Change is the challenge

Change has always been the order of the day for humans - even in the long and relatively uneventful periods of evolution where not much happened compared to present day standards. Change is the way in which people all over the world and throughout history have coped with survival and development. It is the most important tradition of human life. Walking in the footsteps of the tradition to change, and consciously making or creating change can require a great effort, and produce in us great pleasure.

But people repeatedly resist change, so we teach to create an understanding so that more people will embrace it.

Change is the challenge the Development Instructor's education has been created with, to promote an understanding to value and incorporate personal development and change, as pivotal in human life.

Change is the element that cuts right through everything that happens at IICD. Frequent discussions are taken about routinely holding on to what you know, and resisting change. The discussions are ongoing, that to create development change is to be preferred, and that it is the personal obligation of each participant to embrace the challenge of change and changing; instead of being irritated, resisting, protesting, or simply to ignore all the possibilities available.

If this question is not continuously confronted, experience tells us, that creating change will be slower and not as successful as we can make it. So you have to take the challenge to change and win it over.
That means that no one should miss the opportunities to raise awareness of the necessity and advantage of pushing for thorough change in the process of development, and in the process of life itself.
The daily life at IICD and at the project offers a variety of examples that illustrate the effects of change or of no change. It is important that nothing gets to be just routine - even if the routine is part of a well managed and well structured daily life.

This means that everyone involved; participants, teachers, and project leaders, who are not comfortable or in favor of change, had better have second thoughts - and get to like it. Changing and embracing change as a practice is indeed a prerequisite to promote others to do the same.

Expect the unexpected

One thing you can expect here at IICD, and when you are in Africa or Latin America, is the unexpected!

Making plans and striving to follow through with them is an essential part of accomplishing something and reaching your goals, and you will do a lot of that here. It is however not at all unusual for unexpected things to happen in the course of the program.