By: Donovan W. Mann – [email protected]
Humboldt, IA – a new program is in the developmental phases for the Iowa State University Extensions and Outreach office in Humboldt.
Program Coordinator Lexi Seuntjens says that community leadership is about bringing people together to create positive changes in their community and as at the core of the new Leading Communities program. “Leading Communities: A Place-Based Leadership Program is an interactive community leadership program based on cutting edge community leadership research by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach”.
She continues by saying “this leadership program is unique in that it is designed to simultaneously provide participants with community-based skills and meet the specific needs of the places in which they live and work”.
Seuntjens says there are three key objectives for the Leading Communities program. “Understand the importance of community engagement, learn four core competencies or skill sets associated with community leadership and learn how to use tools relating to those core competencies to address community issues and opportunities”.
The four core competencies mentioned by Seuntjens are: understanding community leadership and your community, correctly identifying community issues and framing ideas, building social relationship and social capital and mobilizing resources for community action.
Seuntjens says that the program for Humboldt is still in the early stages of development. As a result it is unclear at this time if participants will be chosen based on invitation or if there will be a registration process.
Leading Communities will have six sessions starting in September and continuing to January. More information on program specifics and participants in Humboldt will be released once they are made available to KHBT.