Leonor Mesa
Dora Leonor Mesa, Translator: Unstated
The Cuban Law Association, the Cuban Observatory of LGBT Rights, the
Citizens Committee for Racial Integration … are some examples that serve
to encourage pro-democracy activists and other civil society actors to
continue to create spaces for civic activity and to expand their reach,
because they can help ordinary citizens to take initial steps to raise
the hope for positive change.
To have a vibrant civil society requires successful civil organizations.
Success is possible even in hostile surroundings if promoters are
trained properly in the types of leadership and efficient organizational
structures.
Contingency theories emphasize situational factors, where the
effectiveness of leadership depends on the situation. People become
leaders not only for their personal traits, but because of situational
factors. The motivation and the ability of the followers are among the
factors that affect situational decisions.
Each civil society organization can use certain types of leadership but
contingency theories emphasizing situational factors could be very
useful in the current Cuban atmosphere, characterized by its dynamism
and hostility.
The Fiedler contingency theory has helped develop an educational
organization, the Cuban Association for the Development of Education
(ACDEI), but the transformational theory of Bass and Leithwood allow a
leader-follower relationship more effectively in the current Cuban
environment and in particular in educational settings.
Our small NGO is currently working on a project called "ACDEI supports
Private Nurseries," whose target audience are owners and educators and
the employees who work with them, and parents and families of children.
It prepares teachers and unskilled caregivers, instructing them in
modern educational techniques and the knowledge and use of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In addition to educating the children of the nursery school, we
emphasize in explanations to owners that their businesses provide an
important service, where the initial cost is relatively low, but it is
characterized by certain aspects that require certain skills and staff
training.
In particular we reiterate that the beneficiaries of the service (the
nursery school children) can not be considered as clients but as
learners. Children who receive continuous stimuli in their environment
later develop with better physical, psychosocial and cognitive outcomes
(Umayahara, M., 2003).
The ACDEI NGO strives to provide both children and educators and
caregivers education and training required by the standards of the
Ministry of Education and UNICEF. To continue this line of work it is
hoped that the articulation between preschool and primary education will
more successful and thus improve children's learning.
September 10 2011
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