[Originally posted September 13, 2009]

In the summer of 2009 One Horizon-supported EnterChange Clinical Counseling, launched a training and support initiative for local social-service organizations and programs in Lexington in cooperation with the “Side-By-Side” drug court mentoring program of the Lexington Leadership Foundation. EnterChange helped to design and implement a training and support program for about two-dozen volunteer mentors working with “Side-By-Side.”

In addition to “Side-By-Side,” EnterChange is currently working with Kentucky Refugee Ministries and the Lexington Leadership Foundation’s “Amachi” program to help design, implement and support training programs for their respective volunteers.

The overall vision is to use the “action-reflection” model to assist volunteers who are engaged with the local community and help them think about their engagement, reflect on the practical issues and opportunities related to their involvement and assist in moving them through the experience in a healthy and sustainable manner. In the long run EnterChange hopes that helping facilitate such practices, and training others to do so, will help to foster greater partnership and collaboration between local churches and agencies and empower people at the grassroots level to deepen and expand their volunteer service in the wider community.