Latjorr, I read thru your objectives and strategies but would like to dilate a bit on "where to start". My suggestion is to start a Gambian Organization that would require all members to pay dues which would in turn be used for our services. I am talking about an organisation represented by a physical office (not someone else's "salle"). I would start by getting with the dept. of state and then the federal branch on a national level. Ethomas >From: latjor ndow <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: A Global Gambian Association-Strategic Framework-(Working Paper) >Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 21:00:24 PDT > >Greetings: >As a contribution to the on going discussion on the possibility of >establishing a global gambian association and the prodding of some members >of the list, I am posting for dialogue some of the work the Gambia >Leadership Conference has been doing towards the realization of this goal. >As the paper suggests it is a working document hence does invite onto >itself >criticism, additions, deletions, and general comments. Further, at the time >this paper was drafted (following the proceedings at one of the GLC >events), >the political question was not amply dealt with and perhaps members of the >list can elaborate further on this. Finally, I am not certain how the >formating will look upos posting to the list, so if it is hard to read >please go to www.gambian.com/synthesis.htm for a better read. >Latjor >++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++ ++++++ > A Global Gambian Association > Strategic Framework > (Working Paper) > > > 1. Vision and Purpose > What does the association want to achieve and for > what purpose? > How to Achieve The Stated Purpose > > 2. Objectives, Strategies, Actions > What are its objectives and key strategies and actions? > > 3. Guiding Principles > What are its guiding principles and expected norms > of behavior? > > 4. Financing > What are its resource bases (financial, human, and > information resources)? > > 5. Structure > What is the distinction between a global and an > umbrella association? > What is its comparative advantage or distinctive > capability (relative to other existing > organizations in the USA and the world) > What are the synergies or complimentarities relative > to other Gambian associations, > community groups, the Gambian Embassies all > over the world? > What forms of partnerships would be optimal? > How should it be organized for governance, policy, > planning, and management? > > 6. Operations and Performance Management (monitoring and > evaluation) > What are the program priorities? > How would the implementation of these programs be > managed? > What kind of performance measurement and management > system should be established to > measure success and progress and to enhance improvement. > > > > > > > > 1. Vision and Purpose - The Global Gambian Association > What do we want to achieve and for what purpose? > > The vision expressed is for a dynamic organization with > membership drawn from all > Gambians in the Diaspora and with the inspiration and > ability to enhance its value and > capacity to produce outstanding performance and >productivity while empowering each > member to realize his/her potential. In short, the > purpose is to establish a learning and > leadership community that would engage in reflection, > take necessary action, and make > necessary adjustments and improvements as it seeks to: > (a) meet the challenges of living in the Diaspora > (economic, financial, social and > cultural challenges); > (b) meet the challenge of the 21st Century > (globalization, technology, fast pace of change); > (c) support the social and economic development of > Gambians in the Diaspora; and > (d) support the social and economic development of the > Gambia . > > The associations would carry out these goals with a high > level of commitment, with clear > standards of performance and accountability to engender > trust and participation, with > excellence, flexibility and integrity, and other ways > that safeguard the organizations > effectiveness and long-term survival or sustainability. > > > 2. Objectives, Strategies, and Actions > Six objectives were identified, views expressed, and > some strategies and actions formulated: > · 1. Economic and Financial Empowerment and Growth > · 2. Human Resource Management - the Use of Existing > Capacity > · 3. Human Development - Development of Capacity > · 4. Social Welfare, Protection and Human Rights > · 5. Cultural Heritage and Sustainable development > · 6. Building the Learning and Leadership Community in > the 21st Century > > In all these six areas, the role of technology and > knowledge management is significant. > > 2.1 Economic and Financial Empowerment and Growth > > Objective: To promote the economic and financial > Empowerment and productivity of Gambians > > Strategy: > Revenue generation and job creation > To generate financial resources for operations and for > investment purposes > To become a more productive community that can create > jobs or direct members to opportunities > To establish networks and information systems for jobs > and other economic and financial opportunities > Private sector development > To promote private sector development among Gambians and > to promote integration with global markets > Technology > To leverage technology for trade and investment of > Gambian products and services > Consultancies > To establish a team/network of consultants to provide > technical and management services > > 2.2 Human Resource Management - Using existing Gambian > Capacity to Optimize Performance and Productivity > > Objective: To use existing capacity (professional, > technical, management,social skills, and > information technology) in the community for the > betterment and advancement of the larger community: > > Strategy: > Leadership > To highlight the expectations of and define the role of > leadership in the Gambian community. > To enhance the visibility of the "intelligentia" and > experts as leaders in the community > > Human Capital > To define the scope of human and intellectual capital > and assess how it could be used in an integrated >fashion. > To use existing human resource base to support for > example smaller organizations and the > community at large (provide training, give technical > advise and suggestions) > > Networking > To establish human resource base for networking and for > information exchange > > Dialogue and Education for change and development > To establish the human resource base for addressing > emerging issues in the community > and for establishing recommendations for action > To promote use of professional resources to influence > the direction of change and > development in the Gambia in institutional development > and capacity building > Technology and Knowledge Management > To establish and use the existing capacity in the > community for the use of information technology. > To facilitate access to information technology by all > members of the association > > 2.3 Human Development - Capacity Development > > Objective: To invest in people, enhance their potential > and capacity, and re-direct use of this capacity by > the community > > Strategy: > Access > To increase access to higher education and skills > training > Graduation > To increase efficiency and effectiveness in graduating > from US colleges. > Continuous education: > To increase access to information for continuous > learning. > Actions: Provide support for financing of post-secondary > and college education > (scholarships, affiliations with colleges, database of > grants and scholarships for Gambians or Africans) > To provide training programs or information of sources > for training. > To provide an advisory service for education and > training > > > 2.4 Social Welfare and Protection and Human Rights > > Objective: To enhance the social and psychological > adjustment and well being of the community > > Strategy: > To assess synergies with existing social-based > association in the community > To assess and define the comparative value of the global > association in social welfare and protection. > To establish a Human Rights monitoring system > To establish a social fund to address emergencies. > > 2.5 Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development > > Objective: To enhance the value of our cultural heritage > and the promotion of cultural and social norms > and activities for sustainable development. > > Strategy: > Advancement: Education for dynamic cultural growth > To promote understanding of culture not as a static or > fixed force but as a dynamic entity > which builds on the intellectual ability to define one's > situation and to act on it. Thus, the > need to move ahead with "cosaan" and to breed dynamism > into it. > To encourage and support artists engaged in the use of > traditional art forms. > To encourage and support the generation of young and new > artists engaged in using traditional culture in new > forms of expression. > To review our cultural norms and mores and re-assess > their application and practice and > give culture a direction (review, discuss, debate > aspects of culture to retain or relinquish). > To acknowledge and value the different cultural > configurations we all bring with us and to > learn to respect and accommodate these differences. > > Maintenance: Sustaining Traditional Culture and > Preservation of history > To develop, as a starting point, a better understanding > of our cultural roots. > To enhance the foundation education and acculturation of > our children (story telling sessions, classes, etc.) > To raise funds to preserve the historic sites in The > Gambia > To enhance and promote Gambian musicians to perform and > record > To enhance the visibility of Gambian artists through the > use of diverse media forms > > Enrichment > To engage in cultural partnerships, exchanges, with > other communities (African Americans, other Africans, >etc.) > > Knowledge Management (Knowledge generation and > Information dissemination) > To compile, synthesize and publish cultural materials > To leverage science and technology in cultural >documentation and advancement > > Economic Activities: To get involved in the promotion > and development of > culture-based economic activities promoting tourism, > trade, and investment. > To connect with the organizers of the Roots Festival and > seek to be involved in promoting the festival. > To identify trade and investment issues and seek to take > an active role to support development. > To organize Festivals abroad for economic and cultural > enrichment > > 2.6 Building the Learning and Leadership Community for > the 21st Century > > To promote a learning and leadership community among > Gambians - one that is in tuned > with world and technological changes, and inspires, > legitimizes, and empowers itself for > reflection, action, and flexible adaptation as one basis > for making a sustainable contribution to development. > > Strategy: > Core Values and Guiding Principles > To promote the development of the 21st Century Gambian > who is: > (a) Engaged in continuous learning, reflection, and > action for adaptation to constant change; > (b) Is in tuned with and participates in the emerging > trends of development (the global economy, knowledge >management, technological advancement, mobile capital, >governance issues; > (c) Makes shifts in mental paradigms to focus on: > finding value in all involved and empowering the > participation of all in a collaborative and > non-hierarchical manner; the development influencing and > learning facilitation skills as > opposed to command and control pre-disposition; the > development of non-linear and > systems dynamics forms of thinking and action-taking; > the development of tolerance for > calculated and responsible risk taking; the >establishment of clear performance standards > and quality criteria in all undertakings as an important > factor in building trust and measuring > progress; the ability to identify opportunities and > exploiting them with vigor, perseverance > and integrity. > > Knowledge Development and Management > To enhance knowledge generation and dissemination of > information among Gambians > (publications, seminars, work-sessions) > To re-activate the journals as one basis for >enlightenment and the sharing of knowledge among Gambians > To leverage the use of technology for learning and > communication > > > > Networking > To enhance professional networking > To establish virtual networking systems > To hold conferences and seminars as a forum for > networking, sharing of knowledge and lessons of experience. > > 3. Guiding Principles > What are guiding principles, the value system, the > expected norms of behavior or business > ethics to enhance focus and effectiveness of the > association? > > Selectivity for Realism and Effectiveness - Leverage its > Advantage > Given its newness and the scale and scope of the agenda, > the Global association must > focus on key strategic directions and priority actions > that cut-across members while > catalyzing the maximum potential of other associations. > It should encourage a more > realistic division of labor with other organizations.. > > Partnership: that builds on a shared or common vision. > commitment and action. > Collaboration and coordination with other organizations > with a shared vision and > commitment should be promoted. Partnership could extend > to other non-Gambian organizations for certain joint >efforts. The identification of key stakeholders and >support groups of the association should be defined. > > Responsiveness > The association should be responsive to members, clients > for services to be provided, and > key stakeholders and demonstrates real and negotiated > value to these groups. > > Results-Orientation > It should defines clear outcomes and impact, and > concentrate on maximizing impact, high > quality service, increased efficiency in operation, and > accountability for performance > > Cost-effectiveness > It must have a clear notion of the costs of various > actions and assess the effectiveness of > alternative strategies as well as their long-term > effects and sustainability. > > Adaptability > The associations must establish structures, charters and > operational procedures that would > give it the capacity to adjust quickly, to change and > move on > > Financial integrity > For the generated financial resources, the association > must establish clear accountability > systems and governance of such funds. > > > Cultural integrity > The Gambian valises of integrity and generativity should > be paramount in the ethos of the association. > > 4. Financing > What are its resource bases > a) Human resource bases - knowledge skills, aptitudes, > attitudes, reputation, image of the community > b) Financial resources (generation, mobilization, > management, allocation) > c) Friends of The Gambia and other sources of financing > or in-kind contributions. > > Issues pertaining to the financial and human resources > for the management of the > association were raised and it was agreed that these > will defined in follow-up meetings. > > > 5. Structure and Organization for Policy, Planning, and > Management > > The meeting highlighted the need for an organization > that is non-partisan, efficient, flexible, > that can serve its members and help achieve its >objectives in a sustainable basis. It raised > questions and made recommendations related to the > following: > > Membership > What does a global membership mean? What consideration > would be given to what is > do-able and manageable? What is the role of technology > in the establishment of a virtual system? > > Comparative Value > What is its comparative advantage or distinctive > capability (relative to other existing > organizations in the USA and the world, the Gambia > Embassy) > What are the synergies or complementarities relative to > other Gambian associations, > community groups, the Embassies all over the world? > How would existing organizations in the Diaspora be > aligned with the global organizations? > Could it provide a "clearing house of information" for > all other Gambian organizations? > Could it serve as a nodal point for providing technical > and professional services to Gambian small associations >(on organizational development, management, resource >leveraging, etc.) > > Partisan politics > As a non-partisan body focused on development for all, > does this negate the discussion and dialogue on political > issues? > > Structure for Governance, Policy, Planning. Management > and Accountability > What type of policy and management structure best suits > the association and what are the > criteria for the various official positions (Board, > President, Management team, operations,performance >evaluation) > > > 6. Operational Functions: > The meeting highlighted the difference between what the > participants want and the need to > be realistic in what can be done and being able to carry > this our. This calls for a good > basis for establishing the priorities for action, for > defining management plans: > (implementation plans with clearly defined tasks, > schedules, responsibilities, costs) and for > establishing a performance measurement and management > system. > > The need for the establishment of a secretariat for work > to be done and to begin the initial > steps of launching the association. > > Participants expressed the need for the establishment of > a "Gambia House" to house the > secretariat of the association and to provide space for > meetings, conferences, seminars, > training, social gatherings etc. > >Report Prepared by the Synthesis Team, Working Group on Strategic Planning >Sukai Prom-Jackson, Lamin Jeng, Latjor Ndow, Mohammed Kah, Mbye Cham. > >Gambia Leadership Conference >www.gambian.com/glc.htm >________________________________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------