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ACT to Build Leadership for Community Improvement

ACT to Build Leadership for Community Improvement. Larry Dumka, Ph.D. School of Social and Family Dynamics ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY Association for Contextual Behavioral Science World Conference IX July 13-15, 2011 - Parma, Italy. ACT. Has been focused on individual wellbeing

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ACT to Build Leadership for Community Improvement

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  1. ACT to Build Leadership for Community Improvement Larry Dumka, Ph.D. School of Social and Family Dynamics ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY Association for Contextual Behavioral Science World Conference IX July 13-15, 2011 - Parma, Italy

  2. ACT Has been focused on individual wellbeing More recently has addressed couple and family relationship wellbeing ACT can be applied to leadership development for community change

  3. Developmental Contextual Theory Developmental contexts affect individual and family wellbeing Government and nonprofit community organizations provide services that support wellbeing These organizations can be limited by systemic homeostatic forces that limit flexibility in implementing their missions

  4. The Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) Program • Year long program for university undergraduates to learn leadership by conducting an action research project to help a community nonprofit organization improve effectiveness • Action research • Driven by the organization • Has immediate implications for organization change

  5. CARE Program Goals Undergraduates increase psychological flexibility in process of leading a long term action research project Community organizations increase flexibility in response to the results of the action research project (and increase evidence based practice)

  6. Leadership Principles • Involves mobilizing unlike minded people to ACT collaboratively in the service of chosen values • Requires psychological flexibility – the capacity to • contact the present moment fully • and based on what the context affords • change or persist in behavior that • in the service of chosen values

  7. CARE Program Preparation Course (Jan – May) Action research project data collection and analysis (May – August) Leadership in the public arena (August – December)

  8. Student Leadership Challenges • Students have not confronted CARE project challenges before • Face internal barriers • Anxiety, self-doubt • Ambiguity of tasks • Procrastination • Boredom • Face external barriers • Organization liaison’s inconsistency • Their client organization’s dynamics & procedures • Data collection difficulties and delays

  9. CARE 1 – Preparation Course January - May • ACT focus • Contact with the present moment • Experiential class activities • Values • Students’ life domains • Organizations • Coping with diverse values (religion & public policy) • Committed Action • Forming a collaborative obligation with a client organization

  10. CARE 2 – Research Internship May - August • ACT focus • Acceptance • Of experienced internal and external barriers • Self as context • Mindfulness activities • Diffusion • From experienced internal and external barriers

  11. CARE 3 – Expanding Public Leadership August - December • Recycle ACT leadership principles • Complete and present their project report to their organization • Conduct and present a public policy analysis project

  12. Community Based Organizations’ Flexibility Organization systems are perturbed by the rigors of action research to increase their evidence based practice Organizations must decide how to change in response to results of the action research project they have requested

  13. CARE Program Evaluation • Projects completed • Data from community based organizations • Benefits of projects for CBOs • CBO actions in response to CARE projects • CBO ratings of student researcher performance • Data from students • Student researcher ratings of CARE experience • “Going Public” essays • Theses completed

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