PMI Educational Foundation
PMI Educational Foundation Liaison Newsletter

2 September 2011

Greetings!  

 

Unfortunately, disasters and tragedies happen all the time; families are left homeless and children lose their parents.

 

The good news is that PMI members are making a huge difference for children and families who have become victims of misfortune. For example, PMI Members in Poland are teaching project management skills to orphans. Project Management Skills for LifeTMhas helped these youth build skills that will help them succeed in life.  In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) members are teaching project management to residents of a homeless shelter to build employment skills.

 

We have so many wonderful stories to tell. Please see our Chapter Highlight section to read about a great example of PMI Members and volunteers using project management in a children's shelter to help youth who have faced tragedy. 

 

We hope that these examples inspire the development of future project management programs for orphaned and homeless youth around the world. 

 

Diane Fromm

PMI Educational Foundation

Program Administrator 

[email protected] 

 

 

News 
Chapter Highlight:
The Puerto Rico Chapter Starts Youth Project Management Program in a Homeless Shelter
 

As a society, we tend to encourage our children to "dream big" when they plan their lives.  Unfortunately, for the countless children worldwide who are growing up as orphans or homeless, these dreams are often discouraged and limited due to circumstances beyond their control. Puerto Rico Students in Project Management Class

 

Enid Vargas, PMP and the PMI Puerto Rico Chapter have a vision. They envison project management as a tool that will provide life skills which will help disadvantaged youth achieve their "big dreams."

 

In March of 2011, Enid and the chapter piloted a project management program at a children's homeless shelter in Villa Encantada, Puerto Rico. This program is modeled after a Children International (CI) program in the Dominican Republic which uses the Spanish translation of PMIEF's PM Skills for Life to teach project management as part of a leadership class.  Marlon Herrera, a CI staff member traveled to Puerto Rico to help Enid deliver the pilot program.

 

The goal of the program is to help youth develop a new way of thinking as well as improve their organizational and self discipline skills.  These improved skills will enrich their lives and better enable them to grow into productive and contributing members of society. 

 

During the program, 31 students aged 13-17 learned project management skills and applied knowledge through a variety of hands-on activities which helped them:

  • Identify professional goals and develop a plan with objectives to reach them
  • Draw a parallel between projects and their life
  • Reflect on the nine areas of knowledge needed for a project, including teamwork, time management, and risk--emphasizing the importance of communication
  • Describe a leader's characteristics and the importance of a leader in a team

Ms. Vargas remarked, "even though many of these kids have gone through obstacles in their short life, they have enthusiasm, discipline, structure, respect, courtesy, the will to serve others, and above all, there is always a smile on their [faces]." She plans on continuing the program in the children's homeless shelter next year.

 

We congratulate the chapter and Enid for using their professional skills to give these disadvantaged youth a better chance to succeed in life and wish to thank Marlon Herrera from CI for traveling to Puerto Rico to lend his experience and help make this pilot a success.

  

PM Skills for Life, which was used during this program, can be downloaded in English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese on the PMIEF website for no cost for noncommercial use.

 For Your Chapter

 

Info for Your Chapter Members:

  

Working with Orphanages and Shelters as a Community Outreach Option 

Working with an orphanage or homeless shelter is a great way for your chapter to reach out to your community.  At first, a project like this may seem like an overwhelming undertaking... but we're here to help! 

PMIEF is currently working with the developers of the Puerto Rico children's homeless shelter workshop to document a procedure that you can follow so you and others may implement a similar program in your community.  These resources will be available shortly; we will be sure to let you know when they are posted on our website.  Until then, if you have any questions, please contact: [email protected].  

Academic Scholarships Applications Open 1 October

PMIEF academic scholarships are available for high school seniors and students at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels who are studying project management or a related field of study.  The next round of applications opens 1 October. Please remind your members about the available scholarships and encourage them to share this information with any potential candidates they may know.  A full list of available academic scholarships and their criteria can be found on our scholarship website under the student section.

 

Professional Development Scholarships Deadline 1 October

Professional development scholarships are for project managers who are interested in advancing their professional capabilities. The deadline to apply is 1 October.  Please let your members know about these opportunties!  Each scholarship has its own eligibility requirements so please review them before applying.

 

Articles for Your Newsletter:

 

If you would like to feature PMIEF in your chapter or CoP newsletter, we have articles that you are free to publish. The following articles are available for your use:

 For Your Calendar

 

WEBINAR CHANGE OF DATE  - PM for Social Good in Your Chapter Strategic Plan is now being held on 15 September 10:00 AM EST (Originally 14 September)

 

Please note these changes in format:  You can dial in at 10:00 AM to hear general information about the PMIEF or join us at 10:30 AM to hear content specific information on adding PM for social good into your chapter's strategic plan.  The agenda is as follows:

 

10:00-10:30 AM - General Information about the PMIEF including liaison roles and responsibilities

10:30-11:30 AM - Integrating Project Management for Social Good in the Strategic Plan

  • Lessons Learned and Examples from PMI Communities that incorporate social good into their strategic planning
  • Appropriate places to integrate social good into the strategic plan
  • Scalable examples 
  • How to approach chapter leaders 

This webinar is not designed to instruct you in the strategic planning process but to provide guidance on how your chapter may integrate project management for social good into its strategic planning process.  Guest speakers will include Kris Reynolds, president of the PMI Tulsa Chapter, who will share his chapter's experience with building social good into their strategic plan.  Guest speakers will also include PMIEF Board Directors who are former regional mentors and chapter presidents.

 

REGISTER - PMIEF LIAISON MEETING IN TEXAS, USA**

 

You should have received an invitation via email to register for this no-cost Liaison training session to occur in Texas before the PMI Global Congress North America begins.  If you missed the invitation, please register here.  Feel free to invite other chapter leaders to attend.

   

Date:        Saturday 22 October 2011**

Time:       2:30PM EST to 4:00PM EST

Location:  Gaylord Texan Resort, Grapevine, TX

                 Room: Texas Rooms 5 & 6

  

The meeting topics include: 

  • Liaisons sharing their experiences and success stories
  • Example on how to leverage project managment for social good 
  • Strategies to engage chapter leaders, chapter members, and your community
  • Brainstorming

If you did not receive an invitation, register here or contact [email protected].

 

**PMIEF will not cover any travel expenses for LIM/Congress

 

REGISTER - PMIEF RECEPTION**

 

You will recieve an invitation to the PMIEF reception to be held during the PMI Global Congress, North America. If you will be in the Dallas, TX area on 23 October, please be our guest at this reception.  If you are able to attend, please register via the invitation you received or click here to register.  For questions, please contact [email protected].

 

**PMIEF will not cover any travel expenses for LIM/Congress

  

OTHER UPCOMING 2011 WEBINARS:

  

Sessions will include PMIEF staff and others from within the PMI community who will share their experience and advice. Although specific dates are not yet selected for all sessions, the month and session topics are noted below.

 

7 October:       Getting Started - For New Liaisons

December:       Year One - Lessons Learned (date TBD) 

 Resources and Quick Links 

 

The resources below are available on the PMIEF Website to download at no cost for noncommercial use.

 

New Arabic Translation!-PM Toolkit for Youth(TM) is now available on the PMIEF website in Arabic. Thank you THIQAH Management and Engineering Consultation for translating these materials!  This resource is also available in other languages and can be downloaded at no cost for noncommercial use.  

 

New Japanese Translation!-Project Management Methodology for Post Disaster Reconstruction is now available on the PMIEF website in Japanese.  Thank you Hisashi Hirose, Masafumi Yoshizawa, Hideyo Midorikawa, Kenichi Sako, Hitoshi Yano, and Kazuko Ban of the PMI Japan Chapter for your translation of these materials!  This resource is also available in other languages and can be downloaded at no cost for noncommercial use.  Also, thank you PMI Sao Paulo Chapter for your recent translation of this important resource into Brazilian Portuguese.

 
PMIEF Liaison Resource Area containing links to resources, PMIEF articles and a 10 minute PMIEF Presentation. The site will be updated with new information and resources as they become available.

Other PMIEF Resources and Quick Links

 

PMIEF Website

Learning Zone contains educational resources, templates and samples for download at no cost 

Humanitarian

Scholarships/Awards

PM Toolkit for Youth

PM Skills for Life

PM Methodology for Post Disaster Reconstruction 

PMIEF Liaison Volunteer Position Description  
 

 
 
  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! 
For additional information,  please email [email protected] or call +1-610-356-4600 ext. 1128