What Strategies Are Being Used to Support and
Develop the Engagement of New Leadership Voices
In this section we focus on seven strategies that organizations or initiatives
are using to support the emergence and engagement of new leadership voices.
The categories of strategies we discuss are:
Enabling strategies
Enabling strategies create the conditions that encourage and support new
leadership voices to engage in community change efforts. There are often
logistical, emotional, and attitudinal barriers that prevent people from
engaging actively in their communities. These barriers differ depending
on the circumstances of the participant, e.g. the young person who may have
no transportation to get to a meeting, or may be intimidated to speak up
in a group of adults; or the established leader who may undervalue what
community leaders bring to the table. Acknowledging and developing strategies
to address and pay attention to these barriers can encourage and support
people to be more active, productive participants in community change efforts.
Addressing and Meeting Basic Needs
For many new voices, there are practical limitations to their ability to
participate in change efforts. These include: limited financial resources
that make volunteering a hardship, lack of transportation, family responsibilities,
an inability to read and write, and skills to get and hold a job that pays
a living wage.
Some people do not have the resources to participate in community activities.
Most of these activities require a volunteer commitment. One young woman
wanted to volunteer in the BAMA Kids program, but she told the organizers
that she could not do it because she had to work. As a result some grant
money was made available to pay her, and others, as interns.
Transportation and travel costs are a major barrier for some people to participate
in leadership opportunities. Joy DesMaris notes that "transportation is
a real issue for blue-collar kids" because their parents cannot bring them
to meetings. To address this, the BAMA Kids program has a van that picks
up youth participants who cannot attend meetings any other way.
It is not just youth who need practical support to participate. In order
to encourage people to volunteer in support of a disease prevention project
in Alabama, adult volunteers were given support including transportation,
provision of places to meet, access to an office and copying, etc.
The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership has struggled to engage
fathers in their program training parents. This is largely because fathers
often have less flexible work schedules or less understanding employers.
To make participation possible by fathers, the Institute works with fathers'
employers to help them understand what the program is, why it is important
for the father to participate, and how they can provide support.
Creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for participation
Many of the community change efforts that we reviewed involve bringing new
voices together with those who may be more comfortable and confident in
their leadership roles. New voices may find it difficult to participate
unless efforts are made to create an environment that welcomes and supports
their participation. We identified several strategies that support new voices
to participate.
One strategy is to insure that new voices are not isolated or given token
positions at the table. One young person found, when she first joined the
Board of a national WKKF initiative, that it was hard to speak to the Board.
She was the only young person there, and it did not feel like a safe environment.
She received no orientation and felt discussions were often over her head.
New voices feel more permission and support to participate when there are
others like them at the table and when more attention is given to providing
them with the knowledge to participate effectively.
| When
Kellogg's KYDS initiative found that young people were not saying
anything at the table with adults, they pulled the youth out for a
youth caucus. A facilitator helped the youth discuss their concerns
and issues amongst themselves and then together the young people returned
to the table and shared what they had discussed in the caucus-they
were heard. |
Language
often creates a barrier for emerging new leaders. In the Turning Point Initiative,
new leaders challenged traditional leaders "not to 'jargonize' their talk."
They pointed out how jargon creates an insider-outsider language that excludes
their participation. WKKF Program Director Barbara Sabol reflects, "everyone
comes to the table with their own language. The challenge is to create a
common language that is clear, inclusive, and gives everyone an equal opportunity
to express themselves and be understood." When the
language is not inclusive decisions can be made that may later be derailed
because some people were left out of the discussion.
Another important strategy for inclusion is creating a shared history and
knowledge base. When diverse voices come to the same table, they bring different
histories, knowledge, and experiences with them. Often there are deep wounds,
particularly around racial conflict. Providing opportunities for people
to work through some of their pain and prejudices is essential for enabling
a group, coalition or partnership to be an effective leadership voice. WKKF
Program Director Frank Taylor shared a story about an exercise that a consultant
conducted with a group facing issues of inclusion. The consultant had each
person draw a picture of how he or she viewed the opposing group. "The nastiness
that came through was amazing." These pictures provided an opportunity for
a deeper discussion about stereotypes and prejudices that many community
and business leaders have of each other. Several people mentioned the need
to have a skilled facilitator to assist in this process.
In another example, Betsey McGee described the value of a session held at
this year's Learning InDeed retreat on "Co-Creating Our History." The purpose
of this session was to get "everyone to be on the same page about history
and language." Taking time to pay attention to developing a shared history
enabled the group to work together more effectively.
Taking the Necessary Time
Developing new voices and engaging them in leadership requires time and
a long-term commitment. Antoinette Green says it often takes a year or more
working one-on-one with someone to prepare them to be ready to apply for
a loan. MSDI Program Director, Freddye Webb-Pettet described a project that
had been the slowest at implementation but the most successful at engaging
young people. Joy DesMarais indicated that many organizations only pay lip
service to youth involvement because it takes so much sustained effort and
time. One interviewee commented about developing new leadership voices,
"you need to stick with it long enough to give it a chance to work."
Acknowledging success
We heard from several people about the importance of celebrating and recognizing
success. The process of improving the quality of life for people in communities
takes considerable commitment and effort. Taking the opportunity to celebrate
success validates regularly the efforts that people make. WKKF Program Director
Henrie Treadwell comments, "We don't honor change or celebrate success enough.
People need acknowledgement . . . to keep going." When people's successes
are honored, then their confidence is increased and their commitment to
continuing their engagement is sustained.
Developing an asset perspective
Established leaders need to develop readiness to engage in community change
efforts with emerging leaders. At a minimum they need to view new leaders
as assets whose perspectives and experiences are valuable. In our interview
with Joy DesMarais she spoke about the efforts of the National Youth Leadership
Council to launch a youth leadership camp that sent young people home with
projects to implement. "It became clear," she said, "that adults in their
communities were not ready to work with them." Adults have to be prepared
to welcome the involvement and ideas of youth.
Actively reaching out to engage new voices
Antoinette Green described her efforts to continually create opportunities
for white business leaders to get involved with the Quitman County Development
Organization. Her tenacity and persistence, along with the role of the W.K.
Kellogg Foundation in convening business leaders in the community, resulted
in one banker joining the organization's loan committee. Ms. Green emphasized
the importance of approaching business leaders professionally. If they feel
threatened or perceive a hidden agenda, especially around issues of race,
then a relationship of trust is unlikely to develop.
Experiential Strategies
Experiential strategies provide emerging leaders with opportunities to learn
leadership through the experience of leading. There are three strategies
that we want to highlight in this section: giving people leadership positions
and roles, engaging them in community projects, and providing them opportunities
through re-granting to design and implement their own ideas.
| Kiira
Guftason and Nnennia Ejebe, both in high school at the time they were
involved with a national Kellogg initiative, engaged in the day-to-day
operations of a national program. They participated in setting up
a national youth summit with more than three thousand people in attendance. |
Empowering
through positions and roles
One strategy for developing new leaders is to place them in positions or
roles where they have responsibility for priority-setting and decision-making.
For instance, the Michigan Community Foundation's Youth Project Youth Action
Committees give young people the responsibility to decide which youth projects
will be funded. The National Youth Leadership Council empowers young people
through its Youth Project Teams. They are trained as trainers, travel with
staff, and learn to run a nonprofit organization.
Community Projects
A common strategy, particularly in formal leadership development programs,
is requiring participants to undertake a project in their community either
during or after the program. The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership
requires each participant to implement a project that engages other parents,
is focused on achievement, and is sustainable. Similarly, youth attending
Learning InDeed's youth leadership camp are assisted to develop an action
plan for a community project that they implement upon return to their community.
These projects give people hands-on opportunities to lead.
Other leadership programs, while not requiring community projects as part
of their formal curriculum, teach participants community organizing skills.
Nakeisha Perkins and her Positive Pathways colleagues, organized a voter
registration drive, lobbying efforts, and a community rally for increasing
school taxes. Through these efforts they learned organizing and communication
skills.
| Francisco
Guajardo has used re-granting to give young people opportunities to
realize their ideas. One young person wanted to start a youth radio
station, another a community print shop. With the help of mini-grants
they were able to realize their goals. |
Providing
leadership opportunities through re-granting
powerful strategy for giving new leaders experience is re-granting. Re-granting
makes dollars available to support projects that are envisioned by emerging
leaders and designed to have a positive impact on the community. Significant
trust and confidence is communicated to people when money, and the accompanying
responsibility, is placed in their hands.
Mentoring Strategies
Mentoring, coaching, and other one-on-one support strategies are critical
for new leadership voices to be successful.
Youth members of the National Youth Leadership Council's Youth Project Team
are each given a staff "partner." This is an intentional, one-on-one mentoring
relationship. The term partner is used deliberately, because it is intended
that each pair will move from mentoring to partnership in accomplishing
their work. Joy DesMarais notes that a relationship moves from mentoring
to partnering when, "the adult partner is willing to give the youth partner
responsibility and space to make mistakes."
A rather different example of mentoring was described to us by a youth member
of the Battle Creek Community Foundation's Youth Advisory Council. After
spending a year abroad, Derron Parks returned to his community but did not
step back into his community role with much energy. As he describes, "a
program officer blasted me out for not being involved." This strategy worked
and Derron became reengaged. Having someone who respected his contribution
and had the courage to challenge him, gave him the push he needed to reconnect.
Mentoring is not exclusively reserved for youth. The Commonwealth Institute
for Parent Leadership has regional staff around Kentucky who, after parents
complete the program, continue to coach them through the implementation
of their projects and beyond. Coaches are a source of information, a shoulder
to cry on, and they provide access to networks of parents.
The Native American Higher Education Initiative has identified mentoring
as a pivotal strategy for developing new leaders. The mentoring relationship
can benefit both those who are mentoring and those who are being mentored.
Those who mentor learn how to support and develop new leaders; those being
mentored can "try-on" leadership and have a space for reflection and modification.
Mentoring is especially critical when people are asked to take on leadership
roles and operate in an environment that may be unfamiliar to them. Betsey
McGee spoke about the importance of supporting young people who are recruited
from non-traditional backgrounds to participate fully in the Learning InDeed
network. " Many young people have never worked on a national level before.
The learning curve is big. Young people need coaches/mentors to support
them. We don't have one standard approach for every young person, we apply
different strategies depending on the circumstances."
Skill Development Strategies
The development of new skills is often a primary focus of programs that
support and develop emerging new leaders. The types of skills a program
develops depend on who is participating in the program and the mission of
the organization. Some of the skill development that was most important
to organizations we learned about was developing job and life skills, cultural
competency, community organizing skills, and research and information gathering
skills. We also identify process skills that new voices (and others) have
mentioned that are critical for diverse groups to be effective in working
together.
Job and life skills
The capacity of people to take a leadership role in their communities is
enhanced when they have the job and life skills that enable them to support
themselves and their families. Several of the organizations we described
in this report focus on developing job and life skills of disadvantaged
populations. The Wilcox County Department of Human Resources trained women
moving off welfare to become home health aides; STRIVE works with disadvantaged
men to develop skills and attitudes that will enable them to find long-term
employment; and Quitman County Development Organization works with people
to learn money management and other business skills.
Cultural competence
Strengthening the abilities of people to understand and value diversity,
and confront their own internalized biases and prejudices is a primary focus
of the Southern Empowerment Project (SEP) and the Delta Partnership Initiative
(DPI). Both June Rostan (SEP) and Myrtis Tabb (DPI) describe how their programs
build cross-cultural relationships and understanding by bringing together
diverse groups of people who develop lasting relationships with one another.
In our conversation with Carty Monette we learned about another dimension
of cultural competence - preserving and transmitting cultural heritage.
Turtle Mountain Community College runs Ojibwe language programs in the community
so that young people will have the opportunity to learn Ojibwe language
and culture.
Community organizing skills
Both the Southern Empowerment Project and the 21st Century Leadership Program
build the capacity of leaders to mobilize others to participate in identifying
and addressing pressing community issues. Community organizing empowers
people to help themselves rather than doing something for them.
Research and information gathering skills
The ability of leaders to gather and use information effectively is a powerful
tool for change. Several of the organizations that we have described in
this report are developing the capacity of their participants to gather
and use information including the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership,
the Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum, the National Youth Leadership
Council, the Llano Grande Center for Research and Development, and the Delta
Emerging Leaders Program. Having the right information enables leaders to
make a case for change. The process of gathering this information can also
build community and a sense of validation of one's own experiences, as well
as research and communication skills.
Other skills that were mentioned to us include:
- Coalition-building;
- Conflict-resolution;
- Decision-making;
- Facilitation;
- Group process skills;
- Listening;
- Communication;
- Planning;
- Mentoring
- Priority-setting;
- Relationship-building;
- Self-awareness; and
- Visioning.
| Cheryl
Threadgill with the Wilcox County Department of Human Resources described
how whenever a new issue emerges in her community the first thing
she does is identify organizations that her organization can partner
with to address that issue. She has found it is more effective to
partner with others than try to address issues alone. |
Relationship
building strategies
Relationship building strategies are critical to catalyzing change efforts
that have a positive impact on communities. Relationships are the vehicle
through which people share resources, knowledge and skills; and give each
other support to stay the course when change is often slow in coming. We
found many terms being used to describe individuals and organizations in
relationship with one another including partnerships, coalitions, networks,
associations, and learning communities. Each of these may have a different
purpose but they are all built on the assumption that people in relationship
with one another have a stronger capacity to make change that catalyzes
and sustains social and economic well-being than do individuals or organizations
acting alone.
Partnerships
Many WKKF initiatives have used a partnership strategy to achieve change.
Partnerships are often characterized by bringing people who work in professional
systems and institutions into connection with community leaders.
In some cases, partnerships are challenging traditional expectations about
who needs to be at the table to improve the health of communities. Both
the Community Voices and Turning Point Initiatives have established partnerships
with faith-based communities in order to increase enrollment of the uninsured,
and improve public health systems. Each of these initiatives has also sought
to reach communities that are often left out of partnerships including immigrant
and tribal communities.
Networks
| Tessie
Guillermo of the Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum uses
networks and coalitions as a primary organizing strategy to improve
the health of APIA communities. Her organization's network addresses
domestic violence, tobacco abuse, and HIV/AIDs. In addition, Ms. Guillermo
described a coalition effort among Filipino leaders, who are concerned,
that even though there are many emerging Filipino leaders advocating
for healthier communities in their positions as executive directors
of agencies and organizations, the health of Filipino communities
is not improving fast enough. By coming together to document and share
what they have learned they are hoping to build the leadership capacity
of smaller, less evolved community-based organizations in Filipino
communities. |
Often
relationships are built by establishing and nurturing networks. The Middle
Start Initiative has successfully used networking strategies to develop
the leadership capacity of middle school reform advocates in Michigan. With
considerable success at the state level, a National Forum was created that
brings together leaders from around the country who would like to see changes
in the way that middle schools educate adolescents. These networks give
people an opportunity to meet people in other locations who are engaged
in similar efforts, share strategies and lessons learned, and develop a
support system for catalyzing and sustaining change efforts over time. Some
networking efforts are for an entire field. For example, Learning InDeed
is creating a leadership network for the field of service learning. This
network is focused on the expansion of leaders in the field of service learning.
The network has eight hundred founding members including more than two hundred
organizations; individuals from schools or nonprofit organizations; and
some youth.
Knowledge and information development strategies
| Tessie
Guillermo with the Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum described
how her organization uses data to make a case for change. For instance,
she describes how policymakers have a perception that there is an
overrepresentation of Asian MDs. The APIAHF has demonstrated that
most Asian MDs are Chinese-American who work in specialty care. There
are few MDs from other Asian communities and many Asian-American communities
that do not have adequate access to primary care. |
Making
a case for change
A number of WKKF initiatives and grantees are developing new information
that can be used to make a case for change. Too often the information that
is needed to make a case for change does not exist in a useable format.
The Devolution and Community Voices Initiatives are investing in creating
new knowledge and information based on people's experiences with welfare
and health systems at the community level. Without these new voices, the
case for change would not reflect the needs of those who are directly affected
by welfare and health policies.
| Beverly
Raimundo and Cindy Heine with the Commonwealth Institute for Parent
Leadership described how parents have been able to effectively use
school-based information on student achievement to advocate for curriculum
and educational reform in Kentucky. Gaining access to this information,
and disaggregating it in ways that were useful, were keys to being
able to make a case for change. |
Knowledge
development and civic participation
Francisco Guajardo described how the South Texas community where he lives
used an oral history project to gather information from elders and leaders
in the community. The result is increased participation of young people
and others in community change efforts. The National Youth Leadership Council's
Diversity YES! Project is using a research-based approach to empower young
people of color to take an active role in shaping the agenda of the service
learning community.
Broadening perspectives and developing research skills
The Turning Point Initiative develops the knowledge base of new leaders
by developing resource books on topics like "What is and how do you affect
policy?" Another common strategy is site visits to model programs. Both
the Delta Emerging Leaders Program and the KYDS Seminars used visits to
community programs as a means to broaden perspectives about what is possible
to achieve, learn about the community, and talk to leaders on the ground.
Legitimizing areas of new knowledge
Sometimes leaders need to distinguish a whole new area of information and
knowledge in order to get policymakers and others to pay attention to the
needs of a specific population. One example is the work that the Middle
Start Initiative has done to legitimize middle school education as a distinct
area of expertise that should have its own training and certification. The
Middle Start Initiative helped change the certification process for middle
school teachers in Michigan. Now middle school teachers can have an endorsement
added to their certificate saying they are "experts" in middle school education.
There is now a specific body of knowledge that helps middle school teachers
improve their work.
Resource development strategies
Every change strategy requires resources for implementation. In this section
we focus on several strategies for developing sustainable resources.
Developing fundraising skills
An important resource development strategy is training new leaders in fundraising.
A number of programs provide training to emerging leaders in skills like
grant writing. The Southern Empowerment Project takes a slightly different
approach with an emphasis on grassroots fundraising training as a core piece
of its leadership development efforts. Grassroots fundraising training is
based on the belief that community ownership of an organization's change
agenda depends on developing support and ownership from members of the community.
Effective community organizing requires not only that community members
participate in setting priorities and developing strategy but that they
also support change efforts with money as well.
Bringing new resources into the community
Several grantees spoke to us about bringing new resources into the community.
These resources stimulate economic and community development. One of the
primary strategies of the Turtle Mountain Economic Development Center is
to locate and successfully bring in federal resources to North Dakota tribal
communities.
Antoinette Green, working with a community development organization, said
lots of people have difficulty obtaining the necessary assets for business
development (collateral for loans, etc.). Her organization helps people
overcome these issues and qualify for loans. This community development
organization is supported by a community team made up of local leaders.
The team contributes to enhancing the economic well-being of the community
through its efforts to identify and distribute resources.
| Wong
Communications Network, now a 501(c)(3), was started by a woman and
her husband trying to increase health awareness in their community.
They received a mini-grant from APIA Health Forum to mobilize children
in statewide tobacco prevention efforts. They were supported by the
Forum to obtain state and local money for their program, and they
now have four or five programs and eight staff. This organization's
ability to be an effective policy advocate depended on the resources
they received. |
The
use of mini-grants
We discussed earlier the use of mini-grants as a strategy to support innovative
projects. These grants have also been used successfully to develop the resource
capacity of community-based organizations. The Asian Pacific Islander American
Health Forum has a mini-grants program for grassroots community organizations.
Using grantmaking to increase credibility and influence
Another form of resource development, or capacity building, is giving grants
to people or organizations who, by receiving a grant, have increased credibility
and influence in their community.
NAHEI
gave separate grants to student programs or projects, within Native
American higher education institutions, to focus the attention of
existing leaders on the needs and priorities of students.
Middle Start gave grants to teachers who were pushing middle schools
to be more effective because the teachers' voices were heard when
they brought money to the table. |
There is a wide array of strategies that are being used to develop and support
new leaders. While we do not have the information to evaluate whether a
particular combination of strategies is more effective in some situations
than others, we do note that most organizations and initiatives use a combination
of strategies in their programs suggesting that the capacity to be effective
improves when multiple strategies are used. In the next section we will
examine the impact new leaders are having in catalyzing change in communities.
10. Seth Borgos and Scott Douglas, "Community Organizing
and Civic Renewal: A View from the South,"
https:/www.virginia-organizatin.org/articles/community_organizing.html#footnote.
11. See Community-Institution Partnerships: A WKKF Strategy for Catalyzing
Change and Developing Leadership.
12. The Community Based Public Health Initiative is an example of this approach.
|
