A very successful Agents of Change training has concluded in Trinidad and Tobago, with all 16 participants graduating in a joy-filled celebration. The course was made possible by a grant from Trinity Church Wall Street for a three-year programme called “Agents of Change: Equipping emerging Anglican leaders for local church and community transformation”.
The Agents of Change course was developed by the Anglican Alliance to help Anglicans anywhere in the world tackle poverty and bring about transformation in their local communities. It equips participants with the skills and knowledge needed to set up a development project in their local community. It looks at every stage of the process – from coming up with an idea… to planning… to managing a project… to monitoring and evaluating it. The course teaches both practical skills (such as how to write a budget and how to do a risk assessment) and values (such as being inclusive and being transparent). The course is grounded in contextual bible studies to connect learning with faith.
The new, expanded programme, funded by Trinity Church Wall Street, adds in a new module exploring the theology of leadership, which helps develop participants’ understanding and practice of the qualities needed to facilitate church and community transformation.
The course in Trinidad and Tobago saw a number of firsts:
- It was the first time both parts of the new leadership theology module were trialled, bookending the eight existing Agents of Change course modules.
- It was the first time that two in-person trainings were held, with online sessions held twice a week in the weeks between the face-to-face sessions.
- And it is the first time a whole group will continue to work together on a project idea now they have finished the course. The group is working on a steelpan festival aimed especially at beginners, to build skills amongst young people in their communities and help them flourish through the celebration and appreciation of their national instrument.
The new leadership theology sessions proved very stimulating, with great engagement by the participants. The pre-course session explores the questions: What is leadership?, What is leadership for?‘, What kind of leadership? and Who does God choose for leadership? The post-course session is titled Recognising our Part and provides an opportunity for participants to reflect on what they have learned about leadership during the course, focusing especially on qualities and gifts of leadership, recognising limitations and building capacity. It ends with time for participants to reflect on the question What kind of a leader will you be? These sessions are rooted in biblical reflection.
The level of commitment and enthusiasm from the participants has been phenomenal. Everyone returned for the second in-person training and completed the course, despite heavy commitments and health issues.
The graduation ceremony provided an opportunity to celebrate the participants’ individual and corporate achievements. It was made especially meaningful by a new song, based on the Agents of Change prayer. Brainchild of Deborah Robertson and written by Sharon Lamy, two of our participants, the song was performed on steelpans by beginners from amongst the participants who were taught by Cameron Roberts, also a participant. With its refrain, “We are the agents, whose destiny is love”, the song was a joyous celebration of many of the values of Agents of Change, including participation, inclusion and using locally-available assets. Thank you to Deborah for bringing it all together.
Clifton Nedd, the Anglican Alliance’s Caribbean regional facilitator, said, “The completion of this course is a hugely significant milestone for the region and for me. Since 2016, course co-facilitators Joan, Fr Micheal and I have journeyed with Agents of Change. Joan and Fr Micheal participated in our 2016 tester training at the Church in the Province of the West Indies (CPWI) Provincial Youth Gathering. They then self-directed through the course with some support from me. Upon their completion of the course, we spent many hours making adaptions to the material – contextualising it for the Caribbean. All of us at the Anglican Alliance are grateful for their commitment to the course and are excited that they are now co-facilitating the Caribbean roll-out.”
We look forward to seeing how the group’s project idea unfolds and seeing them use their skills as they go back to their communities.
The course was facilitated by Clifton Nedd and Elizabeth Perry (Programmes Director), along with Fr Micheal Lawrence, Joan Charles and Julian Cadogan. Thank you to all involved.
We would like to pay tribute to Gloria Pemberton Sones who very sadly died shortly after the training. Gloria (shown with her course certificate in the photo below) was a key part of the group, contributing joy, humour, energy and much wisdom throughout the training. She will be very much missed and we feel bereft. We send our deepest condolences to Gloria’s family.
