The Leadership Challenge Program is designed for young adults, age 21-29. For people who are more senior, we recommend our Signature Program, Leaders for A Lifetime.
The Leadership Challenge Program is a short-format program that meets for an hour and half monthly for six months. It is a skills based, hands-on program that includes an immersion project to benefit a non-profit organization in Snohomish County. Participants spend 45-60 hours on the immersion project.
Everything you experience in the Leadership Challenge Program will prepare you to assume greater responsibility for your "community". We believe community is where you build it. You will find more meaningful and rewarding ways to get involved. You will also be able to transfer much of you experience to your place of employment. Our graduates find their leadership abilities are valuable assets to every employment setting.
Education, Immerison, and Synthesize- to combine various elements into a new whole.
Individuals apply to enter the program. We begin with an orientation to get to know you better, provide some information on non-profit culture, leadership principles, and introduction to your community immersion project person. Participants spend 45-60 hours to complete their immersion project. These project hours are scheduled on your own as it fits for your schedule. Each month we meet in the late afternoon 4:00-5:30pm to learn about a leadership topic and discuss how it applies to your immersion project and to yourself. As part of the educational experience, there will be a four-hour community board training to learn more about boards and how to serve on boards effectively. The final session, the capstone, each participant share their immersion project and what you learned from the experience about yourself and your leadership abilities.
Education topics covered: The culture of non-profit organizations, leadership skills in the context of community work- ethics, relationship building, communication, taking initiative, problem solving, board service and stewardship.
All program dates are on the application.
This is a challenging experience. It is meant to "stretch" you outside of your comfort zone. Expect it to feel difficult at times. We will support you to face the challenges, but we will not step into the challenge. We believe the program learning will happen as you rely on yourself to grow new skills to face the challenge.
To truly gain from this program you must be willing to share and participate in the monthly discussions. Our program relies upon your ability to be reflective and share insights with each other in the once a month meeting.
Applications for the next Leadership Challenge Class are on the apply page of this website. Classes begin October 2013, but applications are turned in Feb. 2013-May 2013. Hope to see you in our next class.