About GFSC

Building Community Resilience
and Self-Reliance

GFSC trains, supports, mentors and collaborates with people who use facilitative methods to enhance local resources and skills. By providing opportunities to exchange experiences and successful methods across cultures and borders, GFSC contributes to our vision: a world of resilient and collaborative communities.

Tools and skills for improving communities already exist in every community, but might not be apparent. GFSC encourages the development of, and reliance on, these local resources as much as possible. Worldwide, we help local facilitators create processes that increase capacity, sustainability and participation in their communities, agencies and organizations.

GFSC Cascade Model
Communities around the world are vulnerable to sudden changes (e.g., natural disasters) or chronic challenges (e.g., deterioration of needed health and social services). We train, mentor and coach an initial group of professionals, who then share the tools and techniques with an ever-expanding base of community members to increase the community's resourcefulness to address their challenges.

Programs and Activities

Workshops
GFSC offers workshops for facilitators and other professionals as well as agencies and organizations serving their communities. Our workshops are designed to build community resilience and self-reliance. Topics and workshop design are customized to meet a community's specific needs and can include:

* Disaster & Crisis Intervention: Building Community Resilience
* Crisis > Change > Choice
* Effective Project Management
* Helping Helpers to Help Themselves and Others

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Building Community Resilience and
Crisis>Change>Choice Workshops
GFSC conducts 2-3 day workshops for experienced facilitators, community volunteers, agencies and organizations around the world, sharing techniques for building personal and community resilience, often as a result of disaster or crisis.

These workshops (formerly titled Facilitative Disaster & Crisis Intervention) emphasize effective facilitation techniques specifically designed to address the needs of people and communities facing changes, challenges or crises. More...

Requests
Upon request GFSC will assist groups who serve their communities. We offer

Mentoring and consulting
Materials and resources
Workshops to enhance skills of mentors and other local volunteers
Contacts with other interested community organizations and suppo

Resources and Training Materials

The GFSC online Library contains many articles, manuals, and workshop outlines. These materials are free to the public.

GFSC continually updates and adds materials to include insights and perspectives from many countries and cultures. We also develop new materials and workshops based on our volunteers' experiences and research.

Our e-newsletter in English and Spanish keep our readers up-to-date on our activities and others around the world. We invite you to share your stories, insights and expertise.

Exchanging/Sharing
GFSC can connect individuals and groups with mentors and peers in similar situations to share experiences, effective tools and techniques. We also offer online discussions with experts in various topics.

Collaborative Opportunities
GFSC seeks opportunities to work with other organizations that advocate sustainable community development. By working together we share resources and expertise, support mutual goals, and increase public awareness.