Leadership Training
A free leadership program
for people in Mount Angel
and Silverton who want to learn how to
work with others to benefit their
community.
There are openings for about 30
people in the fall 2012 class.
The deadline to apply is June 30.
To apply, visit: tfff.org/filp
or call 503-551-6275
By Kristine Thomas
If you are eager to learn ways to connect and work with people in your community to get things done, there is a free program available to teach you the skills you need.
Cecelia Koontz is the regional program coordinator for Rural Development Initiatives, Inc. She’s encouraging people to sign-up for the four weekend fall training.
The Ford Family Foundation of Roseburg funds the program in more than 60 rural communities in Oregon, Koontz said. The Silverton and Mount Angel “ cohort” is recruiting its second group of attendees.
“The Ford Institute Leadership Program or (FILP) is designed to include community members of all ages and all walks of life, from newcomers hoping to make connections to the old-timers in town, and people with all levels of leadership experience – from established to emerging,” Koontz said.
“We encourage youth as young as 13 and the oldest participant in the state was 83,” Koontz added. “People don’t have to live or work in Mount Angel (or Silverton) as long as they are committed to the class and the future vitality of the community. “
Koontz encourages high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors who are not already holding leadership positions at school take advantage of this chance to get involved.
“Students often find the classes are invaluable on scholarship applications, but also help with finding part-time work or connecting with volunteer opportunities,” she said.
Koontz said the class starts with an evening meeting on Aug. 14 and four weekend sessions on Sept. 7 and 8; Oct. 19 and 20; Nov. 16 and 17 and Dec. 14 and 15. There are additional meetings and volunteering for a class project to benefit the community.
Koontz said participants work on topics such as individual leadership, personal behavior and conflict styles, communication, fundraising, and project planning and project management.
“The classes are fun, they present useful information that you can use at work, home and in volunteering, and they are completely free including supplies, materials and lots of great food,” Koontz said.
“We hope that participants spend no more than 20-50 hours total in the months following the class to complete the project.”
Koontz, along with Silverton Chamber Director Stacy Palmer, is encouraging people to apply because they will meet new people, make friendships and learn how to work with others to benefit their community.
“The program educates people on the best way to be leaders,” Palmer said. “Leaders who are not what you typically think of as leaders in the community. The program is for people who volunteer in the schools or community who want to learn how to work collaboratively.”
Palmer enjoyed participating in the program’s first round in 2011 because she meet new people.
“The program helped me to broaden my perspective and to see what’s going on in other parts of the community that I wasn’t aware of,” she said. “I learned how to work through situations and how to work with people with different ideas and skills toward a common goal.”
From the meals to the training, everything is free, Palmer said. What she learned was priceless, she added.
“The end result for me is the program gave me the tools on how to be a better volunteer and how to be more efficient in what I do,” Palmer said. “I learned why some things work and some things don’t when working in a group and how to effectively argue my point without offending anyone.”
Koontz said the best thing about the Ford Leadership program is the way it connects people and organizations to each other and to a vast new world of resources.
“The financial investment of The Ford Family Foundation in rural communities and individuals in astounding,” Koontz said. “Becoming connected with RDI links people into a statewide network on topics such as education, local food systems, arts and culture, micro-enterprise, rural advocacy, leadership development, diversity, natural resource enhancement, non-profit management, and other issues we all care about.”
“The real strength is that the program is designed to grow community leadership and vitality from within – not to impose it from the outside. It’s well worth the investment of time,” she said.
