Reflections from the Director Part2

by Eileen Kooreman, staff

In my last reflection (in the Spring/Summer newsletter), I looked back on 25 years of DVULI. In this reflection, I want to celebrate what is to come!  

Looking Back 

Since 1998, we have been intentional to edit and revise curriculum content each and every year. In fact, it is part of our DNA to request feedback after every training from participants, facilitators, and coaches and then do an After Action Review (a Systems Thinking tool) on each workshop.  As a result, our content has remained fresh and relevant based on what we have learned from our participants.   

Walking the Talk 

About five years ago, the DVULI team began scenario planning around a bigger question. The landscape for adult learning has certainly evolved over the past 25 years. Technology is the most obvious change with the arrival of virtual learning options.  The field of leadership development has also changed dramatically. When we first started, leadership development was not even on the radar of most churches, nonprofits, and educational institutions. Now, it is embraced and valued by most. Our focusing question became: “Is it time for a major overhaul of DVULI?”  

Is it time for a major overhaul of DVULI?  

We agreed to put everything on the chopping block–except the core values! We have plenty of evidence that they still stick. However, we considered making other changes to the program. For example, with all the demands on time today, we thought about making the program available virtually. We also thought about breaking it down into smaller segments instead of the long-time commitment. We even considered abandoning the goal of encouraging leaders to work together, instead focusing on individual development. We quickly realized we needed to know more about what our leaders were being challenged with today and the kind of leadership development that would be transformative for them.  

We quickly realized we needed to know more about what our leaders were being challenged with today and the kind of leadership development that would be transformative for them.  

Ready, Set, GO! 

In 2022, we hired SpringTide Research to survey and interview Christian leaders currently serving urban youth, both DVULI alumni and those who have never been through DVULI. To our surprise, the length of the program and the intimacy of in-person training was something urban youth leaders longed for. They valued getting to know others in their city who also had a passion for serving youth, and they wanted to get better at working together. Read the results of the 2022 study here.  

We also received other helpful information from the survey and a focus group we conducted with DVULI stakeholders. Based on all of those fresh ideas, we began working hard to develop a brand-new version of DVULI.  

We began working hard to develop a brand-new version of DVULI.  

Looking Forward  

We will test some ideas with our 2024 cohorts, and the new and improved version will roll out in 2025. The plan is still evolving, but I can reveal a few highlights. It will be a hybrid program utilizing both in-person and virtual training opportunities. We will start mid-year (rather than in January), separating the national conferences into different calendar years, which is important for bi-vocational and volunteer leaders. It will end with a capstone event that brings all five cities together.  

It will be a hybrid program utilizing both in-person and virtual training opportunities.

We will start mid-year (rather than in January), separating the national conferences into different calendar years, which is important for bi-vocational and volunteer leaders.

It will end with a capstone event that brings all five cities together.  

So stay tuned. The best is yet to come! Remember the words of Eric Hoffer, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” Let’s continue to be learners and embrace the opportunity that change can bring.  

At DVULI, we are looking forward to seeing what’s next.