Great Lakes Center for Youth Development
 
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Learning Networks

Learning Networks provide a peer-to-peer learning environment...
where nonprofit organizations can build skills to promote continuous improvement and tackle shared concerns in the youth environment. Great Lakes Center for Youth Development (GLCYD), formerly Marquette-Alger Youth Foundation, completed one Learning Network in 2002 around low asset youth and began a new Learning Network in 2004.

  • The 2004 Learning Network is organized around the study of the issues and needs of adolescent females
  • Each Network involves five to seven teams from local organizations over a year of intensive study and exploration sessions held about every six weeks
  • "Improvement teams" include CEO’s, middle managers, professionals directly involved in service to youth, and board members
  • The teams work back in their organizations to strengthen or begin continuous improvement efforts and enhance their services to the target group, in this case adolescent females

In 2004, one team will be made up of community leaders who are passionate about seeing that adolescent females reach their full potential. This community team will help to promote the development of a community agenda around strengthening opportunities and assets for young women.

Over the course of the year, each member organization/team hosts a Learning Network meeting where other members review the host's critical organizational/community issues and recommend improvement suggestions. Special topics and speakers chosen by the Network members present at each meeting to increase awareness and understanding about issues of adolescent females and how to increase their healthy outcomes.

Learning Networks or "user groups" are commonly used by private industry as disciplined processes to implement world-class practices in continuous improvement. Our nonprofit member organizations are exposed to Total Quality Management principles. They learn improvement methods and tools such as:

· scoreboarding
· brainstorming
· nominal group process
· forcefield analysis
· scenario planning

These tools become useful back in their organizations in strategic planning and work management. Learning Networks are a great way to leverage organizational development while promoting collaborative learning designed to improve the community. GLCYD strives to run a Learning Network every two years. We are always looking for new topics and interested partner organizations. There are also opportunities for sponsors to help underwrite the cost and make this unique learning opportunity affordable for our nonprofit organizations in the region.
                                                                                                                                                                                                               
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