Omprakash has developed two online learning communities to support individuals and social impact organizations as they adapt to global disruptions caused by COVID-19. Both courses are free and open to the public, and both revolve around shared dialogue and discovery, not lectures or powerpoints. Both courses are self-paced and involve occasional (optional) group calls and webinars. In a moment when many people are wondering how to move relationships and learning into a digital realm without sacrificing intimacy, creativity, and critical reflection, Omprakash is excited to offer its Facing Pandemic series as a space for inspiration and connection.
Solidarity & Storytelling across Differences is an open learning platform for thinkers, learners, teachers, and doers around the world who want to examine the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic through an intersectional lens and share their own perspectives and experiences.
Participants engage with interdisciplinary multimedia content within a curated classroom, and then create their own posts to document how this pandemic looks and feels in their own particular contexts.
Grassroots NGO & CBO Resilience is a gathering space and resource center for grassroots organization leaders working to protect their communities, stay afloat, remain visible, and exchange ideas in this uncertain moment.
Are you a community leader and/or administrator of a grassroots social change organization wondering how to navigate this difficult and uncertain time? We welcome you to enroll in this free program designed to help people like you learn about this pandemic, learn how to protect yourself and your community, learn strategies for resilience, and connect with peers around the world.
A bit more background...
As you may know, EdGE is our award-winning online learning and mentorship platform, and we initially designed it for the purpose of training volunteers and interns who are preparing to work with our Partners. Over the years, the EdGE platform has evolved in many directions, and we now offer customized versions of EdGE to many different audiences, including for students who are not volunteering with Omprakash Partners or are not volunteering at all. The common thread is that EdGE helps people reflect on critical questions about themselves and their work across differences of culture and power. (Contact us to learn about adapting EdGE for your university or nonprofit.)
Recognizing that these questions are just as relevant to Omprakash Partners as they are to individual volunteers or interns, we recently began offering a custom version of EdGE specifically for Partners. We have always sought to place our Partners at the center of our mission, and we are always seeking to increase the benefits we can offer to our Partner organizations. (See here to learn more about those benefits.) For this reason, in 2019 we were thrilled to launch 'Partner EdGE': a dedicated space for grassroots social impact leaders to reflect on the complexities of their work and their ongoing engagements with volunteers, interns, donors, universities, and others who traverse differences of culture and power with the intention of 'helping.' (Learn more about our inaugural cohort of Partner EdGE.)
All of this is to say that when the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold, we quickly realized that our existing EdGE infrastructure — along with some of our content library — could be easily repurposed to serve the needs of individuals and organizations who are looking for resources, training, and community as they grapple with the implications of this crisis. We observed many talented and committed educators sharing syllabi and lists of resources as they worked to transition towards an online learning environment, but a distinct lack of clarity on how, exactly, to facilitate meaningful reflection and dialogue in a way that is asynchronous, widely accessible, pedagogically creative, and user-friendly. We are humbled and honored to offer EdGE in response to this gap.
Omprakash is a small non-profit, and we offer many services for free, but in the past we have always restricted EdGE access to our network of Partners and tuition-paying students. Earned revenue via the EdGE program has been a cornerstone of our financial sustainability. However, given the extraordinary circumstances of the present moment, we are grateful for the opportunity to be able to offer our new Facing Pandemic series as a free and open resource for the general public.
Thinkers, Learners, Teachers, and Doers:
Grassroots Organization Leaders:
Click for Downloadable/Sharable Flyer
If you have questions, please email:
info@omprakash.org
Omprakash is a tax-exempt non-profit organization registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Tax ID# 20-8655418
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