On Wednesday, January 18, 2012, the Village Earth Affiliate, Knife Chief Buffalo Nation delivered 200 lbs of grassfed and field-harvested bison meat to Cohen Memorial Home, an Elderly program in Pine Ridge and 300 lbs of meat to Meals for Elderly, a Reservation-wide program that will distribute the meat to elders across the Reservation. The delivery was made through Tatanka Talo Fund, a donor advised fund of the Lakota Lands Recovery project. The goal of the project is to help distribute Lakota raised bison meat to elders on the Pine Ridge Reservation. This delivery was made possible by from a single donor who covered the cost of the animal, processing, packing and delivery. Grassfed bison meat is a great low-fat and high-protein alternative to beef, making it perfect for elderly and/or people with diabetes. Plus, this project helps to support local Native-run bison caretakers on the Pine Ridge Reservation. If you would like to donate to this program, please click on the “Help Fund This Project” button on the right.
GSLL 1501 – Approaches to Community Development
This course provides a framework for community development based on a participatory, bottom-up, multi-sector model. Various approaches have been used in community development with varying degrees of success. One approach that has consistently demonstrated effectiveness is the Village Earth model based on participatory practices.
Through personal and structural empowerment, the objectives of economic well-being, environmental sustainability, and socio-cultural vitalization can be met. By looking at an overview of the entire development process and using case studies, this course will prepare participants to work in the field of community development and illuminate how all of the development efforts fit together to support the overall goal of sustainability.
Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:
Compare different development approaches and evaluate their effectiveness.
Understand the basic principles that underlie sustainable development.
Incorporate participatory practices into community development activities
Design a development project based on the Village Earth model
Who should take this course? This course is suited for people who are interested in community development and work or plan to work in this field. This includes people working or volunteering at NGOs, NPOs, governmental organizations, without border organizations, or missionary organizations. In addition, people involved in funding community development projects benefit from this course.
