What is Leading Communities BC?
Leading Communities BC is an action-oriented community leadership training program which works with emerging, potential and experienced leaders in rural communities to develop and enhance their leadership skills for collaborative community action. The program is delivered on-site in rural BC communities, and works with a diverse group of 15-20 people in each participating community to develop a strong network of skilled citizens who are committed to building a healthy, vibrant community.
Through the program, participants enhance their leadership capacities, deepen their understanding of community issues and opportunities, and develop relationships and skills for community collaboration. Leading Communities BC is unique in its focus on collaborative leadership for community revitalization, and the development of an innovative mindset to respond creatively to issues and opportunities in rural communities.
A Collaborative Approach to Community Leadership:
Leading Communities BC is based on the premise that broad based collaborative community leadership is a central element for building healthy, sustainable communities. As many rural communities across Canada experience social, environmental and economic change, it is becoming increasingly important that diverse community members develop the skills to come together across differences in order to plan and take action for their community’s well-being.
While many communities have traditionally believed in the importance of strong individual leaders, a common challenge is to develop the skills and relationships necessary for a collaborative approach to leadership. A collaborative community leadership approach focuses on building partnerships and alliances across sectors and interest groups, and engages people in positions of leadership as well as people who do not necessarily identify themselves as "leaders", but have much to contribute to their community.
Program Structure:
Leading Communities BC is delivered on-site in rural communities and offers participants approximately 70 hours of training over the course of 5- 6 months, with some follow-up work on a class community project. The program schedule is designed according to the needs of the participating communities, however, the program generally takes place one weekend per month over a period of approximately 5-6 months (sometimes longer if there is a summer break). A typical schedule for the leadership class is Friday afternoon and evening and Saturday morning and afternoon.
Learning sessions are facilitated by a team of facilitators who bring extensive experience in adult education, leadership and community development.
Leading Communities Curriculum & Content:
The Leading Communities BC curriculum is both experiential and practical. It is designed to explore real-life issues and develop skills that are relevant and real to communities. The program includes a number of core topics designed to give participants a solid foundation in community leadership and community development, as well as the opportunity to explore specific topics based on their particular realities. The curriculum focuses on developing leadership competencies in 4 key areas:
- Personal Leadership – developing the “Leader Within” through enhancing self-awareness and congruence between personal beliefs, values and action.
- Collaborative Leadership- developing interpersonal effectiveness, team learning, and working across differences.
- Community Leadership – understanding community systems, and tools for community building.
- Transformational Leadership – being an effective “change agent” by building inspiration, shared vision, and empowerment of others to lead change.
Leading Communities BC has been developed based on principles of adult learning, and draws on the knowledge, skills and experience of participants to bring the topics to life. The program content varies in each community based on their particular issues and interests, however, examples of topics that are covered in the program include:
- The Leader Within – Personal Leadership Styles and Values
- Theories and Practice of Leadership
- Understanding Community & Community Systems
- Identifying Community Assets
- Diversity, Difference and Power
- Effective Communication Strategies
- Group Dynamics and Team Learning
- Dealing with Conflict
- Building and Sustaining Community Collaboration
- Facilitating Effective Meetings
- Community Development Models
- Strengthening Social Capital
- Tools for Community Economic Development
- Building Shared Vision
- Community Mobilization and Engagement
- Developing Successful Community Initiatives
- Youth Engagement and Leadership
- Building an “Entrepreneurial” Community Attitude
- Creating a Learning Community
- Leading Innovation and Change
Participants:
An important aspect of Leading Communities BC is bringing together different “voices” and experiences of the community by building a diverse participant group. Through a selection process, Leading Communities BC selects a mix of experienced, emerging and potential leaders which represent the diversity of each community including different socio-economic groups, interests, life experiences and cultural backgrounds. The program is intended to strengthen the skills of those who hold leadership positions, and also be available to people who may not consider themselves “leaders”, but who have much to offer their community.
In order to facilitate the development of new leaders, youth are encouraged to participate, and experienced leaders are encouraged to mentor those with less experience. Among others, typical participant groups might include: youth, past and present elected officials, aboriginal representatives, educators, community volunteers, non-profit staff, managers and board members, business owners, institution representatives, seniors and students.
Class Community Projects:
Leading Communities BC focuses on putting learning into practice through participants’ development of a class community project. The class project provides an opportunity for participants to deepen and apply their collaborative community leadership skills through real experience. In doing so, they practice generating solutions to local community issues, and building on local assets, resources and opportunities. This is an essential part of the leadership development experience, which extends beyond the 6 month period of the core curriculum. The project is intended to be relatively small, though visible and tangible, where members can complete it within an average of 20-50 hours beyond the class time. The leadership class is also eligible to apply for a matching grant of up to $5000 from Leading Communities BC to implement their project. The range of possible projects will be discussed further during the training weekends.
Participation and Attendance:
The program is designed for the interested participant, the person who is already engaged or wants to be involved in community building, and is “ready” to learn from and with others. One of the key norms of the program is 100% attendance, with the exception of family and work emergencies
Outside of the learning sessions, participants are expected to complete some pre-readings and experiential activities, and to be involved in the implementation and completion of the class community project, which extends beyond the 5 learning sessions. Typically, participants should expect to commit approximately 20-50 hours on the class project over the course of up to one year after the training sessions, depending on the nature and scope of the project which is selected.
Individuals who are selected for the program and have intentions to attend every session, but then decide the program is not right for them, are encouraged to leave rather than be disappointed by the class. In this case, we ask that you simply advise the program facilitators of the decision.
About the Program Partners:
In order to draw on the best practices of community leadership development, CIEL collaborates with a number of other organizations in the design and delivery of the Leading Communities program. Our current Program Steering Committee includes representatives from a range of leading organizations in the field including:
- BC-Yukon Community Economic Development Network,
- Centre for Sustainability
- Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC-BC)
- Community Foundations of Canada
- Canadian Rural Partnership
- Columbia Basin Trust
- Community Futures Development Association of BC
In addition to work with the Steering Committee, we are continuing to develop new collaborations with other organizations through the BC Rural Leadership Network, as well as other Canadian and international leadership programs. In particular, CIEL has developed an important partnership and builds on the experience of Rural Development Initiatives and the Ford Institute Leadership Program a rural community leadership training in the states of Oregon and California.
Financial support for the pilot phase of Leading Communities BC is provided by the Canadian Rural Partnership.
Through the program, participamts will:
- Increase your personal, interpersonal and community leadership capacities
- Develop a new understanding of your community’s assets, challenges and dynamics
- Engage in a learning community and become part of a cross-sectoral network of community leaders
- Practice your leadership skills through the development of a collaborative community project
- Cultivate creativity and an innovative mindset to respond to community challenges and opportunities
- Become more effective at working collaboratively with others, and responding to complex issues
Benefits to the community include:
- Developing a “critical mass” of skilled leaders who share common tools and experience
- Encouraging new, innovative thinking on community challenges and opportunities
- Deepening relationships amongst community members, and greater collaboration across sectors and interests
- Implementing a class community project which benefits the larger community
- Supporting leadership succession through development and mentorship of new and emerging leaders
- Enhancing a sense of community “trusteeship” and engagement amongst community members