NYNP blog post 10-22-09

Sam Quiah, MSSW: Profile of a NYC Nonprofit Trainer
Changing a culture and being part of a movement

Sam Quiah is a Senior Consultant at Development Without Limits. He agreed to an interview after we met via the Johns Hopkins University National Center for Summer Learning's virtual conference. (See my prior blog post "An experiment in live online training" for more info about that conference.) We facilitated back-to-back virtual workshops, and after seeing the great job he did leading his workshop “Go Global! Building Global Literacy During Afterschool and Summer,” I was interested in learning more about his experiences as a trainer. When we talked, it turned out that we’d gone through the same social work program at Columbia University – it can be a small world in NYC nonprofits.

Sam’s path to becoming a trainer
Sam got into training after graduate school, when he began running Global Kids programs in high schools. While working as a Site Coordinator, he facilitated trainings on global literacy, community service, and other general topics, and he discovered that he enjoyed training. So, he took on a Saturday consulting job with Development Without Limits, training both educators and older youth working with younger youth. After two years working two jobs, Sam decided to take the leap to freelancing full time, and so he started his current role as Senior Consultant.

Sam was drawn to a career in training and consulting because he likes the challenge of working with a diverse mix of agencies. He’s motivated by the big picture impact of being able to strengthen the field of youth development by strengthening its organizations. “I like the idea of changing a culture and being a part of a movement,” he says.

He also enjoys the opportunity to bolster organizations by applying the expertise developed over his career, which has included roles with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Youth Unit of the United Nations Division for Social Policy and Development, and South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!).

What it means to be a trainer at his organization
Sam has a varied schedule, primarily working from home or at a client site, and sometimes going to the Development Without Limits office for meetings or collaborative work. The clients he serves are both NYC-based and located around the country. In addition to leading trainings, Sam provides technical assistance to clients. His work is project-based, and he likes the satisfaction of making targeted measurable contributions on a limited time frame.

Development Without Limits’s mission is to provide dynamic and challenging learning experiences for young people and adults. The organization facilitates ready-made workshops, creates customized trainings, writes curricula, and partners with organizations on special projects. This means that Sam’s job is never the same from project to project.

New consultant trainers generally join the team via referrals rather than via resume submissions; because the organization has specific values and high standards, they prefer it when someone they trust can vouch that a potential trainer will be a good fit.

The future
One project Sam's excited about is producing afterschool curricula for various youth organizations to implement with their staff and participants.