STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF SOCIAL PROJECTS

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF SOCIAL PROJECTS

Postgraduate course at UTN.BA

National Technological University and Engineering Without Borders Argentina (EWB-Ar) organize the postgraduate course:

Strategic management of social projects: Towards sustainable development

GENERAL GOAL

The general goal of the course is to contribute to the education of professionals specially trained to work in complex environments, including a systematic view to complement technical-scientific aspects with cultural, social, economic and environmental aspects.
Also, the general goal is to contribute to the developing process of the necessary skills to become agents of change who are able to manage new dynamics on social interaction, with the right methodological tools and correspondent experience in the field.

REQUIREMENTS

This postgraduate course is aimed at college graduates who are currently working or aspire to work on social projects in direct relationship with various communities in several private or public institutions, public service, civil society, in community-based organizations or any other area that involves actions in the territory.

DURATION, LOCATION AND START DATE

Duration: It will be a four-month course divided as follows:
1) A three-hour class per week (from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.).
2) A four-hour class on Saturdays, once a month.
The course offers 62 hours of training.
Location: National Technological University. Regional Faculty.  Postgraduate Office- Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
Start date: April 8th 2016

SYLLABUS

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Development and Sustainability / Ethical Development
Development and Sustainability: conceptual framework and schools of thought. Social, environmental and economic crisis.  Alternative development methods. Main ethical challenges of the planet. Inequality. The role of the social worker. Relationship with the community. Conditions that development must consider. Poverty. Markers. Law approach.
Corporate, Professional, and University Social Responsibility
Ethics and double standards. Customers, suppliers, competitors –stakeholders-; environmentally-friendly products and services; care of the environment; commitment to the community; work conditions. Diagnosis, decision making and corrective actions. Stock Capital.
Social/Human Engineering
Competences and concerns.  Concepts on social and human notions. Technology and society The paradigm of engineering in social intervention. Search for new definitions. “Humanized” engineering.
AREAS OF IMPACT
Water
Water as a human right.  Complex view from the social, environmental, political and economic fields. Access to water and water quality. Situation in Argentina.
Energy
Traditional and alternative energies Solar energy, wind power and photovoltaics. Biomass Externalities Reflection on what is necessary and what is possible. Markers.
Housing
Infrastructure in complex environments.  Infrastructure analyzed from the law approach. The phases of a project and management alliances. The right to housing. Adequate housing Habitability Services availability and other factors. Housing situation in Argentina.
Food Sovereignty
The current agri-food model. Environmental impact. The energetic, socio-cultural, and political model that supports its existence. Food safety. Social dimension of food. New schools of thought and strategies.
Municipal solid waste/Scheduled Obsolescence
Waste as a social and environmental problem. Legal framework.  Management models for Municipal solid waste (MSW). Experiences on MSW management. Social management of MSW: the experience of urban waste collector cooperatives in the city of Buenos Aires. Technologies applied to the treatment of MSW. Scheduled obsolescence.
TOOLS AND HUMAN RESOURCES FOR PRACTICE
Social Diagnosis
Mental models. Scenario analysis. Study of actors. Communication with social groups Fieldwork tools: observation of participants, surveys, interviews, focus groups. Registration of projects and processes. Notes and field registries. Problematization Problem tree.
Assessment of Social and Environmental Impact Measuring Tools: Ratios and Markers
The need to measure for diagnosis and decision making: measuring tools. Types of tools, definitions, and concepts Ratios and Markers. Data, data cycles, sources, integration. Examples and analysis:  GDP, HDI, Gini coefficient, ecological footprint.
Working on Social Projects
Team work and community building. The public sector and the organizations of the civil society. Creation of alliances and linkage between various social actors. Paid, activist, and voluntary social work. Professional and free-of-charge work. Legal framework of voluntary work. Responsibility for the volunteer. Organization and best practices.
Information and Communication  
Tools for collaborative management. Internal communication Democratization of information: management systems. Registry Identity of organizations. Registry and diffusion of projects and processes.
Ethical Funding
Funding of social organizations. Resources management. National and international funding tools. Logical framework. Accountability to donors.

TEACHING STAFF

Academic Director
Estela Cammarota.
She is an Industrial Engineer (UBA – University of Buenos Aires), knowledgeable in Situational Strategic Planning, Social Psychology of Organizations, Mediation and Sustainable Development. She has a Postgraduate degree in Perverse Social Systems and Social Management (FCE – UBA). She is an organizational consultant and trainer in private and public sectors. She worked for the National, Provincial, and Local governments. Moreover, she is a former consultant to international Organizations and a researcher at UBACyT and CIC. She is also a professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires and coordinates the participation of such institution in the University Studies Centers within the Prison system. She is a master’s degrees’ lecturer at several universities and a member of the Board of Directors of Engineering Without Borders Argentina.
LECTURERS
Marta Beatriz Bendomir. She has a Master’s degree in Coaching and Organizational Change (USAL – University of El Salvador) as well as a degree in Educational Sciences (UBA – University of Buenos Aires). She is a specialist in training and implementation of change processes in public and private sectors. She works as a teacher and as an organizational coach at Engineering Without Borders.
Mariano Cerrella. He has degree in Graphic Design (UBA) and also teaches Graphic Design (UBA). He is currently in charge of Graphic Design workshops in Devoto Prison, through the Education in Prisons Program, UBA XXII. He is the Communications coordinator of Engineering Without Borders Argentina.
Iara Culla Bonzini. She has a Degree in Business Administration (UBA). She participated in the «Amartya Sen» program held at UBA in 2013. She is in charge of the operational management at Engineering Without Borders Argentina.
Adán J. Levy. He is a Mechanical Engineer (UBA). He is a pre-school teacher (Eccleston), and a university lecturer at UTN-FRBA (Finite Elements) and in Devoto prison. He is an independent consultant on process management and production planning.  He is the chairman of Engineering Without Borders Argentina.
Víctor Liste. He is an Electronics Engineer (UBA) dedicated to Control and Robotics. Co-founder in 2008 of the industrial robotics company named IRB Solutions S.A. ( www.irbsolutions.com). He has been, since the creation of the company until 2013, the Vice-President and Development Manager and has lead an inter-disciplinary team of engineers for the design and start-up of industrial robotic automations for multi-national companies and SMEs from various markets such as Automotive, Food, Petro-chemical and General Manufacturing. He is a member of the Commission of New Projects at Engineering Without Borders Argentina. He is part of the Commission of Social Businesses of Engineering Without Borders Argentina.
Agustín Juan Lohigorry. He has a degree in Systems Analysis He has a Master’s degree in Strategic and Technological Management. He holds a Diploma in Technology and Energy Management. He specializes in project management and office projects (Systems and Industry). He is an amateur brewer. He coordinates the Energy Department for Engineering Without Borders Argentina and is in charge of the associate’s degree in Renewable Energies at the National University of La Matanza (UNLaM).
Manuel Mateu. He is an Industrial Engineer (UBA – University of Buenos Aires). He is the Technical Manager in productive development projects for the Cartoneros and Recyclers Federation (CTEP) and provides technical assistance to Urban Collection Point cooperatives called “El Amanecer de los Cartoneros” [Cartoneros’ Dawn] and “El Ceibo” [The Coral Tree]. He is a founding member of Engineering Without Borders Argentina.
Paula Ormando. She has a Master’s degree in Technology and Food Hygiene (UNLP – National University of La Plata). She is studying to get a Ph.D. in Engineering (UNLP). She is an assistant professor in Food Microbiology (UADE – Argentinian Business University).
Alejandra Victoria Portatadino. She is a Mechanical Engineer. She has a Master’s degree in Engineering Sciences in Petroleum and Geodetic Systems. She is the Human Rights subsecretary in Ushuaia city, Tierra del Fuego province, Antarctica and Islands of the South Atlantic Ocean. She is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). She is a former manager for Chevron Corporation. Former postgraduate professor in the National Nautical School Manuel Belgrano. She has a degree in Human Rights and Dispute Resolution. She is a senior advisor engineer in anthropic and natural disasters. She is a former Human Rights observer. Member of the Board of Directors of Engineering Without Borders Argentina.
Natalia Zlachevsky. She has a degree in and is a professor of Anthropological Sciences with a sociocultural orientation (UBA). She is the coordinator of technology and society related programs in different organizations of the civil society. She teaches social work at the National University of Moreno (UNM). She is a founding member and the director of institutional development of Engineering Without Borders Argentina.