Women human rights defenders in Yemen have been at the forefront of struggles for justice and freedom amidst the continuous escalation of crises and daily challenges. The Resilient Leadership Training Manual for trainers is a unique, transformative opportunity that combines experiential learning with a Theme-Centered Interaction approach. This unique combination enables participants to work on personal values while gaining leadership skills, enabling them to meet complex challenges with innovative solutions.
This comprehensive manual goes beyond the limits of conventional theoretical training; it can be used as a true practice manual. Participants are invited to walk through real-life situations and encouraged via interactive exercises to experience decision-making, problem-solving, and leadership under high pressure. Such training forms a community of practice that ensures participants not only acquire highly usable skills but also build up a supporting network that would contribute to sustaining their leadership journey.
Inspirational Success Stories:(that could be used throughout the months)
The effectiveness of the manual is poignant in the success stories of participants who turned their problems into successes. Here are a few of them:
– Saving an organisation from closure: One participant narrated how she was about to close her organisation because of internal and external pressure. After this training, she applied problem-solving techniques and strategic decision-making learned through the manual to not only saved her organisation, but also to create more stability.
– Applying crisis management techniques: Another participant shared that she had long struggled with panic attacks in high-pressure situations. The crisis management techniques included in the training taught her how to handle anxiety; now, she confidently leads her team even during crises.
– Leading a national political dialogue: One of the participants used the manual’s strategies for communication and conflict resolution to lead a politically-sensitive national dialogue. She managed to successfully lead her team through complex negotiations, and reached consensus.
Shaping Sustainable Leadership:
These experiences testify not only to the manual’s success but also to the long-term impact of such training. The construction of a community of practice in which participants continuously shared experiences, reflections, and support for one another has been critical in reinforcing the values, skills, and strategies introduced in the training.
The manual also supports reflective thinking in which the participants can reflect back on their challenges, reconceptualize ideas, and build on their learning over time. This constant learning process will shed light on the lessons learned and make them relevant to their everyday work.
This is the last outcome of the EU-funded project ‘Towards enhancing the resilience of women human rights defenders in Yemen to advocate for women’s and children’s rights’, which concluded this summer.
