LeadershipPLENTY(c) Centralia College East, Morton The Pew Foundation East Lewis County Chamber of Commerce
LeadershipPlenty Course April 2nd - May 28th 2009 Every Thursday 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Centralia College East, Morton, WA Sign Up at Centralia College NLT March 26th
A CALL FOR LEADERS
There is no lack of leadership in this nation, just a lack of opportunity for people to tap their leadership potential and use it to better their communities. You're invited to participate in an innovative nine-module training program called LeadershipPlenty(R), which will be held in Morton, at Centralia College, April 2 through May 28, every Thursday, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM.
What is LeadershipPlenty(R)? LeadershipPlenty(R) embraces the belief that there is no lack of leadership in our communities - rather there is a lack of opportunity for people from different backgrounds to work together to tackle tough issues. The LeadershipPlenty(R) Training Program is a tool to mobilize a change in mindset from one of leadership lack to one of leadership plenty. It's about looking for leadership in different places.
WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS TRAINING? We expect that the class will be made up of community leaders, local college students looking to mobilize their campus, established community leaders looking to update their leadership strategies, and community volunteers looking to mobilize their neighborhoods around important issues. A LeadershipPlenty(R) trainer will guide participants through nine modules and a practicum, including:
Finding Leaders Within Identifying Community Assets Managing Groups for Results Making Meetings Work Better Managing Conflict Building Strategic Partnerships Moving from Talk to Action Valuing Evaluation Communicating for Change Practicum: Facing the Challenge of Racism and Race Relations Descriptions of these modules and of the LeadershipPlenty(R) program is available below. If you're interested in applying for LeadershipPlenty(R), please see the linked application below.
About the program All training modules will be lead by a certified LeadershipPlenty(R) trainer.
PROGRAM DETAILS The LeadershipPlenty(R) training program consists of nine modules (below) that identify skills vital for people to develop in order to solve community problems. Among the skills addressed in the modules are: group development and dynamics, techniques for managing meetings, dealing with conflict, developing partnerships and project implementation skills. Complementing the LeadershipPlenty(R) training program is a practicum entitled Facing the Challenge of Racism and Race Relations that provides participants with the opportunity to address issues of race and use their training to deepen understanding of community challenges and engage in effective group work.
MODULE ONE: FINDING LEADERS WITHIN * This module introduces the theme of LeadershipPlenty(R) that the plenty in community leadership comes from recognizing the wealth of capacities that people in the community possess. Reinvigorating civic leadership with new energy and diverse experience strengthens communities. The purpose of Module One is to help participants begin the exploration of leadership development by uncovering their own unique skills and reflecting on their experiences of community. It explores the questions: What experiences have we had with community involvement? How can we creatively use our individual skills to build community leadership? What techniques help us balance personal reflection and community action? Where do we go from here?
MODULE TWO: IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY ASSETS * The concept of LeadershipPlenty(R) highlights the diversity of people in every community who are its potential leaders. The purpose of Module Two is to develop in participants an understanding and appreciation of the assets model for community change pioneered by John Kretzmann and John McKnight. The activities in this second module give participants an opportunity to train their eyes on the leadership assets in their community and brainstorm about how these assets can be mobilized for change. The session explores the questions: What difference will it make to look at our community through its assets rather than its deficits? How can we go about discovering undervalued assets in our community? How can we be more inclusive in identifying our community's leadership potential? What happens when we bring the leadership assets of our community together?
MODULE THREE: MANAGING GROUPS FOR RESULTS * What happens when people come together to solve community problems? The ability of a group to take action and accomplish results can be thwarted by the fact that it is difficult to work together effectively as a team. These tensions are a natural part of group work. All groups that endure the test of time experience fairly predictable stages of development. The purpose of Module Three is to increase participants'understanding of group dynamics and familiarize them with issues and tensions that most groups experience. The session explores the questions: How do our different backgrounds and experiences affect our participation in groups? Are the dynamics and tensions in our LeadershipPlenty(R) group normal? How can team members communicate more effectively with each other?
MODULE FOUR: MAKING MEETINGS WORK BETTER * Effective meeting-management skills are essential for leaders as they negotiate the complex interests of the community. Well-managed meetings actually help motivate people to stay involved in community-change efforts and reserve group energy for substantive issues. The purpose of Module Four is to provide participants with the organizational strategies and tools for achieving group purposes in community meetings. It explores the questions: For what purposes do we hold group meetings? How do conflict and tension play an integral role in group work? What are some techniques for facilitating productive meetings that accomplish specific goals?
MODULE FIVE: MANAGING CONFLICT * Communities are groups of people who may not know each other and have had different life experiences, but who live in proximity to each other and have interests in common. Our vision of the world and how it operates is influenced by our culture, our parents, our age, our personality, and a whole range of other factors. Module Five addresses the inevitable fact of life: Individuals do not always agree. The challenge and opportunity for a community leader is to learn how to manage conflict and to channel its energy in a positive way. The purpose of Module Five is to explore the necessity of conflict in group work and its role in the consensus-building process. It explores the questions: How can we better understand conflict and its role in community work? Can we make conflict work for us instead of against us? What strategies will help us work through conflict? What if we can't reach consensus?
MODULE SIX: BUILDING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS * Building partnerships between diverse organizations and individuals marshals the community's resources, talents, and assets for change. By identifying their own self-interests and understanding and acknowledging the interests of others, organizations are able to build and sustain strategic partnerships. The purpose of Module Six is to help community leaders understand partnerships better and engage in them more effectively as they strive to solve complex community problems. It explores the questions: Why work with partners to solve complex community problems? Who do we need to help us find solutions to community problems? How can we minimize the risks that come with partnerships? How can we organize an effective partnership?
MODULE SEVEN: MOVING FROM TALK TO ACTION * Ambitious visions are not realized in a day. Module Seven examines the strategies that help leaders chart the journey from community vision to concrete action. This module takes a bird's-eye view of the tough terrain to travel from talk to results. The purpose of Module Seven is to enable a group to get started, to make measurable progress, to celebrate accomplishments, and to revise plans if necessary. It explores the questions: How do leaders go about planning and actually getting started on a community change project? How can we achieve measurable outcomes along the way? How do we know if our action plan is working and how can we change our plan?
MODULE EIGHT: VALUING EVALUATION * Many of us think the word "evaluation" means being tested-that someone is going to tell us everything we're doing wrong. LeadershipPlenty(R) introduces evaluation as an opportunity for groups to reflect on the results of their work. Developing project goals and strategies to reach these goals, as well as anticipating a project's outcomes are primary steps in planning or conducting a program evaluation. The purpose of Module Eight is to help participants understand and value program evaluation and learn the main steps for determining the effectiveness of a program. It explores the questions: What is evaluation and why should we evaluate? What has to be in place before we're ready to evaluate? How do we go about evaluating our projects or programs?
MODULE NINE: COMMUNICATING FOR CHANGE * Community change doesn't occur in a vacuum or among an isolated group of citizens. For substantive change to occur, many people in a community need to know about it and be involved. This doesn't just happen. It takes deliberate effort and specific skills to sustain a conversation in the larger community about the issue(s) you are addressing. Module Nine introduces strategic communication as an important tool for achieving results by developing and sharing a powerful message with targeted audiences. It explores the questions: Why does our group need to communicate about its work to the larger community? How do we inform others about theimportance of this work? How do we communicate our message to different audiences?
PRACTICUM: FACING THE CHALLENGE OF RACISM AND RACE RELATIONS * We suggest that LeadershipPlenty(R) groups use this practicum as an opportunity to hold conversations about racism and race relations because this is an issue with which most communities in America are grappling. To move forward on a wide range of areas-from quality education, to affordable housing, to living-wage jobs-communities and individuals must examine how racial issues influence the current situation. The practicum was developed in collaboration with the Study Circles Resource Center, and it introduces the study circle as a practical tool for community discussions. It explores the questions: How does race affect the way our community addresses (or doesn't address) problems? What is a study circle? How can dialogue help a group move forward on a tough issue such as race and racism?
What is the LeadershipPlenty(R) philosophy? * People working for community change should answer the question, "What basic assumptions and values should guide what we do?" The following core values and assumptions guided the development of the LeadershipPlenty(R) Training Program and are reflected throughout the modules.
People working together can solve problems in their communities. Effective long-term solutions to community problems demand that people with diverse perspectives of the problem, especially those people most affected by the problem, be involved in developing and implementing the solution. By working together on meaningful problem-solving activities, people build relationships that benefit the long-term health of the community. Working together creatively and respectfully through honest acknowledgment of self-interests is a better strategy to address problems than an "us" against "them" approach.
Community problem-solving efforts should be inclusive. They arestrengthened by engaging people of different backgrounds and lifeexperiences.
Learning is a life-long activity. All individuals can learn new skills that will enhance their ability to participate in community problem solving. All individuals (including established leaders) can benefit from opportunities to develop and practice collaborative skills important to community problem solving.
Sincerely,
PAUL STEWART Executive Director East Lewis County Chamber of Commerce 118 State Street PO Box 562 Mossyrock, WA 98564
2 comments:
This is so amazing! So sad I missed it this year!! I will for sure be there in 2009!
-Amyjo Jensen
LeadershipPLENTY(c)
Centralia College East, Morton
The Pew Foundation
East Lewis County Chamber of Commerce
LeadershipPlenty Course
April 2nd - May 28th 2009
Every Thursday
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Centralia College East, Morton, WA
Sign Up at Centralia College NLT March 26th
A CALL FOR LEADERS
There is no lack of leadership in this nation, just a lack of opportunity for people
to tap their leadership potential and use it to better their communities. You're
invited to participate in an innovative nine-module training program called
LeadershipPlenty(R), which will be held in Morton, at Centralia College, April 2
through May 28, every Thursday, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM.
What is LeadershipPlenty(R)?
LeadershipPlenty(R) embraces the belief that there is no lack of
leadership in our communities - rather there is a lack of opportunity for people
from different backgrounds to work together to tackle tough issues. The
LeadershipPlenty(R) Training Program is a tool to mobilize a change in
mindset from one of leadership lack to one of leadership plenty. It's about looking
for leadership in different places.
WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS TRAINING?
We expect that the class will be made up of community leaders, local college
students looking to mobilize their campus, established community leaders looking to
update their leadership strategies, and community volunteers looking to mobilize
their neighborhoods around important issues. A LeadershipPlenty(R) trainer will
guide participants through nine modules and a practicum, including:
Finding Leaders Within
Identifying Community Assets
Managing Groups for Results
Making Meetings Work Better
Managing Conflict
Building Strategic Partnerships
Moving from Talk to Action
Valuing Evaluation
Communicating for Change
Practicum: Facing the Challenge of Racism and Race Relations
Descriptions of these modules and of the LeadershipPlenty(R) program is available
below. If you're interested in applying for
LeadershipPlenty(R),
please see the linked application below.
About the program
All training modules will be lead by a certified LeadershipPlenty(R) trainer.
PROGRAM DETAILS
The LeadershipPlenty(R) training program consists of nine modules (below) that
identify skills vital for people to develop in order to solve community problems.
Among the skills addressed in the modules are: group development and dynamics,
techniques for managing meetings, dealing with conflict, developing partnerships and
project implementation skills. Complementing the LeadershipPlenty(R) training
program is a practicum entitled Facing the Challenge of Racism and Race Relations
that provides participants with the opportunity to address issues of race and use
their training to deepen understanding of community challenges and engage in
effective group work.
MODULE ONE: FINDING LEADERS WITHIN
* This module introduces the theme of LeadershipPlenty(R) that the plenty in
community leadership comes from recognizing the wealth of capacities
that people in the community possess. Reinvigorating civic leadership with new
energy and diverse experience strengthens communities. The purpose of Module One is
to help participants begin the exploration of leadership development by uncovering
their own unique skills and reflecting on their experiences of community. It
explores the questions: What experiences have we had with community involvement? How
can we creatively use our individual skills to build community leadership? What
techniques help us balance personal reflection and community action? Where do we go
from here?
MODULE TWO: IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY ASSETS
* The concept of LeadershipPlenty(R) highlights the diversity of people in every
community who are its potential leaders. The purpose of Module Two is
to develop in participants an understanding and appreciation of the assets model for
community change pioneered by John Kretzmann and John McKnight. The activities in
this second module give participants an opportunity to
train their eyes on the leadership assets in their community and
brainstorm about how these assets can be mobilized for change. The session explores
the questions: What difference will it make to look at our community through its
assets rather than its deficits? How can we go about discovering undervalued assets
in our community? How can we be more inclusive in identifying our community's
leadership potential? What happens
when we bring the leadership assets of our community together?
MODULE THREE: MANAGING GROUPS FOR RESULTS
* What happens when people come together to solve community problems? The ability of
a group to take action and accomplish results can be thwarted by the fact that it is
difficult to work together effectively as a team. These tensions are a natural part
of group work. All groups that endure the test of time experience fairly predictable
stages of development. The purpose of Module Three is to increase
participants'understanding of group dynamics and familiarize them with issues and
tensions that most groups experience. The session explores the questions: How do our
different backgrounds and experiences affect our participation in groups? Are the
dynamics and tensions in our LeadershipPlenty(R) group normal? How can team members
communicate more effectively with each other?
MODULE FOUR: MAKING MEETINGS WORK BETTER
* Effective meeting-management skills are essential for leaders as they negotiate
the complex interests of the community. Well-managed meetings actually help motivate
people to stay involved in community-change efforts and reserve group energy for
substantive issues. The purpose of Module Four
is to provide participants with the organizational strategies and tools for
achieving group purposes in community meetings. It explores the questions: For what
purposes do we hold group meetings? How do conflict and tension play an integral
role in group work? What are some techniques for
facilitating productive meetings that accomplish specific goals?
MODULE FIVE: MANAGING CONFLICT
* Communities are groups of people who may not know each other and have had
different life experiences, but who live in proximity to each other and have
interests in common. Our vision of the world and how it operates is influenced by
our culture, our parents, our age, our personality, and a whole range of other
factors. Module Five addresses the inevitable fact of life: Individuals do not
always agree. The challenge and opportunity for a community leader is to learn how
to manage conflict and to channel its energy in a positive way. The purpose of
Module Five is to explore the necessity of conflict in group work and its role in
the consensus-building process. It explores the questions: How can we better
understand conflict and its role in community work? Can we make conflict work for us
instead of against us? What strategies will help us work through conflict? What if
we can't reach consensus?
MODULE SIX: BUILDING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
* Building partnerships between diverse organizations and individuals marshals the
community's resources, talents, and assets for change. By identifying their own
self-interests and understanding and acknowledging the interests of others,
organizations are able to build and sustain strategic partnerships. The purpose of
Module Six is to help community leaders understand partnerships better and engage in
them more effectively as they strive to solve complex community problems. It
explores the questions: Why work with partners to solve complex community problems?
Who do we need to help us find solutions to community problems? How can we minimize
the risks that come with partnerships? How can we organize an effective partnership?
MODULE SEVEN: MOVING FROM TALK TO ACTION
* Ambitious visions are not realized in a day. Module Seven examines the strategies
that help leaders chart the journey from community vision to concrete action. This
module takes a bird's-eye view of the tough terrain
to travel from talk to results. The purpose of Module Seven is to enable a group to
get started, to make measurable progress, to celebrate
accomplishments, and to revise plans if necessary. It explores the questions: How do
leaders go about planning and actually getting started on a community change
project? How can we achieve measurable outcomes along the way? How do we know if our
action plan is working and how can we change our plan?
MODULE EIGHT: VALUING EVALUATION
* Many of us think the word "evaluation" means being tested-that someone is going to
tell us everything we're doing wrong. LeadershipPlenty(R) introduces evaluation as
an opportunity for groups to reflect on the results of their work. Developing
project goals and strategies to reach these goals, as well as anticipating a
project's outcomes are primary steps in planning or conducting a program evaluation.
The purpose of Module Eight is to help participants understand and value program
evaluation and learn the main steps for determining the effectiveness of a program.
It explores the questions: What is evaluation and why should we evaluate? What has
to be in place before we're ready to evaluate? How do we go about evaluating our
projects or programs?
MODULE NINE: COMMUNICATING FOR CHANGE
* Community change doesn't occur in a vacuum or among an isolated group of citizens.
For substantive change to occur, many people in a community need to know about it
and be involved. This doesn't just happen. It takes deliberate effort and specific
skills to sustain a conversation in the larger community about the issue(s) you are
addressing. Module Nine introduces strategic communication as an important tool for
achieving results by developing and sharing a powerful message with targeted
audiences. It explores the questions: Why does our group need to
communicate about its work to the larger community? How do we inform others about
theimportance of this work? How do we communicate our message to different
audiences?
PRACTICUM: FACING THE CHALLENGE OF RACISM AND RACE RELATIONS
* We suggest that LeadershipPlenty(R) groups use this practicum as an opportunity to
hold conversations about racism and race relations because this is an issue with
which most communities in America are grappling. To move forward on a wide range of
areas-from quality education, to
affordable housing, to living-wage jobs-communities and individuals must examine how
racial issues influence the current situation. The practicum was developed in
collaboration with the Study Circles Resource Center, and it introduces the study
circle as a practical tool for community
discussions. It explores the questions: How does race affect the way our community
addresses (or doesn't address) problems? What is a study circle? How can dialogue
help a group move forward on a tough issue such as race and racism?
What is the LeadershipPlenty(R) philosophy?
*
People working for community change should answer the question, "What basic
assumptions and values should guide what we do?" The following core values and
assumptions guided the development of the LeadershipPlenty(R) Training Program and
are reflected throughout the modules.
People working together can solve problems in their communities.
Effective long-term solutions to community problems demand that people with diverse
perspectives of the problem, especially those people most affected by the problem,
be involved in developing and implementing the solution.
By working together on meaningful problem-solving activities, people build
relationships that benefit the long-term health of the community. Working together
creatively and respectfully through honest acknowledgment of self-interests is a
better strategy to address problems than an "us" against "them" approach.
Community problem-solving efforts should be inclusive. They
arestrengthened by engaging people of different
backgrounds and
lifeexperiences.
Learning is a life-long activity. All individuals can learn new skills that will
enhance their ability to participate in community problem solving. All individuals
(including established leaders) can benefit from opportunities to develop and
practice collaborative skills important to community problem solving.
Sincerely,
PAUL STEWART
Executive Director
East Lewis County Chamber of Commerce
118 State Street
PO Box 562
Mossyrock, WA 98564
Office: 360-983-3778
Cell: 360-751-0369
website: http://www.eastlewiscountychamber.com
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