Strong agricultural organizations are supported by active membership at the grassroots level.
To attract new members and keep its existing ones engaged, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) has put a focus on leadership and skills development training for its 52 local and 11 regional associations.
With support from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, OSCIA is developing a series of training videos that will supplement in-person workshops and print resources.
“The videos will be ideal for people who don’t have time to attend a workshop or who prefer online learning on their own time,” says OSCIA Association Development Advisor Brittany Roka. “On-going, in-person training as new people are elected to leadership positions is expensive, so videos are a more cost-effective training tool for us to get people started.”
The videos will be particularly helpful for OSCIA members, who volunteer for leadership roles at local or regional levels, to understand the roles and responsibilities of their new positions.
“People are unsure of what is expected of them when they step into a vice president, secretary or even director role, and by offering this type of training, we hope more members will feel comfortable volunteering for leadership positions,” says OSCIA President Les Nichols. “This is important for the long-term sustainability of our organization and encouraging more involvement from our grassroots members.”
Phase one of the two-year project is tailored to leadership roles and skills development, whereas phase two will focus on broader governance training such as how to run a successful meeting or how to make decisions and decide on actions.
A survey of the OSCIA membership showed the demand is there for digital online training to complement in-person options, she added, particularly from younger members.
