Skip navigation

Fear of Monday Morning: A Structural Perspective of Youth Un/employment in Africa and How to be Future-ready

Fear of Monday Morning: A Structural Perspective of Youth Un/employment in Africa and How to be Future-ready

Katindi Sivi | 2020

Abstract

Africa’s bulging youth population and the unprecedented levels of unemployment have been of significant concern. The corresponding youth programs are designed to fix the problem quickly, sometimes temporarily without addressing the structural factors that got the continent to this situation in the first place. As a result, the numerous ad hoc interventions enable Sub-Saharan Africa to register low unemployment rates, which grossly mask the unacceptable levels of unpaid labor, underemployment, vulnerable employment, and precarious informal work. The fundamental argument in this book is that goals and strategies that commit to sustained, inclusive, productive employment, and decent work for SSA’s young people cannot be achieved without fixing the foundational concerns of youth unemployment because the end result will still be solutions that are predicated on a fundamentally broken system.

The book in the first section takes a historical analysis, including the various socio-economic patterns over time, to establish some of the forces driving the problem. The second section explores various responses to youth unemployment and their effectiveness. The third section unpacks what it would take to get unstuck and become future-ready. The first strategic idea is to bridge thelocalizedandglocalized‘aspirational gap’ among youth by inculcating human, social, physical, financial, and identity capitals among them. The other idea is to implore development actors to move away from tragic neoliberal to inclusive development models. These models advocate for: (i) increased infrastructural development, (ii) a widening of the economic base by diversifying the mix of sectoral choices that if considered would catapult youths occupational choices and in turn help with increased labor absorption, and increased wage employment, (iii) the institution of social welfare programs to protect the most vulnerable in society, and (iv) empower everyone to participate meaningfully in economic development through human capital development. This book is written for the consideration of all development actors that exert their policy preferences on Africa. It is a call to the actors to reconsider their model of operation for the true realization of young people’s welfare.

Stronger People Leaders: A Leader Development Solution

Stronger People Leaders: A Leader Development Solution

Sarah Skidmore| 2020

Abstract

Stronger People Leaders is a resource designed for the 21st century business environment. A contemporary leader faces challenges of poor leadership, disengaged employees, employee retention issues, program funding, employee-manager relationships, and more. Stronger People Leaders is a pioneering leader development solution that offers practical, powerful, and positive insights for a learner to apply in contextually relevant ways. By focusing on the thinking and roles of a People Leader, a learner can maximize their potential, bolster their impact, and cultivate a positive human experience for themselves, their teams, and their organizations. Stronger People Leaders contains 10 lessons split between two primary sections: Section A – The Thinking of a People Leader and Section B – The Roles of a People Leader. Scalable for teams of any size, a learner engages in feedback-driven conversations and experiences that rely on reflection and connection as methods of learning. The four learning components of engage, discover, reflect, and integrate are infused each of the ten lessons. A learner experiences the powerful conversations that arise from the provided discussion prompts + potential points. A learner also experiences positive impacts such as greater awareness + learning + flourishing + engagement + development + relationships + connection. Learn more about bringing Stronger People Leaders to life in your context by visiting www.StrongerPeopleLeaders.com.

Lead, Learn, and Grow Together: A Guide for Developing Strengths-Based Leadership Teams in Faith-Based Organizations

Lead, Learn, and Grow Together: A Guide for Developing Strengths-Based Leadership Teams in Faith-Based Organizations

Amanda Lake | 2020

Abstract

Shared leadership theories offer a fresh perspective on Biblical leadership principles and highlight the positive impact that a high functioning leadership team can have on an organization. Although strong support for shared leadership models is found in the Bible, few churches and faith-based organizations today utilize a leadership framework that depends on teams of leaders working together to lead and serve others. This intervention project seeks to provide leaders in churches and faith-based organizations with the support that is necessary to transform traditional “one-man” leadership models into shared leadership structures.

Lead, Learn, and Grow Together: A Guide for Developing Strengths-Based Leadership Teams in Faith-Based Organizations incorporates strengths-based leadership philosophies, best practices for team learning initiatives, and emerging research on implementing shared leadership structures in today’s organizations. It is a workbook that is designed to take leadership teams on a year-long journey of learning about their personal strengths, the strengths of their team members, and how they can use their collective strengths to increase their leadership team’s effectiveness. Biblical support for strengths-based leadership philosophies and shared leadership practices is explored throughout the workbook. Team discussion questions, related team building activities, and suggestions for ongoing strengths-based learning and development are provided in each chapter to give teams the guidance they need to transform the way they lead, learn, and grow together.

The Cure to Ineffective Leadership

The Cure to Ineffective Leadership

Marissa Layton | 2020

Abstract

Are leaders born or made? Aburning question scholars havedebated for decades. Researchers have proven that though some leaders are born with natural leadership capabilities, leadership traits can be developed and instilled into individuals. Despite being able to achieve effective leadership through training, ineffective leadership is still a major issue the world faces today. Many enter the workforce unprepared and unequipped to manage a team and work well with others. The solution is implementing change prior to individuals beginning their professional journey. Developing leaders at an earlier age will eventually lead to the cure of ineffective leaders in corporate and government positions around the world. A leadership development program created to equip high school students with the skills and personal qualities needed to excel in executive and managerial positions proved that students desire more opportunities to grow. The program yielded positive results with simply one session for nearly 200 students. Every participant learned something new and desired more opportunities such as the program in their school. Building up the next generation of leaders is the cure to ineffective leadership.

Launching the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora

Launching the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora

Palina Louangketh | 2020

Abstract

Founded in 2018, the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora (IMID – pronounced ‘eye mid’) was established as an independent non-profit in February 2019 in the state of Idaho and became a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in September 2019. Diaspora – the displacement of people from their origin homelands (Cohen, 2008) – is the foundation that represents sacred narratives of domestic and global voices of the human struggles. Issues concerning displaced peoples, families, and children often manifest from human decisions that have profound implications on the lives of the disadvantaged. The IMID is a nascent project with incredible energy to bring international communities together in special ways. Its innovative approach as a multipurpose museum will not only preserve the realities of the human journey through stories and art but will also bring together people from all cultural backgrounds to celebrate diversity in very unique ways through strategic and global partnerships.

The human migration will continue into the future throughout the world and create shifting narratives that evolve over time as told by different voices. These powerful narratives through innovative learning platforms will enable the IMID to influence a positive community transformation and inspire a movement of additional international museums in countries that have diaspora resettlement. The IMID has identified 113 countries of origin and distinct peoples into Idaho over its history. As the steward of the world’s collective cultural heritage, the IMID becomes the anchor institution for preserving the integrity of the human journey stories on an international scale. It will provide rich and authentic information to multigenerational learners of all backgrounds not just in Idaho and across the U.S., but around the world.

I Didn

I Didn’t Plan for This: Leading Uncomfortably in Itinerant Ministry

Tammi Love | 2020

Abstract

Living out a plan you did not plan for yourself is uncomfortable. Living and leading in ministry that directs you from state to state, serving the people and communities God positions on your path, uncover the jewels of His calling and reveal valuable nuggets of leadership. I Didn’t Plan for This is a glimpse at a personal journey of leading differently in the church. It is a manuscript that reveals how a desperate encounter with God can transform and direct a Christian leader to surrender the details of their will to God’s will.

Itinerant ministry upholds the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” I Didn’t Plan for This highlights leadership lessons learned while serving God, uncomfortably, through the church, along with snapshots of transparency. The lessons are shaped by (1) an examination of a personal calling, (2) a determination to speak the truth, (3) an intention to lead a revolution, (4) a motivation to reach the globe, (5) persistence to pursue obedience, and (6) a focus on what matters most. God requires a higher standard from those He calls to lead. His calling often leads us to a plan that isn’t our own. Will you trust the details of your leadership journey with the uncomfortable plans of God?

Burnout or Breakout: Systems Thinking for Stifled Leaders and Stuck Churches

Burnout or Breakout: Systems Thinking for Stifled Leaders and Stuck Churches

John Messer | 2020

Abstract

Ministry leadership is fraught with occupational hazards. Two prominent hazards are the stifling forces that produce leadership burnout and the processes that keep churches stuck and ineffective. Burnout or Breakout addresses both hazards. This book brings new insights to churches and church leaders frustrated with working tirelessly, yet constantly falling short of their goals and objectives. The primary emphases are equipping stifled leaders to see from a new perspective to avoid burnout and freeing churches from the unhealthy processes that keep them stuck. Burnout or Breakout equips church leaders to apply systemic thinking to common church system problems, such as declining attendance, mission confusion, and volunteer shortages. Based on a comprehensive overview of systems thinking (systems dynamics), leaders are encouraged to see their congregations as complex systems of interrelated and interdependent elements. Effective leadership, from a systems perspective, aligns organizational elements to achieve intended outcomes. The book describes how “a church can be structured to accomplish the exact opposite of its stated mission” because the structure and mission are not properly aligned. Building on biblical and experiential evidence, the author suggests that burnout is largely a systemic problem. Further, it diagnoses systems designed for burnout from the account of Jethro and Moses in Exodus 18. The book proposes that “there are no dysfunctional churches” and methodically demonstrates how what we might perceive to be as a church gone awry, is more accurately diagnosed as an organization lacking in functional structures. Burnout or Breakout was written to bring hope to leaders on the verge of or experiencing burnout by providing straight-forward solutions and resources to achieve effective long-term results.

Empowering Leadership: How to Develop Empowered Followers

Empowering Leadership: How to Develop Empowered Followers

Daniel K. Mundt | 2020

Abstract

Empowering leadership might be described as the act of giving and sharing power with those they lead. Whether leading people, managing them, or serving them, organizations and their leaders are wise to empower the individuals they lead. Likewise, in the workplace today, most individuals want to contribute to the overall goal of the organization. They want to make a difference. They want to have a voice. When leaders empower their followers, it gives them a place at the table. This empowerment inspires the follower to give their best to help the organization fulfill its mission and purpose.

Although empowering leadership seems to be a recent concept, the truth is, the principles of empowerment are as old as humankind. In the garden of Eden, the Creator empowered the first humans to name the animals and have dominion over their land. God enabled Abraham to be the father of the nation and that “all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3, NASB). Throughout the Bible narrative, one can see empowerment at work leading to Jesus empowering His disciples to take the Gospel to all the world (Matthew 28:18-19). Also, at the very foundation of the Church, empowerment is the theme as Christ designed the church “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service” (Ephesians 4:12).

This manuscript provides a model for empowering leadership by looking at the attributes and actions of empowering leaders. The empowering attributes are humility, trust, self-awareness, and self-empowerment. The actions of an empowering leader are collaborating, sponsoring, listening, and serving. The book closes by looking at the effect that empowering leadership has on followers. Frankly, for those followers being led by empowering leaders, they fair better in the workplace, they become better employees, better team members, and better leaders themselves. Simply put, all followers have a tendency to emulate what they see their leader practice.

Learning to Lead

Learning to Lead – Observations of Servant Leadership in the Real World

Brian O’Rear | 2020

Abstract

This book examines eight characteristics and behaviors of Servant Leadership through vignettes of real-life scenarios I have observed as either a leader or a follower. The characteristics and behaviors include the following:

  1. Empathy
  2. Putting others first
  3. Empowering
  4. Conceptualization and casting a vision
  5. Healing and extending grace
  6. Creating, building, and adding value to community
  7. Ethical leadership
  8. Helping followers grow and succeed

Each vignette offers clear lessons, and the book seeks to draw out those instructive lessons as they relate to servant leadership. Rather than confining the illustrative stories to a narrow timeframe or leadership position, I examine experiences that stretch across several decades and multiple organizations and diverse groups, including military, sports, and small business applications. The principles are universal. The book creates reflective opportunities for readers to understand, internalize, and apply principles from servant leadership to real-world scenarios.

Keywords: servant-leadership, empathy, empower, vision, ethics

Homeless Youth in Osceola County

Homeless Youth in Osceola County

Nicole Reid | 2020

Abstract

Homelessness plagues many cities and is a significant issue in Osceola County compared to other counties throughout the United States. Florida has the highest population of homeless individuals in the country. In a 2018 government report, a total of31,030 individuals wereexperiencing homelessness. Of that total,2,757were family households,2,543were veterans,1,892were unaccompanied young adults (aged 18–24), and5,302were individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. Of the total homeless population in Florida, 72, 00 were students (The Council of Homelessness, 2018).

Destitute families with minor kids living in the city, in safe houses, or transitional projects constitute around 28% of the homeless population (as characterized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) in Florida. Families comprise 33% percent of the total destitute population. Despite Florida’s family vagrancy numbers being superior to those in other states, lowering family vagrancy must remain a priority.