollar highway project is to begin in a densely populated area and will pass 

through a number of existing features. The Ministry of Transport has approved retention of only 

five features. The rest will have to be demolished to give way to the coming project.

You have been assigned chairperson of the committee to decide which features are to stay. Which

5 of the following features will you retain? Please rank them in order of priority.

A high school with a very good reputation.

A public secondary school with 3,000 students.

A private elementary school.

An exclusive sports club of high-ranking officials.

A 1,000-year-old mosque.

A commercial bank earning more than 20 million dollars for the government per year.

A public marketplace for good quality foods and other household materials having about 

300 market vendors.

The only beautifully maintained public park.

A zoo with many rare species of animals.

The only fire station.

A building complex owned by your parents with the value of 5 million dollars.

A textile industry providing jobs for more than 4000 workers.

The only 500-year-old church in the country.

A five-star hotel with an international reputation.

A new hospital built with foreign collaboration having a 400-bed capacity and modern 

technology for surgery.

A well-known state university that is your alma mater as well as the present Prime Minister’s.

The only cancer hospital of the country.

The parliament.

The complex of the Ministry of Transport. 

After ranking them individually, discuss among the members of your group and decide which 

five features you will finally retain, based on the consensus of your group. No voting is allowed.

[Adapted with permission from VIPP-Visualization in Participatory Programmes, UNICEF Bangladesh, 1993.]
44 Peace Corps

25 Questions about Group Facilitation

Here is a list of questions developed by participants in a “training of facilitators workshop.” 

Change or add to the list as you like. Pose the questions to other Trainees, Volunteers, Counterparts, trainers, and/or community members. Use them as a means to explore, reflect, and think

critically about the art of facilitation. Keep in mind that there are no single “right” answers to 

any of these questions. 

1. How can you manage the process when the facilitator has a strong view?

2. How can you deal with two group members who argue?

3. How do you handle two or three people in the group who always seem to have a different 

agenda than the rest of the group?

4. What can you do to get the group to take over the leadership (over time)?

5.	 How do you resolve a conflict when the facilitator has trouble being objective?

6. How can you plan effective meetings?

7. How can you communicate technical information when you’re supposed to be facilitating?

8. How do you manage a blocker?

9. How do you identify internal (hidden) stress among group members?

10. How do you size up group dynamics and change original plans?

11. How can you deal with a stonewall group?

12. How can you set up expectations to maximize goals and objectives?

13. How should you facilitate when you are knowledgeable versus when you are not? What are 

the differences?

14.	 How do you negotiate ground rules and/or contracts?

15. How do you handle it when one or more participants challenge the facilitator’s credibility?

16. How can you keep a group on topic?

17. How do you know when you’re done?

18. What powers do facilitators have? What is the proper use of those powers?

19. How can you deal with cliques among group members?

20. If the facilitator knows the solution will not work, what should he or she do?

21. What special things might be done when facilitating groups with cultural diversity?

22. How do you determine the kind of help needed by a group?

23. How do you handle it when the group’s leader(s) seem to want one thing and the members 

want something else?

24. What do you do if a meeting is called and only two or three people show up?

25. How do you know, as a facilitator, if you are doing a good job?

[Adapted with permission from Facilitating Community and Decision-Making Groups, p. 85, by Allen B. Moore and 

James A. Feldt, Krieger Publishing Co., Melbourne, FL. 1993.]
RVID Toolkit 4: Volunteer as Co-Facilitator 45

Key Resources

for More

Information

and Insight

Nonformal Education (NFE) Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2004. [ICE M0042]

Promoting Powerful People: A Process for Change. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2000. 

[ICE T0104]

V2 Volunteerism Action Guide: Multiplying the Power of Service. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 

2008. [ICE CD062]
46 Peace Corps

notes
THE ROLES OF THE VOLUNTEER 

IN DEVELOPMENT

Capacity Building

Toolkit

5

RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 1

Capacity Building Toolkit 5 

VOLUNTEER AS 

PROJECT CO-PLANNER

IN THIS TOOLKIT

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan ................................................................................... 2

What Is a Project Co-Planner? ..................................................................................... 2

Models, Concepts, And Cases ........................................................................ 5

Characteristics of Successful Projects ......................................................................... 5

Project Planning and the Community Action Cycle .................................................... 7

How to Design a Community Project .......................................................................... 8

Project Design Worksheet ............................................................................................ 9

The Project Action Plan (with worksheet) ................................................................. 18

The Project Budget (with worksheets) ...................................................................... 19

The Concept of Winnable Victories ........................................................................... 25

In Planning, the Process is as Important as the Product ............................................ 26

Project Sustainability Criteria .................................................................................... 27

Stories From the Field: Kenya and Bulgaria ............................................................. 28

Ideas and Activities For Practicing

Your Role as a Project Planner ............................................................. 30

Interviewing Exercise:

What Makes Projects Succeed or Fail in Your Community? ..................................... 30

Finding Resources Inside the Community ................................................................. 32

Identifying Locally Acceptable Ways to 

Help Communities Raise Funds for Projects ............................................................. 33

Practice Exercise: Writing Project Goals and Objectives .......................................... 35

Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating a Practice Project during PST .................. 37

Key Resources for

More Information and Insight ............................................................... 39
2 Peace Corps

VOLUNTEER AS 

PROJECT CO-PLANNER 

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ATTITUDES

Knowledge, Project planning steps and Small Project design and Tolerance for opposing views;

skills, and cycle; local resource identifi- action planning skills; thoroughness; diplomacy and

attitudes cation; resource development; drafting and managing tact; realistic expectations; 

(KSAs) you examples of successful small- budgets; proposal writing; flexibility

need for this scale projects in sector and resource identification and

role region mobilization; project 

monitoring and evaluation; 

time management

Your What knowledge you still Skills you need to gain or Things that will help you

initiatives to need and where to find it: improve and how you change any attitudes that will 

learn more might work on further skill hinder your role: 

 development: 

(Make a plan) – – –

– – –

– – –

– – –

– – –

What is a project co-planner?

In the Peace Corps context, Volunteers serve as co-planners by helping their communities to identify, plan, implement, and evaluate small-scale projects that will enable them to address changes or 

improvements they want in their lives. These projects may relate to a primary technical assignment 

area (health, education, economic development, agriculture, etc.), or they may address other areas of 

concern for a particular community. In all cases, the projects should focus on specific local priorities 

and be managed by community members with Volunteer support.

As was described in the Introduction section of this RVID Toolkit series, project planning is part 

of a larger community development cycle, and the role of the Volunteer as a co-planner overlaps 

substantially with two other roles—those of community facilitator and change agent. Toolkits 2 and 

4 focus on the Volunteer’s role in helping the community analyze its situation (resources, desires, 

needs), determine development priorities, and identify ideas for specific projects. Here in Toolkit 5 

we introduce how to involve the community in moving from analysis to action through setting project 

goals and objectives, making an action plan and budget, mobilizing specific resources, monitoring 

the process, and evaluating results. 

It is important to note that we do not focus on each specific step and skill involved in the planning 

process. The Peace Corps has developed a training resource entitled The New Project Design and 

Management (PDM) Workshop Training Manual (ICE T0107), which has detailed session plans, 

PROJECT

CO-PLANNER
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 3

handouts, and worksheets for planning small-scale projects with your community. Many Peace Corps 

posts offer the PDM workshop to Volunteers and Counterparts as part of their In-Service Training. 

Ask your APCD if a PDM workshop is being or could be arranged for your program. If you can’t 

attend a PDM workshop, we recommend that you request a copy of the manual and study and use 

it when you are ready to begin actual project planning with community members and Counterparts.

As we have emphasized in the other Toolkits, Volunteers should always partner with the community 

to get the work done so that genuine capacity building takes place. This can be especially hard 

when the planning process is moving more slowly than you anticipated. Volunteers often have to 

remind themselves, “It’s the community’s project, not mine.” 

Examples of the Co-Planner’s Role

Kathy and Jeff, a Volunteer couple assigned to work in a Papua New Guinea 

Rural Community Development program, organized a health conference for 

women in the local district. One conference participant, a woman named Mal, 

left the meeting motivated and began a series of mini-conferences in her own 

village. Kathy gave Mal resources and Mal adapted the information so that her 

villagers could understand it. Mal was dedicated to helping her community and 

Kathy became dedicated to supporting Mal’s efforts. When Kathy was invited 

to attend a health education conference sponsored by Save the Children, she 

decided to take Mal with her. Although the conference was in English and 

attended mostly by nurses, Mal understood enough of what was going on to 

take notes and discuss the information with Kathy. They talked about how 

this information could be applied to their own village; they talked about Mal’s 

dreams for her people and how these dreams could be realized, brainstorming 

ideas for possible projects. 

Of all the ideas discussed, Mal was most excited about the prospect of starting 

an egg farm. Eggs would provide the local people with an easy, affordable 

source for the protein they needed. Although people in her district loved eggs, 

no one was raising hens to produce them, and buying eggs required a 11⁄2-hour 

bus ride to the nearest town where they were sold. To summarize a long but 

successful story, Kathy and Jeff arranged to have Mal and two other villagers 

attend a Peace Corps PDM workshop where they learned and practiced project 

planning. Afterwards, they returned to their community and began engaging 

more and more people in the egg farm project idea. Sometimes helping with 

transportation, other times offering facilitation and technical knowledge, Jeff 

and Kathy were careful not to become the leaders of the project. Instead, they 

encouraged Mal and the other project champions to build a network of support, 

get local people trained in the knowledge and skills they would need to carry out 

the project, and carefully attend to how the community would manage project 

finances and ensure sustainability. 

[From Above and Beyond: Secondary Activities for Peace Corps Volunteers, p. 63, Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC. 1995. (ICE M0052)]

1
4 Peace Corps

A Volunteer in Côte d’Ivoire worked with a local women’s cooperative to 

create a project that combined income generation and HIV/AIDS prevention. 

To raise money for an agricultural venture, the co-op decided to put on a health 

theater fundraiser. Together, the Volunteer and co-op established guidelines for 

culturally appropriate HIV/AIDS prevention messages, and created comedic and 

educational performances to convey the messages to the community. The co-op 

divided into groups of 10 and each group presented the skits over the course of 

two days. The group collected money (about 16 cents) from each person who 

wanted to see the skits. Each person who paid the admission price received a 

condom as a receipt. With the money from the fundraiser, the co-op plans to 

buy seeds to start a vegetable garden and then sell the vegetables in the village 

and neighboring villages’ markets. 

[From Idea Book Series: HIV/AIDS: Integrating Prevention and Care into Your Sector, p. 31, 

Peace Corps, Washington, DC. 2000. (ICE M0081)] 

2

Three bricklayers were asked what they were doing. 

One said, ‘I’m laying bricks.’ The second replied, 

‘I’m building a wall.’ The third stated, 

‘I’m constructing a temple.’ 

— Anonymous
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 5

Capacity Buidling Tookit 5

Models, Concepts, 

and Cases

Characteristics of Successful Projects

Volunteers, Counterparts, community members, and Peace Corps staff have identified a number 

of elements that promote project success and sustainability. These characteristics include: 

Involvement of the community and all beneficiaries in all phases of the project planning, 

implementation, and evaluation

Analysis of the situation and determining what the community wants to do

If a problem is identified, a problem analysis needs to be done and the community must 

select a cause that it can reasonably work on

Realistic and doable project goals

Realistic and concrete project objectives

Clearly defined project tasks and responsibilities of all people involved

Well-designed time frame and budget, so that 

the objectives are met within the time and 

resource limits

Partial, concrete, and tangible results achieved 

during implementation of the project

Effective monitoring system that measures the 

project’s progress, identifies problems, and provides a mechanism for necessary changes 

in the project

Methods for keeping the larger community informed and involved

(continued)
6 Peace Corps

Evaluation of each phase of the project and of the entire project after it is finished, based 

on indicators set beforehand

Logical and effective structure of project design and management

Qualified persons assigned to specific roles

A mechanism for training community members in effective maintenance of the project, 

if required

Characteristics of Successful Projects

(continued)
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 7

Project Planning and

the Community Action Cycle

Project planning is part of the larger community development process that begins with the community assessing its resources and needs and deciding what its development priorities are. Once 

the priorities are established, community members begin to identify and plan specific projects that 

will enable them to address their development goals. The steps in project planning are frequently 

presented in a linear, or perhaps a circular, diagram, with one step neatly following another. In fact, 

rarely does a project develop—let alone get implemented—in such a neat pattern. Several steps may 

be happening at once as well as a need to backtrack to reconsider or redo something. 

planning

together

Project Design – Overall 

Strategy, Resources, Goals, 

Objectives, Action Plan, 

Budget, M & E Plan

How will we get 

there?

community

actions

Mobilize Resources, 

Implement, Monitor, Report

Go ahead with plan

EXPLORING THE

SITUATION &

SETTING PRIORITIES

Where are we now and

where do we want 

to go?

GETTING

ORGANIZED & 

IDENTIFYING

RESOURCES

Who are we?

evaluating &

celebrating 

together

How did we do; 

what did we learn?

the Community Action Cycle
8 Peace Corps

HOW TO DESIGN A COMMUNITY PROJECT

[Important note to PST Trainees and trainers: The following design process was developed 

for use by Volunteers and their Counterparts and communities. If you are doing a practice project 

during PST, you will need to adapt this design process to fit your situation. Pay particular attention 

to the notes labeled “Hints for PST projects” to help you refocus the framework appropriately. 

Also, review the activity description “Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating a Practice Project” 

on page 37 of this Toolkit.]

Once you have worked with the community to identify the priority issues it wants to address (better 

locally available health services, more education opportunities for girls, improved soil conservation, 

easier credit sources for individuals, and so on), then you are ready to help it plan a project around 

the selected priority issue. The first major part of the planning process is creating what we call the 

“basic design” or broad framework for the project plan. The design is built around six important 

questions (see box below), which you and your community work together to answer. 

THE PROJECT DESIGN 

The Questions The Design Outline 

1. What is our preferred dream or vision Dream or vision statement describing a

of the future? (relating to the priority preferred future 

issue) 

2. What are our existing assets that will List of assets, best resources

help us reach our vision? (sometimes 

done before and after the visioning) 

3. How can we make our vision happen? List of possible strategies/opportunities; 

 ranking and selection of best strategies

4. What are the long-term and short-term Project goals and objectives

results we want? 

5. How will we know if our project has Signs/indicators of success or achievement

been successful?

6. How feasible is our project? Feasibility analysis

See the Project Design Worksheet on the following pages. 
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 9

Project Design Worksheet (Page 1 of 9)

Project Design worksheet

[This is a worksheet for designing a small-scale project for one of your community’s development 

priorities. See The New Project Design and Management Workshop Training Manual, Peace 

Corps, Washington, DC. 2000 (ICE T0107) for more information and sample designs.]

Your Selected Priority Issue is:

What is your preferred vision or dream of the future? 

Focusing on your priority issue, imagine the future you want for your community. What 

does it look like? Use pictures, symbols, words (or whatever!) and create your vision here 

on this page.

[Hints for PST projects: Since you are in a learning mode during PST, your project will 

likely have more to do with your own capacity building than with addressing a real priority in the community. That said, you can still ask community participants to help you 

envision what you all want to get out of the project.] 

1
10 Peace Corps

Project Design Worksheet (Page 2 of 9)

What are the community’s existing assets that will help you reach 

your vision? 

Think about all of the strengths and resources your community has that could help it reach 

the vision. What are the physical resources? Groups such as civic organizations, NGOs, 

government services, and businesses? Individuals with relevant skills and experience? Strong 

relationships or affiliations with others from outside of the community? Use the space below 

to list as many of these resources and assets as you can identify. 

[Hints for PST projects: Consider your trainers, fellow Trainees, and other resources 

relating to your Peace Corps training program as part of the local community. Keep 

in mind that your PST program will have minimal or no monetary funds to support 

community service projects.] 

2
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 11

Project Design Worksheet (Page 3 of 9)

What strategies or approaches will work best? 

Considering the nature of the vision and the resources available to the community, think 

about the different ways you might approach the project. What strategies can you think of 

that might work well? What opportunities are out there that you could use? Let your mind 

flow freely and think of several different approaches. Write them down below. 

[Hints for PST projects: In your limited context, this step does not have to be too involved. 

The idea is to make some preliminary decisions about the best way to do the project. In a 

park cleanup project, for example, two different strategies might be (a) to involve a large 

number of people (all ages) and do the cleanup in one day, or (b) to engage a group of 

youth and work in the park a few afternoons over the course of two weeks. Based on your 

resources, people’s daily schedules, and local traditions, which approach seems most 

likely to succeed?] 

Possible Strategies or Approaches: 

3
12 Peace Corps

Project Design Worksheet (Page 4 of 9)

Selection of Best Strategies 

With your planning partners, weigh the strengths and weaknesses of the strategies on your list, 

narrowing the options down to two or three strategies. Then, decide what criteria you want to use 

to make a final decision. Some possible criteria include: acceptability to the community, sustainability, cost, number of people benefited, greatest likelihood of success in the short term, and so on. 

Sometimes, it helps to use a decision matrix to structure this process. (See Toolkit 2: Volunteer as 

Change Agent, page 16 for a description and illustration of the decision matrix.) 

Possible Strategy Criterion 1 Criterion 2 Criterion 3
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 13

4

Project Design Worksheet (Page 5 of 9)

What are the long-term and short-term results you want?

Let’s start with the long-term results. Look at the work you have done so far in this design—

your vision, the list of community assets and resources, and best strategies or approaches 

for the project. Now, think about the desired result(s) you want to get out of this project. 

(Pretend for a moment that you have just finished the project and you’ve invited a Peace 

Corps staff member and a ministry representative to see the results. What would that look 

like?) These major results are the goals for your project. The number of goals will depend 

on the scope of your project. Most small projects have only one or two goals. 

Project goals...

• restate the vision and approach in terms of what is to be accomplished;

• define the long-term results or changes that the project will bring about; and

• are realistic and include an overall time frame.

Write your goal(s) in the boxes provided on the following page. Leave the sections for 

“objectives” and “signs of success” blank for now. 

[Hints for PST projects: Your PST project is likely to be so small scale and short term, 

that it will not require a goal. You can simplify the design process by working with two 

or three objectives. See some sample objectives for our park cleanup project on page 15.]

PROJECT GOAL # 1 

Objectives Signs of Success

Objective 1

Objective 2
14 Peace Corps

Project Design Worksheet (Page 6 of 9)

PROJECT GOAL # 2 

Objectives Signs of Success

Objective 1

Objective 2

Project Objectives: Objectives are similar to goals but much more specific and focused 

on the short-term results you need to meet the longer-term goal(s) of the project. Goals and 

objectives form a hierarchy as illustrated below. For each project goal, you should have at 

least two objectives.

Goal

(higher level: broad, long-term result

 that helps you to reach your dream)

 

Objective #1 Objective #2

(lower level: specific, shorter-term set of

 results that lead you to reach the goal)

Project Objectives...

• are the short-term results you need to meet the longer-term goal(s) of the project

• are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 15

Project Design Worksheet (Page 7 of 9)

• answer these questions:

– Who is the target group or individuals expected to change?

– What action or change is expected?

– When will the desired action or change be accomplished? 

– How much change is expected? 

Go back to the grid on the preceding pages and write in your objectives for each of the 

goals you’ve listed. 

[Hints for PST projects: Here are some possible objectives for our sample park clean-up 

project. Please note that the second objective refers to the Trainees’ own capacity building. 

Objective 1: By the end of March, young people and Trainees in our community will 

clean and improve the landscaping in the central plaza such that it is a safer and more 

pleasant place to spend time. 

Objective 2: By the end of PST, Trainees will gain hands-on experience in planning, 

implementing, and evaluating a small-scale park improvement project that engages at 

least 15 local youth in all phases of the process.]

How will you know if your project has been successful?

This important question helps you to determine how to measure (or evaluate) the 

achievements you expect from the project. It pushes you to think about what “success” 

means with regard to this particular project. For example, if your project centers around 

increasing local awareness of the need for forest preservation and a major strategy is to 

design and conduct environmental awareness camps for youth at the local preserve, what 

would indicate to you that you had achieved something? One measure of short-term 

success is an increase in knowledge about local environmental concerns on the part of the 

students attending the camp. You could administer a pre- and post-test to measure their 

learning more precisely. Though hard to do, you should also think about what larger and 

lasting impacts you hope your project will have on the people and the environment. In 

this same example, maybe you hope that youth will begin volunteering to work on some 

small environmental improvement activities sponsored by the preserve, or bring their 

parents and siblings to special events at the preserve. 

Look at the objectives you have set for your project. What are some ways you could measure 

your achievement of each one? List at least one “sign of success” beside each objective on 

the worksheet.

5
16 Peace Corps

Project Design Worksheet (Page 8 of 9)

[Hints for PST projects: Since PST projects are short term, you should focus on modest, 

immediate signs of success. In the example of the park cleanup project, some signs of 

success would include the following: 

Objective 1: 

• The plaza is clean and new plantings are being cared for by the youth.

• More people are using the park in the evenings than did before the cleanup project. 

• People, including the mayor and the teachers, give public recognition to the youth and 

Trainees involved in the project. 

• The young people express interest in starting another environmental project.

Objective 2:

• The youth participated actively from beginning to end of the process (came to planning 

meetings, located and helped to obtain materials, and so on). 

• The Trainees and youth finished tasks on time and within the budget. 

• The young people and Trainees communicated clearly with each other in the local 

language.

• The Trainees are able to identify key lessons learned from this project to apply to their 

future work at site.] 

How feasible is your project?

At several points in the planning process, you should stop and consider the feasibility of the 

project. Is this project logical? Is it possible? Use the following questions to help you test 

the feasibility of the basic design you have created here. The insights you gain from this 

analysis will help you determine if you need to adjust your goals and objectives. 

Feasibility Test

1. What, beyond your direct control, could cause this project to fail? (For example, drought 

or flooding could negatively affect an agricultural project, local elections could mean 

the loss of a leader who strategically supported the project, etc.) 

2. How can you (the community) improve the likelihood that the project will succeed?

6
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 17

Project Design Worksheet (Page 9 of 9)

3. All things considered, do the benefits justify the costs?

4. Does the community have the capacity to handle and sustain a project of this type and 

scope? If not, how can we narrow the focus to make it more manageable and sustainable? 

[Hints for PST projects: Questions 1 and 2 are relevant to even short-term PST projects. 

In the case of our park cleanup project, what if the mayor doesn’t trust “Trainees and 

children” to do a quality improvement on the park? Perhaps we could show him drawings 

or examples of what the landscaped areas could look like and involve him in the plans. 

What if the parents of the youth are resistant to their children doing a public project for 

four or five afternoons rather than coming home to work on family-related chores? Maybe 

we could get the mayor and the teachers to help us convince the parents of the potential 

benefits. What if the youth themselves get bored after the first afternoon or two of cleanup 

and stop showing up? For one thing, we need to be clear with the young people about the 

amount and nature of the work. Also, we should plan some fun activities and rewards 

that will help to hold their interest. Since our project takes place outdoors, weather is an 

important consideration. If we are in the middle of the rainy season, the project might 

not work at all!] 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Congratulations! 

You now have the basic design for your community project. Although building this type of framework 

may seem tedious and downright difficult at times, it is a critical part of the planning process and 

community members (such as a design team or committee) should be fully engaged in its development. This is how you are building capacity in others to do project planning in the future without 

you! Also, it is helpful to remember that the design (along with the action plan) is a living document 

in the sense that it may need to be updated and amended as the community begins implementing 

project tasks. 
18 Peace Corps

The Project Action Plan

After community members have completed the basic design for their project, they are ready to 

prepare the action plan containing the details for how the project will be implemented. The action 

plan includes three components: (a) tasks for each project objective, (b) roles and responsibilities 

of the community and other project stakeholders, and (c) the timeline for getting the project done. 

Here is a worksheet for drafting a simple community project action plan.

Action Plan Worksheet for Project:

Goal # ______ (from the Project Design Worksheet)

Objective # ______ (from the Project Design Worksheet)

Tasks: Roles: Timeline:

What to do? Who will do it? When will it start and finish?

(List in sequence) (Place asterisk beside (Expressed in weeks or months)

name of person with

primary responsibility) 

[Sample PST park 

cleanup project] 

Have a meeting Trainees,* local teacher, 

w/mayor to get PST trainer

his ideas about 

improving the park 

Recruit interested Trainees,* local teacher

youth and visit their 

parents to discuss 

the project

Orient youth to Trainees,* PST trainer

project design and 

get their ideas 

Get plants and trees Trainees, PST trainer*

(donated from nearby 

agricultural 

demonstration 

farm) 

Gather other Trainees, young people

materials (sand, 

rocks for edging, 

etc.)

Etc. 

 
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 19

The Project Budget

An obvious and important part of a community project plan is the budget. Before the community can 

start implementing the actual project, it must identify all the resources it will need to complete the 

project tasks, and then estimate the cost or value of those resources. General categories of resources for 

small community-based projects include people or human resources, equipment, materials, supplies, 

and transportation. Once community planners have outlined the budget, they can then determine how 

to acquire the resources. Some may be available within the community, others donated or bartered, 

and others purchased with cash funds. 

The budget plan provides information about the requirements for outside expertise or training of 

local people, and loans, grants, or other funding to purchase or rent equipment and materials. Many 

project planners gasp when they see the figure under “total project cost” and realize they need to 

either find significant funds or make some creative cuts in the project scope. Hence, the budget 

serves as a reality check in addition to its role as spending guide.

There are many ways to develop a budget and most organizations have preferred formats for 

organizing the project cost information. For our purposes here, we will concentrate on three general 

categories of costs and offer a simple budget worksheet. As with all of the previous steps in project 

planning, the community should be involved in the budget work as well. 

Budget Categories for

Small-Scale Community Projects

1. Human Resources/Labor: 

In this category, you identify all of the people you need to carry out 

the project. To determine labor needs, examine each of the tasks 

you have delineated in your action plan, and try to imagine how 

that activity will be performed. Ask: 

– Who is going to do it?

– What skills or knowledge do they need?

In trying to determine whether someone is available locally, go back to the asset maps and 

capacity inventories you and the community may have created earlier (see Toolkits 2 and 4). 

Does someone have the skills and knowledge needed on the project? Or, who has the connections 

in the larger region or nationally to get the needed skilled persons? Are there ways to acquire 

outside help without cost by going through certain channels? If your community has not done 

an assets map, it would be a valuable activity to do as you begin working on designing a project. 

If the skills are not available locally, consider the notion of providing training to local people 

as a part of the project, especially if the skills are needed for sustainability.
20 Peace Corps

2. Equipment, Materials, Supplies: 

For each task, identify any equipment, materials, and supplies that will be required. Equipment 

items such as slide projectors, well drills, and jigsaws might be bought, rented, or borrowed. 

Supplies are consumables such as pencils, paper, cooking oil, or gas. Materials are also consumable, except that the time frame for their consumption is much longer. Examples include building 

materials, books, fencing, thermometers, and so forth. Materials and supplies may need to be 

purchased or they could possibly be obtained through “in-kind” donations from local businesses, 

other institutions, or individuals. Check to make sure your project really needs all the items you 

have listed in this category. Sometimes we forget some of the essentials and include items that 

are “nice” but not necessary.

3. Transportation and Other Costs:

There are almost always transportation needs in projects and they are often forgotten when 

developing a budget. Equipment or materials may need to be transported. Members of the 

group may need to make trips to attend meetings, visit a similar project, or go to the bank.

Others may need to visit your project site: skilled laborers, extension agents, or experts to 

provide advice, and so on. Since transportation is costly, it is important to anticipate the need 

and get accurate estimates.

Besides transportation, there may be other costs that don’t fit into the first two categories of the 

budget worksheets (human resources and equipment, materials, supplies). For example, you 

might need to rent a room to conduct a workshop, or pay for participants’ lodging at a conference 

center. These types of expenses may be placed under “Transportation and Other Costs.” 

Budget Worksheets

Here is a sample budget worksheet that you may adapt and use with your community. The worksheet has three pages: pages for each of the three major cost categories listed above plus a summary 

sheet. On the summary sheet, you will see columns for dividing the total costs for each category 

into three amounts:

• amount provided by the community or project group

• amount provided by a partnering group (useful when two or 

more groups are collaborating closely on the same project)

• amount needed from outside the community (for example, 

grant funds from a donor organization)

One main reason for this costing breakdown is to underscore and value the contributions that the 

community is making toward the project. Oftentimes, we portray the community’s contribution 

in general terms—“they’ll supply the labor” or “they’ll gather locally available materials such as 

sand and clay.” A better approach is to estimate the actual cost of all of the resources needed, i.e., 

“what would it cost if we had to pay for it?” That way we can (a) know the total real cost more 

definitively, and (b) show our pride at just how much the community can offset those real costs and 

reduce the need to seek outside funds. If your community is likely to need some funding from the 

outside, then you will be more successful in securing those funds if you can clearly show contributions from within the community.
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 21 Tasks Human Resources/Labor Needed Cost, (from Action Plan) (Trainers, teachers, technicians, Number Number Wage/day construction workers, drivers, etc.) of people X of days X or job = Subtotal Project Name:

Budget Worksheet 1

Subtotal this Page:

Person-time donated:

_____

( _____ )
22 Peace Corps Project Name: Budget Worksheet 2 Tasks Materials/Supplies/ Transportation/ Cost (from Action Plan) Equipment Other Cost Items Unit Cost X No. Needed = Subtotal Subtotal this Page:
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 23 Budget Category Total Cost by Amount Provided by Amount Provided by Amount Needed from Category Community or Project Partner(s) Outside Community Project Group Project Totals: Project Name:

Budget SUMMARY Worksheet
24 Peace Corps Tasks Human Resources/Labor Needed Cost, (from Action Plan) (trainers, teachers, technicians, Number Number Wage/day construction workers, drivers, etc.) of people X of days X or job = Subtotal 1. Conduct Environmental Awareness Park EA leaders 2 3 (prep day 20.00 (120.00)* (EA) Camp – 40 youth (staff time donated by park)* + 2-day camp) Local participating teachers 3 3 (prep day 20.00 (180.00)* (teachers’ time donated by school) + 2-day camp) Park administrative assistant 1 2 days 15.00 (30.00) (staff time donated by park) (equivalent) Local traditional forest users 3 1 day 10.00 30.00 (equivalent) Subtotal for 30.00/ Task 1 (330.00) 2. Plan and implement conservation Participating teachers 2 2 days 20.00 (80.00) project at school (teachers’ time donated by school) (equivalent) Plant live tree border to prevent Park staff to help plan and advise on project 1 1.5 days 20.00 (30.00) erosion at edge of play field (staff time donated by park) Subtotal for (110.00) Task 2 Project Name: SAMPLE Budget Worksheet 1 Subtotal this Page: Person-time donated: 30.00 (440.00)
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 25

The Concept of Winnable Victories

Consider the concept of “winnable victories” popularized 

by Saul Alinsky, an American community activist. His 

idea is that, in order for people to gain self-confidence, 

it is necessary to start small and “win” with small 

achievements. If, on the contrary, the group members try 

to tackle something too big, they may not be able to see 

the progress they are making and become discouraged, 

thereby damaging their self-esteem. 

Winnable victories are particularly important in 

situations where the community or organization 

has little or no experience in project planning and 

implementation, or in cases where recent project 

attempts have fallen short or failed. An activity as simple as painting a school building or cleaning 

up trash in a town plaza can have the effect of boosting participants’ motivation to try something 

more substantial the next time. 

What are some examples of potential “winnable victories” for the 

organizations or groups you are familiar with in your community?
26 Peace Corps

In Planning, The Process is

as Important as the Product

Whenever you get involved in project planning with your community, it is essential to consider the 

process (who is involved and how you work together) as much as the product (what you produce 

or accomplish). Authentic community capacity building must emphasize both of these elements. 

Here are some examples of process objectives that you and your community might target during 

project planning and implementation. 

Ensure that key policy and decision makers and community leaders contribute to the project.

Ensure that those who are most affected by the 

project focus have a meaningful voice in the planning process.

Enlist technical assistance from external organizations that have desired expertise.

Identify and leverage needed resources to carry out 

the project activities.

Ensure that what is learned through exploration 

and investigation of the priority issue(s) is applied 

to the planning process. 

Strengthen individuals’ and organizations’ analysis, planning, and negotiation skills.

Build community leaders’ skills to facilitate a planning process that integrates those who are 

most affected by the issue.

Establish effective communication channels and relationships between community actors. 

Ensure that opposing points of view can be voiced and discussed in a constructive manner.

[Adapted with permission from How to Mobilize Communities for Health and Social Change (draft form), Chapter 7, 

by Lisa Howard-Grabman and Gail Snetro, Save the Children Federation, Westport, CT.]
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 27

Project Sustainability Criteria

In the Introduction section of this Toolkit, we presented a list of factors that contribute to a sustainable community development process. These same criteria may be adapted and applied to measuring 

the sustainability of a small-scale project. 

•	 Culturally sustainable:

Does the project design fit within 

and build on local beliefs and 

traditions, or will it be seen as an 

“outsider’s idea” and not be acceptable or continued when you (the 

Volunteer) leaves?

•	 Politically sustainable:

When there is no longer an outsider 

in the project, will it be sustainable 

within the sociopolitical context?

•	 Economically sustainable:

Will there be sufficient local

resources (or the capacity to 

generate them) when you or other 

supportive outsiders leave? 

•	 Managerially sustainable: Will there be the local management capacity to carry on the 

work when you leave?

•	 Environmentally sustainable: As the project grows, will the environment be able to 

sustain the use of resources?

By addressing these questions at the outset of the planning process, you and the community will be 

more likely to create a meaningful project that has the impact you desire. 
28 Peace Corps

Stories from the Field: 

Kenya 

Two Volunteers were assigned to the small village of Wanjohi located on the western slopes of the 

Aberdare Mountain Range. Wanjohi is a small farming community in a district of approximately 

40,000 people. When the Volunteers first arrived in Wanjohi, they assisted the community in analyzing and generating solutions to problems that already existed. After speaking with many people 

throughout the community, the Wanjohi Health Center, and the Public Health Office, it quickly 

became apparent that people’s access to health information was quite limited. The idea of a Health 

and Medical Resource Center was suggested and received enthusiastic response from everyone. 

However, many logistical problems had to be resolved before they could start. Issues had to be 

addressed such as, How to start this kind of project? Where should the Resource Center be located? 

Who would manage it and be responsible for materials? What resources were already available? It 

was decided that a room would be designated for the Resource Center within the Wanjohi Health 

Center, which is centrally located and easily accessible to most people. The Health Center staff 

also volunteered to rotate through so supervision would always be present at the Resource Center 

during business hours. The Public Health Technician agreed to manage the facility and catalog all 

incoming materials and resources.

The next step was to solicit books from donors and major health institutions. After compiling a list of 

organizations, they started a mailing campaign that procured approximately 100 promising donors. 

The response was overwhelming. The Health Center has received approximately 200,000 shillings 

worth of books. More are on the way. 

The Resource Center started as a small-scale project that has caused a chain reaction in initiating 

other projects in the community, creating confidence, and motivating individuals to educate others. 

For instance, the Health Center personnel started to give seminars at local schools based on information researched from donated books. Nurses were able to research child-care topics and relate 

the information to their patients. The clinical officer was able to research such sensitive subjects as 

drug dependency and HIV/AIDS, problems that are increasing in the area. 

The Swahili have a saying, “haba na haba hujaza kibaba,” which means “little by little always fills 

the cup.” Unexpectedly, this project is little by little having an impact on a small village located 

on the side of the Aberdares. Through the efforts of the two Peace Corps Volunteers (Health and 

Environment), a Health and Medical Resource Center was born in Wanjohi. With effective crosssector collaboration, careful planning, and designation of a manager, their work will continue to 

benefit the community.
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 29

Bulgaria 

An Environmental Education Volunteer teaches ecology and English at the Municipal Children’s 

Center in Balchik, Bulgaria, and at other local schools. Balchik is a small town on the Black Sea 

coast; he is the first Volunteer assigned there. “I’m happy about making a few inroads in town and I 

think most people here know who I am and have a positive impression of the Peace Corps.”

With his Bulgarian colleagues, the Volunteer helped plan a full week of activities for Earth Day, 

including planting 550 trees at two schools. Twenty-five students and teachers from nearby towns 

also came to help. Balchik businesses and private sponsors donated all costs and materials, including 

trees, planting soil, food, and accommodations for the visitors.

In the coming year, Balchik will be the site of one of five schools piloting the GLOBE environmental education program. “We’ve had many false starts on other projects and sometimes I think 

it would be easier if I did everything myself, but what benefit is that?,” says the Volunteer. “I try to 

keep thinking ‘our project’ versus ‘my project’—it’s very slow sometimes, but it’s why I’m here.”
30 Peace Corps

Ideas and Activities

for Practicing Your Role

as a Project Planner

Interviewing Exercise: 

What Makes Projects Succeed

or Fail in Your Community? 

Purpose

To assess current or past community projects in 

terms of their overall success and sustainability; 

to identify the key elements that seem to account 

for a particular project’s success or, conversely, 

its failure

Activity

1. With the help of your trainers, Counterpart, 

or community leaders, identify one or more 

community projects that are ongoing or 

have been completed in the past year. Find 

out who the key project stakeholders are, 

i.e., those people with a vested interest in 

the project outcomes. Stakeholders typically 

include project planners, implementers, 

beneficiaries, and funders; they may also 

include people who are opposed to the 

project and have the power to negatively 

affect its outcome.

2. Using the list of “Characteristics of Successful Projects” (pp. 5–6) and the Project Sustainability 

Criteria (p. 27), draft several questions to use as an interview guide for assessing the success of 

the project. Some sample questions might include:
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 31

• How has this project involved community members? Who was involved in the planning, 

implementation, and evaluation phases? Who are the project leaders?

• Is there a difference in the way men and women (or girls and boys) participate(d) in 

the project? 

• How has the project made use of the community’s existing resources? How has the 

community supported or obtained additional resources for the project?

• How has the project built the capacity of local community members?

• What kind of lasting impacts (positive or negative) do you think this project will have 

on the community? Impact on men? Impact on women? 

3. Using your interview guide, meet with two or three different types of stakeholders to learn 

their perspectives about the selected project. If your second language skills are limited, try to 

team with someone who is more fluent and conduct the informal interviews together as a pair. 

Afterwards, share your information with other Trainees, trainers, or your Counterpart. Try to 

isolate specific factors that seem to have contributed to the success or failure of the project. 

Discuss whether or not these factors are universal (i.e., they would have the same effect on any 

project of a similar scale) or are more peculiar to your community, region, or culture. 

4. Keep the a of factors and pertinent information to refer to when you are ready to begin planning 

projects with your community. 
32 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Finding Resources

Inside the Community 

Purpose

To become more aware of existing community resources related to your particular technical sector 

Activity

1. Working with your fellow Trainees or your Counterpart, canvass your local community for 

resources that might be needed for or applied to sector-specific project activities. For example, 

if you are a Volunteer assigned to work in an Environmental Education Project, consider the 

types of small-scale projects you and your community might attempt—a curriculum development 

project, a youth camp, a teacher training workshop, and so on. Look around the community to 

ascertain what human, physical, and material resources might already be there to tap. List as 

many resources as you can find. 

2. Ask your host family, friends, and trainers to help you see hidden assets that can become “inkind” contributions to a particular project. In-kind contributions are non-cash items such as the 

following: a local person with particular construction skills who is willing to advise on the project, 

a local business that is willing to lend the use of a needed piece of equipment, or materials that 

may be gathered for no cash cost (sand, palm fronds, rocks, etc.).

3. If you are in PST, join together with other Trainees in your technical assignment area and compare

your lists. 
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 33

Ideas & Activities

Identifying Locally Acceptable Ways

to Help Communities Raise Funds

for Projects

Purpose

To identify traditional and non-traditional ways 

for raising modest project funds

[Note: When talking about fundraising, it 

is important to clarify that we are referring to 

fundraising activities conducted by the community to benefit their projects. The Peace 

Corps prohibits Volunteers from participating 

in fundraising activities that would result in 

personal benefits for themselves.] 

Activity

1. Using your observation and interviewing 

skills, find out how people in your host 

community have traditionally raised funds 

when they want to implement a new project or activity. For example, people may conduct raffles 

or sponsor a special sport event for which they charge an admission fee. Who is responsible for 

these fundraising activities? How easy or difficult is it to manage each type of activity? Which 

fundraising methods seem to be the most successful? Are they more successful during specific 

times of the year? (If so, why?)

2. After you have identified local fundraising methods, get together with other Trainees, Volunteers, 

and/or Counterparts and add other ideas you may have seen or used to raise project funds. 

Here are some examples of fundraising techniques used successfully by Volunteers and their 

communities: 

Place donation boxes in public places.

Collect and recycle materials for cash or other resources.

Sponsor fairs and expositions (charge for displays, sell food, charge admission).

Write and distribute solicitation letter with inspirational story. 

Make small craft items to sell and/or distribute to potential sponsors. 

Swap in-kind gifts with other NGOs.
34 Peace Corps

Sponsor a talent show, “non-talent” show, concert, or dance (charge admission fee and 

sell food).

Show an outdoor movie (charge admission fee and sell food).

Have a car wash.

Create and sell local postcards or T-shirts.

3. Once you have a list of fundraising ideas that have been successful in your community, consider 

these questions:

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of a community earning its own project funds?

• What kinds of skills and abilities do these fundraising methods call for? Where can we 

find these skills?

Little strokes fell great oaks.

— Benjamin Franklin
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 35

Ideas & Activities

Practice Exercise: 

Writing Project Goals and Objectives

Purpose

To practice drafting goals and objectives for a small project; to better understand the difference and 

relationship between a goal and an objective in the context of a small-scale project 

Activity

1. Read the following story:

Nita’s Dream

Nita is a 16-year-old girl who lives in a small village. She has grown 

up in this village with her brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts, and 

uncles. She goes to school fairly regularly, and helps her mother in 

the house and the garden. Although Nita has never left her village, 

she dreams of attending the university in the capital city where she 

can study business and have a career, like her cousin Nafta. Nafta 

visits a few times a year with stories of city life. This dream of going 

to the university has been with Nita for many years, but lately it is 

all she can think about, especially as her family begins to talk about 

marriage for her. 

One hot and quiet evening, Nita is lying restlessly in her bed, tossing 

and turning and trying to sleep. Her mind is whirling with images of 

the city and school and life outside her village. She abruptly gets up 

and quietly finds a candle. She tears a sheet of paper from her school 

notebook. At the top she writes, “University.” Then she begins to make 

a list:

• Talk to school counselor by March about different universities and 

scholarship opportunities.

• Write to four different universities to request information within 

two months.

• Study mathematics at least one hour per day for the next term.

• Apply for university entrance examination before spring deadline.

• Discuss plans with mother and aunt. 

She rereads what she has written and, satisfied with her plan, crawls 

into bed to sleep.
36 Peace Corps

2. After reading the story, how would you describe Nita’s dream? How would you state this in 

terms of a goal? (As needed, refer to the definition of a goal in the Project Design Worksheet 

on page 13.) Write the goal in the space below:

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

3. How would you describe the list Nita developed? Are these major steps or activities she will 

carry out in order to reach her goal? What other activities could be included on this list? Review 

the definition of “objective” in the Project Design Worksheet on page 14. What are some of the 

characteristics of Nita’s objectives? Are they SMART objectives? Use the space below to adjust 

and/or add to Nita’s list of objectives: 

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

4. Review the relationship between the goal and the objectives you (and Nita!) have written. 

If Nita accomplishes all these objectives, will she likely reach her goal and make her dream 

come true?

[Adapted with permission from Project Design for Program Managers, pp. 33-37, CEDPA Training Manual Series, 

Volume II, Centre for Development and Population Activities, Washington, DC. 1994.] 
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 37

Ideas & Activities

Planning, Implementing, and

Evaluatin g a Practice Project

during PST

Purpose

To practice the steps in project planning by designing, implementing, and evaluating a small project 

during PST; to practice doing a project in a safe environment (with peers and host community members you already know); to help community members (project participants) learn new information 

or skills of benefit to them 

Activity

During most PSTs, there are opportunities to plan and carry out small projects or activities. Sometimes these may be related to your technical Project (small business development, natural resource 

management, health and nutrition promotion, secondary education, and so forth). Other times, 

they may be related to a particular interest you and members of the community share in common. 

Here are a few examples of small projects or activities that Trainees have successfully planned and 

implemented during their PST:

• Exercise or athletics with teenagers or other age groups

• Projects for children such as arts and crafts, reading, storytelling, drawing

• One-day events such as a women’s health fair, a wall mural drawing, a parade, and so on

• Cooking classes (any type of food)

• Music sessions (introductions to pop, rock, jazz, opera)
38 Peace Corps

• Teaching computer literacy or introducing the Internet

• Cleaning up and doing small landscape improvements (planting trees and flower beds, etc.) at a 

local park 

• Celebration to show appreciation to host families

Approach your community service project as an opportunity to “get your feet wet” before you try an 

actual project with your community at your site. Select a project idea that is small and “winnable.” 

Talk to your fellow Trainees, trainers, and APCD about project options in your PST situation and 

then select an appropriate activity or event to plan. Test your project ideas out with people you know 

in the community—are people interested in working with you on this idea? If enthusiasm seems 

limited, consider another option. 

Once you have identified your project idea, use the Project Design, Action Plan, and Budget 

Worksheets in this Toolkit to guide you through the project planning steps, modifying the steps to fit 

the scope and nature of your project. Throughout the planning and implementation process, involve 

the project participants and beneficiaries as much as possible. Make this their project, not just yours! 

Ask your trainers to help you monitor and evaluate the project. At the end of the experience, sit down 

with everyone who participated in the planning process and share your lessons learned. 

If you have a lot of things to do, 

get the nap out of the way first.

— An eight-year-old 
RVID Toolkit 5: Volunteer as Project Co-Planner 39

Key Resources

for More

Information

and Insight

Above and Beyond: Secondary Activities for Peace Corps Volunteers. (Peace Corps, Washington, 

DC) 1995. [ICE M0052. Digital only. Available on ICE RE014K Sharing Promising Practices.

CD-ROM.]

Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation (DPM): A Pre-Service Training Module. (Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC) 2001. [ICE T0123]

Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation (DPM): An In-Service Training Module. (Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC) 2001. [ICE T0124]

Environmental Education in the Community. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2005. [ICE M0075]

HIV/AIDS Training Resource Kit. CD-ROM. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2007. [ICE T0136K]

Idea Book Series: Beyond the Classroom: Empowering Girls. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 

2000. [ICE M0080]

Idea Book Series: DPM: Integrating Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation in Your Work. (Peace 

Corps, Washington, DC) 2001. [ICE M0084]

Idea Book Series: HIV/AIDS: Integrating Prevention and Care Into Your Sector. (Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC) 2000. [ICE M0081]

Idea Book Series: PACA: Using Participatory Analysis for Community Action. (Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC) 2005. [ICE M0086]

Idea Book Series: Small Project Assistance Program: Supporting Sustainable Community 

Development. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2003. [ICE M0082]

The New Project Design and Management Workshop Training Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, 

DC) 2003. [ICE T0107]
40 Peace Corps

Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) Training Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, 

DC) 2007. [ICE M0053]

Participatory Program Evaluation: A Manual for Involving Program Stakeholders in the 

Evaluation Process. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 1995. [ICE R0094. Digital only. Available on 

ICE RE014K Sharing Promising Practices. CD-ROM.]

V2 Volunteerism Action Guide: Multiplying the Power of Service. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 

2008. [ICE CD062]

Working with CCBI: Volunteer Workbook. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2004. [ICE M0073]

Working with Youth: Approaches for Volunteers. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2002. [ICE M0067]

Youth Development and the Environment. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 1998. [ICE M0057. 

Digital only. Available on ICE RE014K Sharing Promising Practices. CD-ROM.]
THE ROLES OF THE VOLUNTEER 

IN DEVELOPMENT

Capacity Building

Toolkit

6

RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 1

Capacity Building Toolkit 6 

THE VOLUNTEER 

AS MENTOR

IN THIS TOOLKIT 

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan ................................................................................... 2

What Is a Mentor? ....................................................................................................... 2

Models, Concepts, And Cases ........................................................................ 5

Mentoring: Perceptions from Peace Corps Host Country Staff ................................... 5

What Mentors Do ........................................................................................................ 6

Six Key Types of Mentor Assistance ........................................................................... 7

Behaviors to Avoid in Mentoring ............................................................................... 10

Developing a Mentoring Partnership ......................................................................... 12

Working with Young People: 

Helpful Hints from A Youth Perspective ................................................................... 14

More Tips for Mentors Who Work with Children and Adolescents .......................... 16

Cultural Cautions for Mentors ................................................................................... 17

Organizing Mentoring Programs ............................................................................... 18

Stories from the Field: Ecuador, Guinea, and Thailand ............................................. 19 

Ideas and Activities for

Practicing your Role as a Mentor ........................................................ 21

	 Reflecting on Mentors in Your Past ........................................................................... 21

Identifying Your Mentoring Resources ...................................................................... 23

Active Listening Practice ........................................................................................... 25

Brainstorming about Mentoring Links in the Local Community .............................. 26

Key Resources for

More Information and Insight ............................................................... 27
2 Peace Corps

VOLUNTEER AS MENTOR 

KSA Matrix and Learning Plan

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ATTITUDES

Knowledge, Examples of successful Modeling skills; relation- Respect and trust in others; 

skills, and mentoring models; youth ship building; coaching patience and perseverance; 

attitudes development models, issues, skills such as guiding with consistency and reliability; 

(KSAs) you and practices related to questions; interpersonal desire to help self and others 

need for this working effectively with communication skills such grow personally and 

role youth as active listening and professionally; give and 

feedback skills receive feedback; self-esteem

 Your What knowledge you still Skills you need to gain or Things that will help you 

initiatives to 	 need and where to find it:	 improve and how you	 change any attitudes that will

learn more might work on further skill hinder your role: 

 development:

(Make a plan) – – –

 – – –

 – – –

 – – –

 – – –

What is a mentor?

Webster’s dictionary defines mentor as: “A wise and trusted teacher or counselor.” The term comes to 

us from Greek mythology—Odysseus, King of Ithaca asked his trusted friend, Mentor, to look after 

his son while he fought the Trojan War. In the context of capacity building, mentoring is a personal 

or professional relationship in which a more experienced individual (the mentor) acts as a guide, role 

model, coach, and sponsor to a less-experienced person (the mentee). In this relationship, the mentor:

•	 offers knowledge, insight, perspective or wisdom that is especially useful to the mentee;

•	 listens, affirms, counsels, encourages, and seeksinput to help the learner develop skills, expertise,

and/or direction; and

•	 clarifies expectations about the relationship and, in some cases, establishes measures of success

with the mentee.

[A note on the term “mentee”: Most people consider the term “mentee” more neutral 

than the term “protégé,” which for years was used to describe the relationship of an older, more 

senior person (e.g., a bank vice-president) guiding a younger person (e.g., a junior manager). In 

our text here, “mentee” refers simply to “the person being mentored”.] 

mentoring
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 3

Mentoring relationships vary in terms of the degree of structure (from informal to more formal structure) and length of engagement (from spontaneous, short-term interaction to long-term investment). 

Decisions about how much structure you need and how long you should maintain the relationship 

will depend on the people involved and the context. 

During your Peace Corps service, you will likely encounter several opportunities to both be a mentor

and be mentored. Sometimes you may find that certain people in the community choose you to be

their mentor because they regard you as a role model—you may have little say in the matter other 

than to continue being a good example! Many Volunteers report an enormous sense of fulfillment

and reward from their experiences in mentoring a colleague or a friend, in large part because of the 

reciprocal nature of the relationship—both people help learn from one another. A vivid example of 

this sort of mentoring is the partnership between a Volunteer and his or her Counterpart. Both the 

Volunteer and Counterpart have something valuable to offer the other at various times along the 

way in their relationship; their success as partners in development depends in great part on their 

willingness to give and ask for help from one another. In other words, they pass the “mentoring 

stick” back and forth between them. 

An important but indirect capacity building role is to help potential mentors and mentees in your 

community or organization link up with one another. For example, you might encourage an older 

girl to help a younger girl cope with peer pressure and social relationship issues. In many countries, 

girls and young women in particular can benefit from mentoring activities that help them increase

their self-esteem, sense of self-worth, and awareness of their potential and options open to them. 

Examples of the Mentoring Role

in the Peace Corps

Kelly, a health Volunteer, meets regularly with Elena, a health worker in her local 

clinic. Elena has good interpersonal skills and natural gifts as a group facilitator. 

She has asked Kelly to coach her in some new methods for working with groups 

and help her move toward her goal of becoming a local leader. Kelly shares 

ideas and resources with Elena and tries to model good leadership behaviors. 

Elena, in turn, is helping Kelly practice the local tradition of storytelling and 

use it to address sensitive health issues. Whenever possible, they observe one 

another facilitating meetings, and afterwards discuss the experience in terms 

of skill development. 

Mark, a small business Volunteer, has organized a small school-based program 

for linking young people with professionals in the community, including, 

among others, a teacher, nurse, agronomist, public official, business manager,

and artisan. Based on their individual interests, each student selects one of 

the professional workers to meet with and “shadow” over the course of the 

semester, exploring different perspectives and opportunities. At the end of the 

term, the students share their insights from the experience and relate them to 

their future aspirations. 

1

2
4 Peace Corps

Sabrina, an education Volunteer, organized a girls’ club and is currently leading 

the participants in a series of workshops focusing on life skills such as leadership, 

assertive communication, and decision making. Over the weeks, as the girls 

addressed critical issues such as HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, and drug use, they 

expressed concern for the well-being of their younger sisters and girlfriends. 

They wanted to help these younger people understand the choices they have, 

feel more confident, and make informed decisions. To address this expressed

need, Sabrina and the older girls are initiating a program in which the older girls 

mentor the younger ones. Sometimes all the girls get together as a large group to 

discuss “hot” topics; other times, they meet in pairs or triosto talk confidentially

about critical situations or decision points in their lives (for example, deciding 

to say “no” to a boyfriend’s sexual advances). 

Jerome was a National Parks Volunteer who worked in projects to raise 

environmental awareness among families living in communities that border 

on park boundaries. About a year into his service, he met a young boy, Miguel, 

who was an energetic participant in several of the projects. After one of the 

meetings, Miguel asked Jerome if he could visit him at his office to see some

of his conservation books and other materials. That visit launched an informal 

mentoring partnership that lasted for the rest of Jerome’s service. Jerome taught 

Miguel about biology and ecology; Miguel and his family taught Jerome about 

the indigenous people’s deep ties, both physical and spiritual, to the forest lands. 

Before Jerome ended his service, he persuaded the Park director to hire Miguel 

part-time as a junior ranger. Now a year later, the National Park is connected to 

the Internet and Jerome and Miguel are “virtual” friends, using e-mail to stay 

in touch, exchange conservation information, and share stories. 

3

4

You don’t truly know something yourself 

until you take it from your own mind 

and put it into somebody else’s.

— Jazz great Milt Hinton

(born 1923)
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 5

Capacity Building Toolkit 6

Models, Concepts, 

and Cases

Mentoring: Perceptions from

Peace Corps Host Country Staff

In a workshop, Peace Corps Language/Cross-Cultural Trainers from 11 different countries explored 

what it means to serve as a mentor. The table below captures their initial thoughts and experiences.

For you, what does Knowledge, options, nice, advisor, promotes diversity of ideas,

“mentoring” imply? enhances, change, responsibility, good counselor, leader, guidance,

competencies, experience, monitoring and evaluation, specific needs,

support, resource person, outcomes, shares ideas, capacity builder, 

facilitator, empowering, initiator, helps to fill a gap, instructor

Who is generally involved in Trainers, parents, whole organizations, someone who needs help,

a mentoring relationship? trainees, teachers, experienced people, a learner

When is mentoring When appropriate—when needed, asked for, wanted, specific, fills a

appropriate and when it is gap, shared goals and understanding, agreed on strategy, knowledgeable

not appropriate? and professional, one-on-one

When NOT appropriate—no need, imposed, not qualified, not serious,

when culturally inappropriate

How is it initiated – Spontaneous, not planned, consensus, referral

formally, informally?

What is the role of the mentor? Patience and honesty, active listener, helper, provides guidance, 

develops strategy, creates new opportunities to learn, is humble, adapt 

knowledge to a situation, good facilitator, role model, sets an example, 

supportive, flexible, motivator, resource, assists

What is the role of the 	 Patience and honesty, active listener, identifies needs, seeks outside

person being mentored?	 opinion, wanting to learn, self-confidence, not totally dependent, sets

expectations, flexible and open to change

How do you know when the Skills are transferred, feels better, feedback, results (not always instant),

mentoring is successful? follow-up, sustainability, ongoing, positive change

Think about someone you Develops individual talents, non-judgmental, knowledgeable, resourceconsider a good mentor. What ful, easy to approach, works with local resources, realistic, creative, 

are some of the things that supportive, empathetic, open to personal growth, humorous, available, 

make him or her good?	 interpersonal communications skills, flexible but organized, is credible,

has appropriate skills, delegates, creates comfort, safe environment, 

aware of culture, values diversity

From a Language/Cross-Cultural Mentor Workshop, October, 2000, Washington, DC. 
6 Peace Corps

What Mentors Do...

Here is a list of things mentors frequently do to help their mentees. The list is not exhaustive — you 

may want to add some actions based on your own past or current experiences. 

 

 Others have I’ve done this

Mentor Skill or Activity done this for me for others

1. Set high expectations of performance.

2. Offer challenging ideas.

	 3.	 Help build self-confidence.

4. Encourage professional behavior.

5. Offer friendship.

6. Provide positive reinforcement and encouragement. 

7. Listen to personal problems.

8. Teach by example.

9. Inspire through actions and words.

10. Encourage risk taking.

11. Confront negative behaviors and attitudes.

12. Offer wise counsel.

13. Share critical knowledge.

14. Assist with career development. 

15. Suggest ways to excel.

16. Are available when needed.

	 17.	 Teach specific skills.	

18. Trigger self-awareness.

19. Explain how the organization works. 

20. Provide access to key people and information.

[Adapted with permission from: Mentoring by Gordon F. Shea, Crisp Publications, Inc., 1200 Hamilton Court, Menlo 

Park, California 94025. 1997.] 
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 7

Six Key Types of 

Mentor Assistance

These are six particularly helpful ways to encourage personal development. They are critical components of a healthy growth process for all of us. Their strength lies not in the notion that they meet all 

the mentee’s needs—they don’t. But they meet key needs, and when offered at important junctures 

in a person’s life they can help the person resolve a problem or decision and move on. 

1. Helping a person shift her or his mental context 

(envisioning outcomes/goals)

2. Listening when the mentee has a problem; identifying 

mentee feelings and verifying them (active listening)

3. Effectively confronting negative intentions or behaviors (using “I” statements/feedback)

4. Providing positive reinforcement

5. Providing appropriate information when needed 

6. Encouraging exploration of options (asking questions, 

suggesting alternatives) 

HELPING A PERSON SHIFT MENTAL CONTEXT

Imagination is a critical component of one’s development. As mentors, we help our mentees create 

a personal vision of healthy change. They, on their own, will do most of the things needed to bring 

the vision to reality. The following exercises will help you better understand how to shift context:

•	 Think back to an important decision you have had to make in your own life where you were torn

between alternatives. List three things you needed from people close to you to help you make 

the best decision.

•	 Think back to a time in your past when you made or were about to make a serious mistake or

error in judgment. Identify three things that someone else did or could have done to keep that 

situation from turning out bad. 

•	 Envision one personal goal you would like to achieve. Picture yourself being there. Focus on the

“what,” not the “how.” 

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8 Peace Corps

LISTENING ACTIVELY WHEN 

THE MENTEE HAS A PROBLEM

All of us need someone to talk to, someone to serve as a sounding board when we have problems or 

issues weighing us down. Providing a listening ear—without taking on the other person’s problem, 

giving advice, or joining her in the “blame game”—can serve as a powerful aid to a mentee. Many 

mentors believe that respectful listening is the premier mentoring art. Respectful listening is the 

ability to become absorbed in what the other person is saying about her problem, treating her words 

as confidential, not interjecting our own views, opinions, or suggestions. When respectful listening

occurs, the other person has an opportunity to gain insight into her problem by articulating it, to 

sort things out, perhaps to develop some alternative solutions, and almost always to gain emotional 

relief from the issues before her. 

When you listen actively and respectfully, you accept what the person is saying as genuine and try 

to “hear” the feeling and meaning in the words. The facts in a message are the objective reality; how 

a person feels about them usually identifies whether or not a problem exists, the dimensions of the

problem, and often its importance. 

Active listening is... Active listening is not...

Empathizing: Arguing

Nodding, eye contact, attending 

Questioning (who, what, how): Giving the “facts”

“How do you feel about...?” 

“What are some examples of...?”

Clarifying (paraphrasing): Jumping to premature conclusions

“You’re really frustrated about...” 

“So, you’re suggesting...” 

Encouraging the individual to Giving the answer 

generate solutions: 

“How do you picture...?” 

“What might that look like?” 

“If you were in her place, what would...?” 

“If you could do it again, how would...?”

[Adapted with permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies from The Diversity Tool Kit IV, by Lee Gardenswartz and 

Anita Rowe, Irwin Professional Publishing, 1994.] 

PRODUCTIVE CONFRONTATION

Sometimes a mentor finds it important to confront the attitude, behavior, or plans of the mentee.

To criticize or pressure the mentee to adopt another course may lower the mentee’s self-esteem 

or push away the mentee and hurt the relationship. A helpful way to communicate in this type 

of situation is to use an “I” message—an authentic statement directly from the mentor. An “I” 

statement should contain: 

•	 a clear but neutral statement of the problem as you see it;

•	 a statement of the negative consequences you perceive from the mentee’s action; and

•	 a statement of your feelings or concerns about the mentee’s behavior or intention.

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3
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 9

Example:

Your mentee has stated with force that he wants to quit school because the headmaster is picking on him and making him do menial chores that other students don’t 

get assigned to them. You have been aware of some issues between the two, but did 

not realize the conflict had gotten more serious.

“I” Message:

“I’m concerned that you are considering quitting school altogether as a way to avoid 

the interpersonal conflict between you and the headmaster. I’m afraid you’ll lose

the valuable educational opportunity you have now and won’t find another easily

in the future. I’d like to help you figure out a way to deal with the headmaster and

stay on track with your studies, too.”

PROVIDING POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

When done sincerely, positive reinforcement can be a powerful tool for building trust and encouraging repeat behavior. As mentors, we should always be on the lookout for opportunities to praise 

outstanding performance. Although there is no prescribed manner to giving praise, many mentoring 

teachers suggest these three steps: (1) state what the person did that was positive, (2) say something 

about its value—the results or difference it made to others, and (3) express appreciation. Be aware 

that praising in public is considered inappropriate in some cultures and may result in unintended 

embarrassment for the receiver. In such cases, you will need to adjust your approach to make it 

more culturally comfortable. 

PROVIDING APPROPRIATE INFORMATION 

WHEN NEEDED

The key words here are “when needed.” Mentors frequently make the mistake of providing advice 

in the guise of information or overwhelming the mentee with a ton of ideas, data, and materials. 

In many cases, especially ones involving personal problem solving, it is better to wait for the 

mentee to ask for information and then provide targeted ideas. To build further independence, 

we can also teach mentees where to go to access the kinds of information they need and then let 

them take the initiative. 

ENCOURAGING EXPLORATION OF OPTIONS

The purpose of this type of assistance is not to find the “right” answers, but to create a list of courses

of action or alternatives. The quantity of options is sometimes more important than the quality (i.e., 

the quality can be worked on later). The mentor’s task here is to create an open and stimulating 

environment for identifying possibilities. Both mentor and mentee need to guard against snuffing

creativity (“It can’t be done,” “They’ll never agree to that,” and so on). If you find yourself falling

into that trap, try playing the “what if” game (“What if you had someone partnering with you on 

your project...?” “What if you won the WID scholarship...?”). It is okay for you to offer a couple 

of suggestions based on your own experience and expertise, but they should not be considered any 

more or less valid than the other ideas on the list. 

[Adapted with permission from Mentoring by Gordon F. Shea. Crisp Publications, Inc., 1200 Hamilton Court, Menlo 

Park, California 94025. 1997.]

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10 Peace Corps

Behaviors to Avoid

in Mentoring

Sometimes in a mentoring relationship, we revert to behaviors that are less than helpful to the process of personal or professional development. Criticism and giving advice are two such behaviors. 

Criticism

Criticism is evaluative and judgmental no matter how nicely we may say it. We may be trying to be 

constructive, but our intention may inadvertently damage the self-esteem of the mentee. Avoiding 

criticism does not mean accepting negative behaviors or self-defeating, repetitive actions. What it 

means is finding objective and creative approaches to encourage positive change. When a person

is not performing up to his or her potential, he or she may need information rather than criticism. 

Mentors often give their best when they help their mentees break out of repetitive negative patterns 

of behavior. One way to do this is to help the mentee view the problem as a gap between what is 

needed and what is being produced. The gap can be described and measured and then a plan made 

for closing it. In this way, the gap is described in neutral terms and closing the gap is viewed as a 

feat to be accomplished. 

What’s

produced

—

What’s

needed

+

improvement/change
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 11

Giving Advice

(“Why don’t you...”)

When we give advice, we assume we have superior knowledge, insight, or wisdom related to the 

subject at hand. If we are engaged in a general professional conversation with our mentee, that may 

be true. But if we are trying to help the mentee deal with a personal problem, job-related or not, the 

mentee is likely to know much more about the problem than we ever will—especially so in crosscultural mentoring situations. When we attempt to give advice about personal problems, we often 

encounter resistance of various forms (“yes, buts,” downcast faces, a withdrawal of attention to the 

conversation, and so forth). It is presumptuous to assume we know more about another person’s 

problems than that person does. Often, we can serve our mentees best by:

Listening carefully as they describe the problem;

Feeding back the emotions we hear them expressing, to confirm that we heard and understood

the nature of their difficulty; and

Providing ideas or information, when they ask, which they can use to help build their own 

solution.

This sort of approach encourages greater independence and decision making on the part of the mentee.

Personal Reflection Activity...

Considering Constructive Alternatives to Criticism and Advice

•	 List five things another person can do to help you change for the better (help you

adjust to a new culture, stop smoking, exercise regularly, etc.)

•	 What causes you to feel best when you are making progress toward a significant

personal goal? List five things that help your progress.

•	 When you try something and get in trouble for it, how do you want people close to

you to behave? List five behaviors you would like from them.

•	 Ask a host country trainer or colleague these same questions and contemplate the

similarities/differences between their answers and yours.

[Adapted with permission from Mentoring by Gordon F. Shea. Crisp Publications, Inc., 1200 Hamilton Court, Menlo 

Park, California 94025. 1997.]
12 Peace Corps

Developing A 

Mentoring Partnership

In a successful mentoring experience, both parties contribute to and benefit from the relationship.

There is no supervisory hierarchy. Perhaps the mentor is more experienced than the mentee, but 

he or she is not better or more important than the other. The spirit of mentoring is more one of two 

people taking a journey together where they have some ideas about their ultimate destination, but 

they aren’t exactly sure what the roads look like or what it might take to finally arrive. One way

to view the evolutionary nature of mentoring relationships is to think of them in terms of stages 

of development.

Stages of Development

in a Mentoring Partnership

Stage 1: The mentor and mentee become acquainted and informally clarify their common interests, 

shared values, and professional goals. 

Stage 2: The mentor and mentee communicate initial expectations of one another and agree 

upon some common procedures as a starting point. If the two individuals sense a major 

disparity between their needs and interests—and where neither party can accommodate 

the other—the pair is able to part company on a friendly basis before the actual mentoring 

and inevitable frustration begin.

Stage 3:	 The mentoring meetings and conversations happen. Gradually, needs are fulfilled.

Objectives are met. Professional and/or personal growth takes place. New challenges 

are presented and achieved. This stage may last for months or years.

Stage 4:	 The mentor and mentee redefine their relationship as colleagues, partners, peers, and/

or friends. 

Getting Started

As you contemplate a mentoring partnership with someone, discuss what you want from and can 

give to one another. Here’s a worksheet to help you organize your thoughts:
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 13

From the Mentor’s Perspective

Contribute to Partnership Gain from Partnership

________________________________________ ________________________________________

________________________________________ ________________________________________

________________________________________ ________________________________________

________________________________________ ________________________________________

From the MentEE’s Perspective

Contribute to Partnership Gain from Partnership

________________________________________ ________________________________________

________________________________________ ________________________________________

________________________________________ ________________________________________

________________________________________ ________________________________________

Once you have a general idea of what you and your mentoring partner want from the experience, make 

an agreement about how you can work together most effectively. Since a mentoring relationship is 

voluntary, it’s a good idea to set some ground rules and develop some shared expectations at the outset. 

Here are some sample questions** you can use as a frame of reference to gain a better understanding 

of your mentee:

1. What are the most important things you would like to get from this relationship?

2. Here is a list of things I believe I am particularly good at. Are any of them of particular interest 

to you?

3. What developmental needs, knowledge, skills, etc. would be of greatest value to you?

4. What is your preferred method of learning? (through examples or cases, demonstration, handson practice, observation, etc.)

5. What can I do to increase the level of comfort between us?

6. What can each of us do to make sure we start off on the right track?

7. Is there anything I need to know about you right now that would be helpful to me?

8. What else is important for you?

9. How often should we meet and for how long?

10. Where will we meet?

11. What are the best ways we can contact one another?

12. If we need to cancel a meeting, how would we go about that?

13. What ideas do we have for getting our activities organized?

** As with any sample list, these questions should be adapted to suit your particular mentoring focus and the cultural and 

organizational context in which you work. 

[Adapted with permission from Mentoring: Participant’s Notebook. Brainstorm Dynamics, Inc., Phoenix, Maryland. 

1998, and from the Mentor Teacher Handbook, Stages of Development in a Mentoring Partnership, Rita W. Peterson, 

University of California at Irvine, http://www.gse.uci.edu/doehome/EdResource/Publications/MentorTeacher/Chapter3.1. 

html, date accessed: April 4, 2002.] 
14 Peace Corps

Working with Young People: 

Helpful Hints from a Youth Perspective

This excerpted article was written by Matlhogonolo Mogapi, a 19-year-old woman from Gaborone, 

Botswana, who has worked as a peer educator in AIDS and who was a UNICEF-sponsored 

participant in “Young People in Action,” the 8th International Conference on AIDS in Africa, 

December 1993. The article was originally included in a UNICEF report from that conference. 

WHY INVOLVE YOUNG PEOPLE:

•	 We are enthusiastic.

•	 We know our needs best.

•	 We are at a stage when we can learn and change.

•	 We are more open to new ideas.

•	 We are very impressionable, we can be influenced easily, and the influence can be positive.

•	 Most youth are very passionate; once we are convinced about something, we stick to what we

believe in.

•	 We are creative, and so can be in a position to lend advice about how issues that affect us can be

approached in as creative a manner as possible, and one that will appeal to us.

FOR EFFECTIVE YOUTH PARTICIPATION:

Use “our” language; it is important that we are able to understand you.

Be honest and upfront when dealing with young people. You should state exactly what 

it is you expect of them in as concise a manner as possible. Be very clear and direct, and that 

way they will be honest enough to tell you exactly what it is they can or cannot do.

Be patient. Some young people will have invaluable ideas, but will not be able to articulate 

well what it is they want to see happening. Have the patience to put them at ease. This will 

show them how much you value their ideas and so will make them more accepting of you. 

Let the young people outline for themselves what they feel they want 

to do and can do. In that way you will not be delegating duties for them that they might 

find uninteresting and unchallenging, or overwhelming and totally out of their scope.
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 15

Allow them to learn from experience. Never tell young people that they can never 

do something. Even if you feel their seemingly “idealistic” ideas are too ambitious, do not 

disillusion or discourage them. Let the youth explore their own capacities and in that way they 

will know their limits. 

Be non-directive when initiating a discussion. Ask the youth open-ended 

questions such as, “What do you think we can do?” “What would you like to see happen?” In 

that way the youth will end up not even needing you to prod them for answers. As they talk 

about some of their ideas, they will need only your guidance as their facilitator, to put them 

back on track of what had initially been the issues.

Be fair, and admit when you are wrong or do not know something. Let the youth teach you 

what they know, especially on issues regarding them. Be very open-minded when working 

with young people and expect of them what you can expect of yourself, too. 

Be neutral in the face of disagreements between yourself and young people. Try 

to see things their way. If you feel they are giving you a hard time, feel free to tell them how 

you feel and how it is affecting you. If you do that, they will see you as a human being with 

feelings and will act in your best interests if you do so for them, too. 

Be consistent; always keep to what you profess to believe in. Young people will see you 

as someone they can trust. 

Show them you have faith in them and that will enable them to make independent 

decisions and so be able to build good leadership skills for themselves.

I learned wisdom from all my teachers 

and teaching from all my students. 

 — Ben Ezra

Second Century AD
16 Peace Corps

More Tips for Mentors Who

Work With Children and Adolescents

Maintain regular contact. This cannot be overstated. Consistency is crucial, especially 

during the all-important trust-building phase of the relationship. Mentors must be willing to 

make a considerable time commitment. 

Take the time to develop trust. Many young people have not had positive relationships 

with adults in the past. Mutual trust and respect are goals to work toward, not a given. Keep 

your promises, speak truthfully, state your expectations, and set clear boundaries. In addition, 

remember that most youth are very sensitive about being labeled. Avoid using phrases like 

“street kid” or “abusive families.” 

Don’t preach. In working with your mentees, 

practice active listening and try to help them 

solve their problems. Offer alternatives instead 

of answers. It is important to work together to 

determine activities and define the direction of

the relationship. A mentor is an advocate, friend, 

role model, sponsor, nurturer, or coach. A mentor 

is not a parent, therapist, judge, rescuer, authority 

figure, employer, or bank.

Identify areas of need. Don’t expect each 

conversation to be a confession. Once problem 

areas are identified, work to find waysto address

those areas of need and give support. Some 

mentees may not easily accept help. You can be 

a strong and committed voice of support. Stay 

alert to changing individual needs. 

Access resources. Help your mentee access community resources. Instead of doing the 

research yourself, model the process you use when seeking information and service. Then 

guide your mentee through a brainstorming process to start targeting appropriate resources.

Debrief with supervisors and peers. Mentoring can be both exhilarating and frustrating. Find time to share your stories (but take care not to betray confidences). Seeking the

advice of others will help strengthen your communication and problem-solving skills. 

[Adapted with permission from “Tips for Mentors,” Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Project Learns, www.

nwrel.org/learns/resources/mentor/index.html, website last updated: March 1, 2002.]
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 17

Cultural Cautions

for Mentors

The nature of mentoring calls for special attention to the cultural 

environment in which we are working. As mentors, we get involved 

in one-on-one relationships, we engage in conversations that address 

personal and sometimes sensitive issues, and we offer help and 

support with the best intentions. To ensure our intentions have the 

positive impact we desire, we must make ourselves aware of the 

snares that may be hidden in the cultural landscape. Here are a few 

potentially difficult situations to recognize and address:

Two people meeting alone may draw suspicions from people in the neighborhood or 

community. This situation can happen to almost any type of mentoring partnership: an 

adult and a young person, a woman and a man, two men, etc. Prevent raising eyebrows by 

choosing public, open places for mentoring meetings. In some cases, you may also need to 

consider whether it is permissible/advisable for you to play a mentoring role with certain 

people (for example, a member of the opposite gender about your age or younger). 

Sometimes the mentors and mentees misinterpret their relationship and start acting (and 

appearing) more like friends or brothers/sisters or parent and child or companions. In such 

cases, you may need to reestablish the roles and goals of relationship or, if the metamorphosis 

has gone too far, link the mentee up with another person who can be his or her mentor 

instead of you. 

A Volunteer may inadvertently encourage a mentee to take a course of action that is beyond 

the boundaries of acceptable behavior, and in so doing, expose the mentee to reprimand or 

chastisement from his or her family or community. One Volunteer, for example, persuaded 

a woman to attend a local meeting of a women’s group without the permission of her 

husband, who later beat her for disobeying him. In another case, a Volunteer’s attempts to 

help a young friend be more assertive backfired when the mentee’s father whipped him for

“talking back.” Boundaries for behavior are often subtle and difficult for cultural outsiders

to perceive. Train yourself and your mentee to consider the possible consequences (positive 

and negative) of a particular course of action. 

Other (ask your host country trainers, colleagues, and/or Counterpart to help you identify 

other culture-related pitfalls or cautions for mentors). 

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18 Peace Corps

Organizing Mentoring Programs 

Mentoring programs can be designed for any segment of the population, but the majority of them 

focus on school-age children or young people starting out in their craft, trade, or profession. Most 

mentoring programs emphasize one or more of the following elements:

Education

These programs typically focus on improving overall school achievement through 

tutoring and study skills enhancement. Mentors also offer encouragement and 

counseling to build or bolster the student’s self-esteem. 

Career Development

Mentoring programs can provide a new avenue for exploring educational and 

career paths. To help students make the transition from school to work, students 

are paired with professionals, introduced to role models, and encouraged to visit 

various work environments. 

Personal Development

These types of programs usually focus on reducing high-risk behaviors in youth, e.g., drug use, 

sexual activity, and truancy. They may intervene at a critical point in the student’s life and focus on 

providing guidance for decision making and assertiveness. 

Professional Advancement

Many organizations have mentoring programs in which senior or seasoned staff mentor junior 

or newly arrived staff, helping them develop organizational savvy, leadership, networks, and/or 

specialized expertise. 

During your service, you will stumble upon (or may create) some wonderful opportunities to link 

people in your community together in mentoring partnerships. Your Counterpart and other community 

members may also be interested in setting up a structured mentoring program involving local 

schools, businesses, churches, NGOs, or other institutions. If you and your community get involved 

in organizing structured mentoring programs that involve a number of different stakeholders (e.g., 

youth, their parents, the mentors, and/or the hosting organization), you will need to approach the 

task with careful planning. For example, the ICE publication Beyond the Classroom: Empowering 

Girls, offers an excellent planning format for a “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” project; refer 

to this and other resources listed on the last page of this Toolkit. Also, consult with your APCD, 

your supervisor, and/or colleagues who have prior experience with designing and implementing 

mentoring projects. 

[Adapted with permission from “Types of Programs,” Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Project Learns, www.

nwrel.org/learns/resources/mentor/index.html, website last updated: March 1, 2002.]
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 19

Stories from the Field: 

Ecuador

A Volunteer was a professional large-scale mural painter in 

the United States before her Peace Corps service. Her current 

site is the capital of Ecuador, Quito. Knowing that paint can 

last on a wall upwards of five years, she entered the Center for

Rehabilitation for Boys with the idea to prepare them for work 

that would last a little bit longer than just that one night. She used 

art, in this case mural projects, as a tool to approach and address a 

multifaceted program agenda to create a transition period between life in a penal institution and 

life outside of one. The nature of the work is public and very visible. It is an avenue for the boys to 

link up again with the culture that they find themselves at odds with, on their own terms, and with

a sophisticated language.

She met a 16-year-old boy by the name of Pablo. Pablo had been living on the streets for eight 

years and had only gone to school through the fifth grade. He had attempted to live in several of the

homes set up for youth but had found life preferable on the streets. Prostitution has been his main 

moneymaking activity, which he would never allow to be known to anyone. He slept throughout 

the day and stayed up during the night to keep warm and alive. He started painting murals with 

the Volunteer because he had told her previously that he was interested in drawing. The Volunteer 

secured permission from the rehabilitation center for Pablo to live there during the months they 

painted on the project. It was during the rainy season, and it was the first time that the boy had been

warm in months. He certainly started to look better within the first few days. Pablo had actually

been looking for something for a long time. He didn’t have proper papers, he had no diplomas, and 

he had no connections except those of the street. There was no way that he could reconnect himself 

to society. The small salary that they were able to pay him (the equivalent of 30 American dollars a 

month) went toward rent for a small room. With this small room, he was able to establish an address, 

a place to go to, and a place where he could keep his things. This small sense of security allowed 

him to begin to take night classes and continue his education, and the connection to the mural project 

allowed for a base where he could reach out and find other, more permanent employment, with ready

references from the foundation.

Mural making allowed Pablo to participate in a very active way in a project from its beginning all 

the way to its conclusion, and at every level. Inherent in the project are mechanisms for creating selfesteem. The participants create something that is physically larger than themselves and is permanent. 

Pablo changed without much direct intervention. 

The Volunteer’s plan is to make this activity a permanent part of the Fundación Estrella del Mañana 

(Morning Star Foundation), with Ecuadorian artists taking over her role once the program has been 

established. There are plans to move on to the rehabilitation centers for girls, and to develop projects 

in other parts of the country, talking largely and loudly the whole way.
20 Peace Corps

Guinea

Helping Girls Stay in School

Volunteers have institutionalized the Girls’ Conference. 

Every year, Volunteers in each region gather together in 

the regional capital. They bring young schoolgirls with 

them to discuss issues that female students face in the 

classroom, and to come up with some workable solutions 

that empower female students in the learning process. This 

year, sessions included the following topics: Reproductive 

Health, Staying in School, Test-taking Skills and Good 

Study Habits, Career Day (participants “shadowed” a 

woman working in a non-traditional career), and African 

vs. American Feminism. Many of the girls who attended 

the workshops did presentations at primary and secondary 

schools when they returned to their towns and villages.

Thailand

A Volunteer, based at Kun Jae National Park, has spent his free weekends helping at the orphanage 

home in Chiangmai. Supported by private funds, this orphanage is the home of approximately 

20 children from three to 15 years of age whose parents have died of AIDS and who have no family 

member to take care of them. All of these children are free of AIDS and came to this orphanage 

directly from the crowded government orphanage home. While working at the orphanage, the 

Volunteer plays sports and music, reads, and does other recreational activities or household chores 

with and for the children. He has become known as “Uncle Ed.” He serves as a male role model and 

father figure for the children. More important, he has established a linkage between the park and

the orphanage. For example, he brought these children to learn about nature by staying a few nights 

at the park. It is worth noting that, ever since these orphanage children were brought to the park, 

many of the park staff have taken their own initiative by assisting or participating in the orphanage 

activities whenever they can.
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 21

Ideas and Activities

for Practicing Your Role

as a Mentor

Reflecting on Mentors

in Your Past

Purpose

To learn from a past mentoring experience where someone had a positive effect on your life or you 

were able to help someone 

Activity

1. Think back into your past and recall times when you made important changes. Identify the 

people who have significantly influenced you and made positive contributions to your life.

Someone who inspired you to shift the direction of your life in a constructive way:

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

Someone who provided something to help you grow in depth of feeling, character, or ethical 

integrity or who has helped you develop a deeper commitment to your values:

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

Someone who gave you some form of help at just the right time:

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 
22 Peace Corps

Someone who arranged an unusual learning experience for you that allowed you to see something 

from a different perspective or with a deeper meaning or insight:

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

2. Relate an experience where you reached out to another person who was deeply in need, and 

your help appeared to make a beneficial difference to that person.

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

Describe an experience you observed, read, or heard about where someone reached out to another 

person to help in an unusual way.

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

Describe one mentoring experience you have had that did not fit the direct, one-to-one personal

aspect of mentoring (for example, a special parental message, a speech, a quote from literature, 

and so on). 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

3. Using these same reflection questions, ask your host family, community friends, or professional

counterparts about their experiences in mentoring. Explore with them the possible cultural 

similarities and differences in mentoring. 

4. Share your reflections with your colleagues, trainers, Counterparts, and/or community friends.

Together, have a conversation about the possibilities of mentoring in the new context in which you 

will be living and working. Using your collective experiences and your cultural understanding, 

write some guidelines that will help you get started well in this capacity-building role. 

[Adapted with permission from Mentoring, by Gordon F. Shea. Crisp Publications, Inc., 1200 Hamilton Court, Menlo 

Park, California 94025. 1997.] 
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 23

Ideas & Activities

Identifying Your

Mentoring Resources

Purpose

This exercise will help you become aware of the personal and/or professional assets you have to bring 

to a mentoring partnership. These resources will vary according to your job, personality, interests, 

experiences, network of friends and associates, and available time. 

Activity

On the worksheet below, identify some of your special assets you bring to a mentoring partnership. 

My position and work experience: _________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

Things I like to do: ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

My education, training, and/or experience: __________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________
24 Peace Corps

My pastimes, hobbies, and/or clubs:________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

My special skills and knowledge:___________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

My special passion(s):____________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

Any other asset:_________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

[Adapted with permission from Mentoring, by Gordon F. Shea. Crisp Publications, Inc., 1200 Hamilton Court, Menlo 

Park, California 94025. 1997.]
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 25

Ideas & Activities

Active Listening Practice

Purpose

To build skills in using active listening in the context of mentoring (for example, to help a mentee 

clarify and resolve a problem) 

Activity

You and two of your fellow Trainees or colleagues will join together to form a triad for role play 

practice. There will be three rounds with each person in the triad having a chance to play the role 

of mentee, mentor, and observer (see diagram below). 

 A A = Mentee

 

B = Mentor 

 

 C = Observer

 B C 

In preparation for your turn as Mentee, you should think of a real issue or problem you are experiencing or have faced recently (a situation you are willing to share with your two colleagues). In Round 

One, the Mentee talks about his problem. The Mentor uses active listening skills in responding to 

the Mentee, helping him solve the problem. The Observer watches the interaction, using the Active 

Listening table (page 8 of this Toolkit) to tally the number of times the Mentor uses the different 

behaviors. At the end of the interaction, the Observer gives the Mentor feedback. The triad then 

rotates the roles two more times, giving each participant a chance to play all three roles. After the 

three rounds are over, discuss the practice using the following questions as a guide:

•	 How did it feel to actively

listen?

•	 What did you do well?

•	 Which behaviors were easy?

Difficult?

•	 What did you learn from your

Observer’s feedback? What 

did you learn while being the 

Observer?

•	 Under what conditions can

you envision using this skill 

in your professional work and 

interpersonal relationships?
26 Peace Corps

Ideas & Activities

Brainstorming about Mentoring 

Links in the Local Community 

Purpose

To become more aware of the mentoring opportunities that exist in a given community

Activity

In a small group with your fellow Trainees, trainers, and/or community partners, consider all the 

possible ways people in the local community might link up in mentoring relationships. Think about 

less structured or more structured, and short-term or long-term opportunities. The mentoring options 

may or may not be related to your technical sector. 

Use the brainstorming technique to generate as many mentoring links as possible and write them 

down on a flip chart. Don’t stop to evaluate any of the ideas until you have exhausted your imagination and memory. Afterwards, review the options and cluster or categorize them by whatever means 

is most useful to you (for example, degree of structure, length of relationship, potential for getting 

started, and so forth). 

Discuss more specifically what role the Volunteer might play in each type of mentoring opportunity

(for example, serving directly as a mentor, or encouraging others to link together in a mentoring 

partnership, or training others in mentoring skills, and so on). 
RVID Toolkit 6: Volunteer as Mentor 27

Key Resources

for More

Information

and Insight

Above and Beyond: Secondary Activities for Peace Corps Volunteers. (Peace Corps, Washington, 

DC) 1995. [ICE M0052. Digital only. Available on ICE RE014K Sharing Promising Practices.

CD-ROM.]

Community Content-Based Instruction (CCBI) Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2004. 

[ICE T0112]

Environmental Education in the Community. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2005. [ICE M0075]

Idea Book Series: Beyond the Classroom: Empowering Girls. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 

2000. [ICE M0080]

Idea Book Series: Classroom Management. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2008. [ICE M0088]

Idea Book Series: HIV/AIDS: Integrating Prevention and Care into Your Sector. (Peace Corps, 

Washington, DC) 2000. [ICE M0081]

Idea Book Series: In the Classroom: Empowering Girls. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2002. 

[ICE M0083]

Life Skills Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2001. [ICE M0063] 

Manual de Destrezas para la Vida = Life Skills Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2001. 

[ICE M0072]

Mwongozo wa Stadi za Maisha = Life Skills Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2001. 

[ICE M0065]

An NGO Training Guide for Peace Corps Volunteers. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2003. 

[ICE M0070]
28 Peace Corps

Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) Training Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, 

DC) 2007. [ICE M0053]

Les Pratiques d’une Vie Saine = Life Skills Manual. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2001. 

[ICE M0066]

Promoting Powerful People: A Process for Change. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2000. [ICE T0104]

V2 Volunteerism Action Guide: Multiplying the Power of Service. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 

2008. [ICE CD062]

Working with Youth: Approaches for Volunteers. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 2002. [ICE M0067]

Youth Development and the Environment. (Peace Corps, Washington, DC) 1998. [ICE M0057. 

Digital only. Available on ICE RE014K Sharing Promising Practices. CD-ROM.]

Well done is better than well said.

— Benjamin Franklin