INTRODUCTION

In 1982 The Newark Area Chamber of Commerce formed the Leadership Tomorrow program.  Today a new  educational partnership sponsored by The Licking County Chamber of Commerce, C-Tec and The Newark Campus of  The Ohio State University and The Central Ohio Technical College called Community  Leadership of  Licking County has replaced that organization.  The purpose of Community Leadership is to identify a broad variety of  citizens from Licking County  who  have demonstrated an interest in  assuming  greater leadership roles; to educate them through programs that broaden and deepen  their knowledge of the county's  challenges and opportunities; and, to inspire them to commit their future leadership activities individually and/or collectively to areas that will result in advancing the welfare of the people of our community.

 BACKGROUND

Currently there are forty-two community based leadership training programs in Ohio graduating over 1,000 participants per year.  According to F. Richard Rohs and Christine A. Langone, the programs are improving the participant's confidence to promote causes, increasing their awareness of public issues, helping them to motivate others while in leadership positions, and  providing  them with a sense of empowerment to influence community affairs.  These highly successful programs challenge  their participants to seek solutions to problems within their own communities.

This is done in Licking County through a series of  nine sessions in which a variety of established community leaders present  panel discussions, field trips, lectures, and hands-on workshops to explore the issues, challenges, and opportunities facing the people of Licking County.  The current participants and program alumni are currently working throughout the community seeking solutions to  many of the  challenges facing us today.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:

Community Leadership is a program that seeks to identify emerging and current leaders from within the community and prepare them for greater civic involvement and responsibility by:
 

•  expanding their knowledge of community problems and opportunities;
•  strengthening their individual leadership styles and skills; and,
•  creating a county-wide leadership network of current and former participants.

THE PROGRAM:

The program has been designed by a number of community leaders and will include the following topics :

October  - Opening Session
October - Education
November  &  December -  The Economy  of Licking County
January - Human Services
February  - Law & Justice
March  - Government
April   - Quality of Life
May  - Community Leadership & Graduation
 

The program  will consist of a one day weekend retreat followed by eight day  long sessions (from approximately 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.).  The  class time commitment will be approximately ten to twelve hours per month.  The program will be arranged by Fred Paul, Business and Industry Partnership Coordinator from C-Tec.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE:

The following are the types of individuals who should apply to the program:

"Emerging Leaders" who wish to expand their knowledge of the community and develop additional leadership skills.

"Volunteer  Leaders" who wish to build there community networks.

"Established Leaders" who wish to renew their commitment to community stewardship.

Community Leadership participants should reflect the community which it serves and we are committed to  achieving diversity in all classes.  We activity seek people from different ethnic, religious, and cultural background.  Women, minority candidates, and individuals from the public service sector  are all encouraged to apply.

COST AND APPLICATION:

The Community Leadership program costs $550.  In order to achieve the most diverse  representation possible from all segments of the county the Chamber and a few  local  businesses  have provided a  limited a number of  scholarship to support  individuals without corporate sponsorship.  To apply complete the form on the following page and forward it to the address below.

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