3/6/2009

Neighborhood Leadership Institute Now Accepting Applicants

The Department of Neighborhood Services and Community Development is now accepting applications for its third Neighborhood Leadership Institute according to Beverly P. Johnson, Department Administrator.  The Neighborhood Leadership Institute is designed to strengthen leadership in the community by providing training to leaders and potential leaders of neighborhood groups and community organizations.

The Neighborhood Leadership Institute boasts 42 graduates since the program’s inception in 2007.  Participants leave the program armed with strengthened skills and new partnerships.  “The leadership classes are informative and designed for anyone that has a passion to make positive changes in their community,” states Robert Paris, a 2008 graduate.

Leadership training sessions include: Effective Meetings, Strategic Planning, Conflict Resolution, and Cultivating Cultural Diversity among others. Classes will begin with an orientation in May and end with a recognition ceremony at the 11th Annual Neighborhoods and Codes Conference on October 23.

Participants in the Neighborhood Leadership Institute must be an active member of a neighborhood association or community organization, or in the process of starting a new group inside the city limits of Chattanooga.

The deadline to submit an application is April 10, 2009 and the class is limited to 35 participants. There is no fee required to submit an application or participate in the program. To request an application or for more information, call Donna Deweese at 423-425-3718 or download an application by visiting: www.chattanooga.gov/86_NeighborhoodServicesandCommunityDevelopment.htm