Action Newsletter, Summer 2000

ALABAMA COMMUNITIES IN TRANSITION

Abstract: At the dawn of the new millennium, Alabama has an important choice to make. Faced with many opportunities and challenges, we can charge forward, remain in place, or slide backwards. The world will not wait for us—we must act. To act effectively and move our state forward, quality and trained leadership is essential.

Keywords: Leadership for the New Millennium, Conquering the Leadership Crisis in Alabama, Building a Bridge for the Future, The Basic Steps to Forming a community Leadership Development Program

The Community Resource Development (CRD) unit of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) publishes Action once each quarter. The CRD unit provides educational and technical assistance in economic development, leadership development, strategic planning, environmental education, community health, and public policy education. We also link community groups to internal and external resources. Our overall goal is to help people solve community problems, take advantage of opportunities, and build on their assets.

Leadership for the New Millennium is the focus of this Summer 2000 issue of Action. Methods of conquering the leadership crisis in Alabama will be addressed. Dr. Willie D. Larkin, Extension Leadership and Organizational Development Specialist and CRD faculty member, is the primary contributor to this issue. Other contributors are Dr. Harry B. Strawn (CRD faculty member and Agricultural Economist) and Claire Twardy (Director of Community Leadership Selma-Dallas County).

The next issue of Action, Fall 2000, will continue the focus on CRD's involvement in Alabama leadership programs. For more information on these topics or suggestions for additional topics, contact the editor at (334) 844-3517, or FAX (334) 844-9022, or e-mail at jchesnut@acesag.auburn.edu.

Later, many of these communities began to create youth leadership programs and seminars very similar to the adult programs. These programs proved very helpful in preparing young people to deal with a plethora of societal problems and issues. These programs speed up the maturity level of youth, shorten their learning curve, and allow them to assume a well-deserved leadership role. One such youth program is highlighted within this newsletter; another will be highlighted in the next newsletter.

Over the past 16 years, I have worked with numerous leadership programs and community development initiatives. During that time, several programs have stood out as being extremely creative and innovative. Several of these program leaders, we call risk-takers, have agreed to highlight their programs for this issue and the next issue of Action. These programs represent both adult and youth initiatives. We hope other educators, community leaders, governmental officials, and business leaders will be encouraged to embrace future leadership programs and initiatives in Alabama. The next issue also will provide a few leadership perspectives from our State Department of Education, since leadership in school systems will continue to be in the forefront of the education reform debates. Ultimately, leadership and education will be key concerns if Alabama is going to realize vast improvements in all spheres of growth and development in her people and infrastructure.

Finally, we all have a stake in our state's progress. We must all be responsible for elevating Alabama to a level of envy by all other states. In order to do that, we must approach everything we do with a sense of urgency. We must have a combination of clear purpose, a solid plan, and a communicated vision of high expectations and standards. And, we must all take Action!

Dr. Harry B. Strawn has developed a general outline for creating a viable community-based leadership program. His article should serve as a blueprint to get you started.

In conclusion, let us remember the quote from Dr. Benjamin Mays, former President of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, when he said, "We must strive to do what we do so well, until no man living, no man dead, and no man yet unborn can ever do it any better." Each of us has three choices in regards to leadership: lead, follow, or get out of the way. There is untapped genius in Alabama; let's harvest those resources for the betterment of our beloved state. For more information on leadership programs in Alabama, please call Dr. Willie D. Larkin at (334) 844-3681 or e-mail WLarkin753@aol.com or wlarkin@acesag.auburn.edu.

Youth Leadership Selma-Dallas County is building a bridge for the future. This program was created in 1997 by the adult Leadership Selma-Dallas County Alumni Association. Harriet Bates, Alabama Extension System Coordinator, was the first director of the youth organization. Claire Twardy, Director of Leadership Selma-Dallas County programs, facilitates the youth program at this time.

Seven area high schools are represented in this youth leadership program each year. City, county, and private school students meet the second Tuesday of each month from September until March to learn about the challenges and opportunities that face Dallas County. Prior to these leadership classes, most of the students had never met. Whether distant in miles or distant in culture, these students did not have an opportunity to learn about one another. Youth Leadership Selma-Dallas County is changing that.

Some of these students played together and studied together in elementary schools. But along junior high school, they decided on different paths. Some students attend the county school system in the rural areas and some students attend the city school system within the three-mile city limits, while other students elect to attend one of the area's three private school systems. Youth Leadership Selma-Dallas County offers these high school juniors the opportunity to network and learn about what their community has to offer while they learn about each other. They love the experience!

A September retreat kicks off the program, where the youth learn about Selma and Dallas County. They learn about economic and industrial growth, education, city and county government, public safety, healthcare, and the judicial system. The class members convene at the retreat to learn about one another through playacting and interpersonal communication. Creative interaction is encouraged.

Betty Gottler, Morgan County Extension Agent, acts as facilitator for the "True Colors" program during the retreat. This program uses colors to identify four distinct perspectives and personalities. Each color represents an individual's character. Most of us have a dominant color, influenced or shaded by the others. In the end, the class members realize they are not just one color, but they have some personality traits from all colors of the spectrum. The class members enjoy this program immensely and Betty Gottler does an excellent job facilitating the "True Colors" program.

One of the important aspects of the Youth Leadership program is to encourage the students to become leaders in their community. A project that encourages this leadership ability is the Black Heritage Walking Tour sponsored by the city of Selma each February. The Youth Leadership class members are asked to volunteer as tour guides for the hundreds of fourth grade Alabama history students that take the walking tour each year. This has proven to be the most interesting session, according to the class members. They learn about the history of the Voting Rights Movement in Selma and Dallas County and they are excited to learn that they can be positive role models for these young students during the tour along Martin Luther King Street.

The program in March concludes with a graduation dinner and program. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and alumni are invited to attend. Each class member is asked to give a minute-long speech, expressing a personal view of the program and what was learned throughout the year. Graduates often respond in a positive manner, expressing joy at the friends made and the opportunities discovered right in their own community. These young leaders tell about lunch at the county jail and the bus ride to International Paper to tour the plant. They talk about the fun of being free to express their own views with their peers and the opportunity to relay this knowledge to friends at school. They especially enjoy the time spent with the younger fourth grade students as they guide them through the Black Heritage Walking Tour along Martin Luther King Street. Many are humbled by the new history lesson they have learned on the tour and the profound developments that happened in their hometown so long ago.

These Youth Leadership Selma-Dallas County alumni members number about one hundred to date, which translates to many youthful minds and hearts now open to change—young people ready to build a bridge to the future in Selma and Dallas County. For more information about the Youth Leadership Selma-Dallas County program, call Director Claire Twardy at (334) 875-8365 or e-mail BuildingABridge@aol.com.

The essence of good leadership is the creation of positive change. In a community context, this involves the understanding of the various institutions and subsystems active within the community and the external environment in which the community operates. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) has been involved in many successful community-based leadership development programs. These programs normally have several common steps. These steps follow:

Step 1. Investigate the feasibility of a local community-based leadership program and set parameters. This involves examining the local climate for leadership education and identifying sponsoring organizations. Goals are also set or refined as sponsoring organizations are identified and brought on board. Concurrently, parameters to define the scope of the program will be set. Great emphasis is placed on local ownership of the program.

Step 2. Program management aspects must be defined in order for the program to move forward. A steering committee of local and knowledgeable people should be selected, and a local coordinator should be chosen. Program finance should be considered at this point. See also Step 5.

Step 3. The steering committee and local coordinator, with help from outside educators should develop the leadership course. This educational experience should be defined to educate and motivate. Participants should learn about all major aspects of the local community and how it interacts with other communities. Local government operation and activities such as education, public safety, transportation, economic development, health, and human services should be included. The course should be approximately a year in length and be generic with respect to local politics.

Step 4. The steering committee and coordinator should approach local governmental entities and get appropriate sanctions for the program. Many local agencies will later be asked to make presentations or otherwise interact with the group.

Step 5. Appropriate procedures should be set up to screen local participants for initial motivation, as well as gender, racial, and geographic balance. Tuition scholarships may be a good idea to ensure participation by students from all economic strata.

Step 6. As part of the course, participants should be asked to divide into groups, analyze a local problem or situation, and present a potential solution or improvement.

Step 7. Participants should participate in a formal graduation with members of the public and local government invited. Their names should also be given to local government for consideration in future appointments to citizen committees or other positions of local responsibility.

Step 8. Upon completion of the second class of participants, an alumni organization should be set up.

Step 9. Evaluation. Both short- and long-term evaluation and feedback procedures should be instituted. After each lesson, students should be asked to evaluate it with respect to content, presentation, usefulness, etc. using a standard form. At the end of the course, students should be asked to evaluate course content and organization using a questionnaire. After a year, alumni should be questioned about current community involvement and leadership activities. For additional information on starting a community-based leadership program (either adult or youth), please telephone Dr. Harry Strawn at (334) 844-3688 or Dr. Willie D. Larkin at (334) 844-3681.