 Leadership & Community Building Main
Resource Center for Neighborhoods
Leadership & Community Building Fellows Program
Regional Youth Leadership
What is the Leadership and Capacity Building Fellowship Program (LCBF)?
This is our most in-depth skill-building and leadership development program for community leaders. It is designed for teams from communities who are dedicated to improving their communities and want to be more effective. This years program includes an in-depth look at development and how organized communities can impact the development process impacting neighborhoods.
Who should enroll?
Teams of 3-5 committed residents who are dedicated to their community. The group needs to have at least three people at each session. Each team must identify a concrete community project that they want to act on within a year.
This program can help:
· grassroots communities that have ideas but aren't sure how to make things happen
· an established group that wants to work on developing new leadership
· a group with lots of energy that needs structure and sustainability
· a group that is ready to move away from just complaining to having a proactive strategy & vision.
What do community leaders get from the program?
The LCBF is a nine-month program that includes two basic phases: skill-building and practicum.
Skill Building:
From October to February Fellows will meet twice a month (one Saturday & one weeknight) to cover:
· personal leadership
· organizational structure
· media and advocacy
· partnerships, fundraising
· project planning
* There are also two overnight retreats - see schedule for dates
Practicum:
During the practicum phase, Fellows will implement their community project with technical assistance (whatever they need) provided through CPHA.
LCBF Class of 07 Fellows:
- Redeemed of Our Youth had a vision of empowering young people through education and civic engagement. With a leadership grant through the program, Redeemed of Our Youth partnered with an area church to implement an youth empowerment program. They successfully created a board of both youth and adult members and are continuing to grow.
- Fayette Street Outreach realized that the community was fractured. To mend the fracture, this dedicated team of volunteers organized a community congress to provide a platform for community residents to articulate their concerns and top priorities. With their leadership grant from CPHA, they held several activities to inform and entertain residents.
- Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council, GMCC, is a well-established organization. Nevertheless, with new development at Mondawmin Mall, Coppin State College, and historic Frederick Douglass High School, the team wanted to expand the board to include not just commuity residents but also community partners. As Sandra Almond-Cooper, team member, would say, "In our community you can go from kindergarten to college without ever leaving the neighborhood." With their leadership grant, GMCC held a meet and greet to recruit the many institutional partners to expand the board.
- McElderry and Looney Lane was brought together because they felt that their community association had deserted them. With the help of a organizer from Banner Neighborhoods, residents came together to develop a safety and beautification agenda. On their target blocks there are flags and flowers where there was once only concrete as a result of their leadership grant.
- Boyd Booth Community Association decided that it was time for residents to reconnect with the community. One of their team members, Rose Carter, went on to complete the Real Time Community Change Program at CPHA. Ms. Carter created revived the block captain program, supplied households with new trash cans, held a holiday decoration contest, and coordinated regular cleanups that have resulted in a cleaner neighborhood with increased resident participation.
LCBF Class of 05 Fellows:
- Brooklyn/Curtis Bay Coalition Education Committee is focused on bringing a new high school into the area. They have recently completed a community needs assessment that will help to determine the types of programs that are needed in the community.
- Brooklyn Heights Improvement Association is working with the community, Anne Arundel County police and other stakeholders to revitalize a community park.
- Sharp Leadenhall Planning Council recognizes that need for a strategic plan for the neighborhood that is for them and by them. There goal is to have developers, the City, and others who are now focused on the area to buy-in their plan for the community and not the other way around. In July 2005, they successfully advocated for MTA to open what was a ceremonial light rail stop to a full service stop for all!
- The TRE Community Outreach Program is a new program that wants to decentralize leadership within their organization and build the team's capacity for the long haul.
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