1. Participative Leaders Training Program.

On 2000 the Instituto de Rehabilitación Infantil, in charge of the Sociedad Pro-Ayuda al Niño Lisiado ( TELETON) was trying to acknowledge the real human situation and the need to meet that former patients of the Institute were experiencing and the reality they had to face on a day to day basis after the medical treatments they'd had to endure for at least 18 years. ICA Chile was asked to develop a programme based on participation directed to a group of young people (former patients) so they would strengthen their leadership and teamwork skills. ICA Chile designed a Programme for Participative Leaders ( PELP) to start on 2001.

On 2001 we trained 24 handicapped youngsters and 12 College students. Our experience taught us that this ICA Method strengthens their skills to decide for themselves. They discovered that teamwork could help them to develop new projects; it enhances their creativity and their capacity to innovate. More importantly, they also discovered that working together they were able to forget the loneliness and isolation suffered by most handicapped people on a day to day basis. They developed a strengthened personality and self trust and - to their surprise- were able to speak up in public. ICA tried to uniform the opportunities the handicapped had and really make them feel a part of their job experiences and we have been able to prove that these instruments of leadership did help them to design and implement their own projects. They now think strategically and have a vision of their future. Definitely they've been able to make changes in their life projects.

Already we've developed 15 PELPS in Santiago, Antofagasta, Valparaíso and Concepción. We will start another PELP in Concepción (16).