BOONE—Dr. Daniel Leitch from Appalachian State University’s Reich College of Education participated in a community development training seminar in October held in the Ukraine.

The seminar was part of on-going efforts to provide psychosocial rehabilitation to residents of areas affected by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

“The conference provided me with an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues,” Leitch said. “Youth living in Chernobyl-affected areas are often disengaged due to the overwhelming difficulties faced by the area. The strength-based approach we discussed will help program staff develop programs that actively engage young people in problem solving. Our program evaluation indicated our Russian and Ukrainian colleagues found the seminar helpful.”

Leitch, who teaches in the Department Language, Reading and Exceptionalities at Appalachian, has worked in the past with homeless children in Russia.

The seminar focused on the Assets-Based Community Development (ABCD) model, pioneered by John McNight at Northwestern University. ABCD emphasizes the identification and utilization of local resources in the process of creating healthy and strong communities. The model includes individuals, institutions and skills as assets that use a ‘strengths-based’ perspective, which searches for capacities as opposed to deficiencies in reaching a community’s potentials. Additionally, participants received training on how to seek and apply for grants.

The training was funded by Friends of Chernobyl Centers, U.S. Inc.(FOCUS) based in Madison, Wisc.