David Kadalie, the Youth for Christ Training and Leadership Director for the African Continent, recently returned from a week’s intense development programme in Antsirabe, Madagascar, which included a pioneering conference; leadership sessions with board chair and city coordinators; planning a regional competency conference for September in Mauritius; planning and recording for another CD launch in November; working through challenges relating to ******* islands and spending time with volunteers, staff and board in Antananarivo.
Coordinators who attended the pioneering sessions shared their pioneering challenges especially as they relate to culture. Madagascar has strong sub cultures across their 22 regions. These sessions resulted in a 16 point action plan.
Some of action plan items included:
- identifying the pioneers in the movement
- documenting the culture/sub culture of each city where Youth for Christ operates
- doing a spiritual mapping exercise in these seven cities
- seven new cities were identified and allocated to be pioneered over the next three years.
David said, “From our Leadership sessions we determined how to become a learning/thinking organisation; we also identified the strength and gifting of each city and introduced a project serve concept so they may complement each other and help each other become more effective; we discussed how to be on the cutting edge and how to stay relevant in youth ministry; we worked through what it takes to become a ‘YFC family’; we dealt with personal assessments, annual appraisals and ministry evaluations and audits.”
Participants were also introduced to the new Youth for Christ International leadership development materials covering administration; community relations; managing finances; managing self; ministry planning; project management and staff development.