A community of practice design for capacity-building programs: The Chicago Peace Fellows

ABSTRACT

While much has been written about the curricular content and outcomes of capacity-building programs in community development, we know less about how theories of learning inform program design. This article presents a descriptive case study of the Chicago Peace Fellows, a capacity-building program for community leaders that was guided by a community of practice approach to learning. The case highlights four priorities to guide design of the tools, spaces, activities, and social arrangements of capacity building: 1) nurture participants’ identification as members of a community of practice; 2) offer participants opportunities to jointly negotiate meaning and expand their knowledgeability; 3) provide avenues for communities to persist and expand; and 4) commit to equity. The analysis describes how each priority was enacted in the Chicago Peace Fellows program and how participants responded, with an aim to provide useful guidance for designers of capacity-building programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Capacity building
• community-based organizations
• grassroots development
• leadership
• social learning

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank the Goldin Institute’s staff and advisors and the Chicago Peace Fellows for their assistance with this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. All participants’ names are pseudonyms.