Selected Past Projects

DIALOGUE FOR PEACEFUL CHANGE WITH THE YOUTH INTERVENTION NETWORK

Based on the work with the Dialogue for Peaceful Change (DPC) project (2004-2007), Vesper Society brought the DPC methodology to the Youth Intervention Network (YIN) in Antioch, California. The purpose of YIN is to address youth violence in that community by a collaborative effort between the schools, police, children services, health providers, faith organizations and a variety of community based organizations. The experience of the YIN leadership is that such collaborative efforts often fail because of the natural rivalries between various agencies and interest groups. Vesper Society provided the primary leadership for DPC trainings for all of the key partners in the Youth Intervention Network to create a positive collaborative environment. (2008–2009) View the final evaluation of DPC-YIN (450KB PDF). View the Youth Intervention Network Story (56KB PDF).

SUTTER DELTA URGENT CARE CLINIC

Vesper Society’s partnership with Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, California, began in 2004, and for the next six years met an immediate need by providing affordable health care to those with little or no insurance. Located in Eastern Contra Costa County, the urgent care clinic continues to serve many who would otherwise turn to the more costly emergency room for health care or leave their conditions untreated. The clinic also provides health promotion services, including screenings for diabetes and breast cancer. Since the clinic opened its doors on June 17, 2005, over 30,000 clients have been served. (2004–2009)

AFRICAN RELIGIOUS HEALTH ASSETS PROGRAM (ARHAP)

An interdisciplinary, interfaith network of health professionals collaborated on this pioneering project to understand and assess the impact and growth of religious health assets in fostering health in all of its dimensions in Africa. ARHAP fueled research that promotes a greater and more complete understanding of the role of religion and religious institutions in health promotion and delivery. The project strengthened leadership and organizational capacity to advance health and ameliorate suffering, especially in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. (2004–2008)

DIALOguE FOR PEACEFUL CHANGE (DPC)

A four-year collaborative project, DPC is a methodology that teaches the practical skills that enable leaders to assist those in conflict to agree on how they can live and work without violence. It fully recognized that conflicts in today’s global community frequently include tensions that have an inter-religious basis. (2004–2007)

Network 21: Expanding Leadership in the 21st Century

A five-year collaborative project with OIKOSNET, a global network of ecumenical training centers, designed to create new opportunities for leadership using global electronic communication. (1998–2003) Download full report (184 KB)

Faith-Based Leadership in Health and Human Service Organizations

A three-year project designed to encourage health and human service leaders to express and integrate faith values into their work as managers, conducted in collaboration with the Ecumenical Working Group, a consortium of eight denominations in the United States. (2000–2002)

Community Health Leadership:
Developing Excellence in Senior Service Leaders Program

A collaborative project in collaboration with the California Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (CAHSA), the Stanford Geriatric Education Center, and Sunny View Center for Ethics. This leadership program is designed to supplement and enhance skills of leaders in health care organizations in applying values in daily decision-making. (2002–2003)

CCM: Christian Community of Mesoamerica

A collaborative three-year project with Comunidad Cristiana Mesoamericana (CCM - Christian Mesoamerican Community), a network of seventeen faith-based organizations in Central America. This collaboration grew out of the common interest of all partners in utilizing the expertise of member organizations in a peer shared-learning model focusing on leadership. (2001–2003) Download full report (244 KB)

Lutheran Volunteer Corps—East Bay

Vesper Society was part of a mobilization team that established a volunteer house in the East Bay modeled after the national Lutheran Volunteer Corps. Volunteers, living together for one year, are assigned placement with nonprofit organizations to work for social justice and the underserved. (2002–2004)

Faith-Based Organizations and the Global Internet

A global invitational consultation that explored how the Internet impacts convening, collaboration and leadership in faith-based organizations in different cultures around the world. (2001)

Europe-US Relations Conference Series

A two-conference series sought to build foundations for stability, security, and peace by bringing people together for open-minded discussion on a critical topic, the renewal of the transatlantic partnership. (2001)

Venture 21: Assessing Venture Philanthropy

A comprehensive program that provided useful, balanced and unbiased information on the new and emerging field of venture philanthropy for human service organizations. (2000–2001) Download full report (592 KB)

Visualizing Guatemala in the 21st Century: A Roundtable for Prosperity in the Americas

The Guatemala Roundtable Project convened representatives of different sectors of society to participate in informal, off-the-record conversations. The purpose of these talks was the development of a national vision and collaborative strategies to strengthen democracy. (1998–1999)