From Courtrooms to Capitols: Bridging Theory and Practice in USAID Democracy Training

Written by: Raphael Baako

 

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) staff around the world are dedicated to bringing democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) programming to the forefront of their work. What better way to invest in knowledge sharing and learning exchange than gathering in person to support and challenge one another with new ideas, approaches, and understanding of DRG programming in different country contexts?  

Through the Generating Results in our Work and Thought Leadership (GROWTH) Activity, EnCompass supported a series of eight instructor-led technical training sessions for USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG Bureau) from June 11 through June 24.  

Two of these courses, Rule of Law and Managing and Designing Legislative Strengthening Programs, exemplified interactive, hands-on learning through site visits to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and Virginia State Legislature, respectively. Pairing theoretical knowledge with hands-on learning is a crucial, and effective, learning strategy. By meeting directly with court officials or state legislators, participants (USAID DRG Officers from all over the world) built both their professional development skills and confidence related to democracy, governance, and human rights, which will allow them to more effectively contribute to stronger democracy programs in the countries where the Agency works. 

Rule of Law: Putting People First 

Justice is about people—how people from all backgrounds and all communities experience and access it to expand their freedoms and pursue greater equity. That is why USAID’s new Rule of Law Policy, the first-ever U.S. government policy dedicated to rule of law assistance, employs a “people-centered justice” approach. This starts with identifying and understanding what people want and need when they seek justice, and puts people at the center of the justice process to build trust and enhance accountability.  

When participants in the DRG Bureau’s two-day, instructor-led Rule of Law training walked into the D.C. Superior Court on June 13, they began to explore firsthand how the District’s court system seeks to place people at the center of justice. 

At the Superior Court, participants met Honorable Judge Michael O’Keefe and sat in on a trial he was presiding over to better understand the Court’s policies, procedures, and functions, while also learning more about Judge O’Keefe’s role. The Judge spoke passionately about making justice accessible to all by removing the barriers many people face when navigating the judicial system such as costs or restrictions on witnesses testifying virtually.  

Participants in the Rule of Law training visit the Family Court Operations Division in the lower level of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Training participants also visited the Family Court Operations Division, which receives and processes cases related to child abuse and neglect, adoption, marriage and divorce, and other civil issues. They learned about the diverse range of services court staff provide to the public, including language services via a multi-language phone line and Spanish speaking staff on-site, computers for printing court-related documents and conducting research, and staff members who can read and write court-related documents for individuals who are illiterate.  

Observing the D.C. Superior Court allowed the participants to explore ways to support the people in their communities, reflecting the Rule of Law Policy’s people-centered justice approaches that seek to strengthen public trust in justice systems and institutions.  

Participants in the Rule of Law training visit the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to observe a trial in action and speak with the Honorable Michael O’Keefe, Associate Judge.                                         

“The visit to the D.C. Superior Court was a great component of this training—it reminded me of what is possible, with enough planning and support. Services for citizens and their ability to participate in the legal system (as jurors, observers, etc.) is really unique and meaningful,” said Alena Tansey, a Foreign Service Officer from USAID/Bangladesh.

The Rule of Law court visit helped participants to better understand the Rule of Law Policy. This experiential learning approach gets trainees out of the classroom to see the rule of law in action, which allows them to create better people-centered justice programs for the communities they serve.

Strengthening Legislative Bodies Through Representation

On June 24, participants from the Managing and Designing Legislative Strengthening Programs training traveled 140 miles to Richmond, Virginia, to visit the Virginia General Assembly—the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia—which is the oldest continuous lawmaking body in the Western Hemisphere and was the first elected legislative assembly in the United States. Course participants’ first order of business was to meet with the elected representatives themselves.

They expressed the importance of reaching out to constituents in one-on-one meetings but also in larger gatherings to understand the full breadth of issues that constituents care about. Delegate Jones and Senator Bagby also noted that when working to pass bills, sometimes it’s about the longer-term goal and working across party lines to achieve those goals.

Elvira Kalmurzaeva, a Foreign Service National from USAID/Kyrgyz Republic, reflected on how Delegate Jones and Senator Babgy expressed concerns about people not voting and not feeling heard by their lawmakers.

Participants from the Managing and Designing Legislative Strengthening Programs visited the Senate Chamber of the Virginia General Assembly on a Capitol tour.

“I’m happy to hear that they are still concerned about this as an issue,” she said. “This is also an issue in my country; that there are a lot of underrepresented groups that parties don’t pay attention to because they are not ‘real voters’ for them yet, but something we learned in the training is that the most frustrated portion of society can be the most active.” Kalmurzaeva noted that the visit prompted her to think about how programs need to help bridge this gap and bring lawmakers from all political parties together with their constituents. “I was interested in hearing how they reach out to diverse constituencies . . . to ensure better representation of different groups in society,” she added.

The Managing and Designing Legislative Strengthening Programs training helped DRG Officers understand the importance of constituent engagement and how USAID programming can foster such

Participants from the Managing and Designing Legislative Strengthening Programs walked around the outdoor grounds of the Virginia General Assembly on a Capitol tour.

engagement, particularly with historically underserved communities. The site visit helped participants understand how lawmakers like Delegate Jones and Senator Babgy achieve this and conduct stronger outreach with their constituents.

planning new programming or are already engaging with a country’s legislature, refer to the latest USAID handbook, Strengthening and Working with Legislatures to Achieve Development Results: A Practitioner’s Guide. This informative resource features tools to help implement adaptive and politically guided programming, legislative assessments, and to understand various approaches to working with a legislature.

Participants from the Managing and Designing Legislative Strengthening Programs training paid a visit to the Virginia General Assembly to meet directly with State legislators. Here, the team meets with State Senator Lamont Bagby and Delegate Mike Jones from the Virginia House of Delegates to discuss lawmaking at the state level.

Moving Beyond Theory

Experiential learning allows DRG practitioners to better understand the rich world of democracy programming. The DRG Bureau’s site visits to the D.C. Superior Court and the Virginia General Assembly allowed participants to apply democratic principles in real-world scenarios. Participants were then able to apply what they saw to building stronger, more resilient programs in the countries where USAID works. Nehemiah Fensuah, a Third Country National PSC from USAID/Liberia, explained that his visit to Virginia’s legislature “added a practical taste to what we were learning theoretically.” Moving beyond the theoretical and building opportunities for peer exchange, active dialogue with real-world practitioners, and witnessing justice and lawmaking systems firsthand enhances the learning journey in powerful ways.

The GROWTH team is developing a diverse array of professional development and training activities, so watch for future training offerings and visit the DRG Curriculum training on DRGLinks for a full list of e-learning modules available to everyone across USAID.

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[1] The Virginia General Assembly is a bicameral legislature with a lower chamber (the Virginia House of Delegates) and an upper chamber (Virginia State Senate).

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