In its ongoing mission to make certain everyone in Linn County has the opportunity to participate in community development, the Green Hills Community Action Agency (GHCAA) is gearing up to provide leadership training for the area’s under-served.
Step Up To Leadership is an income-based effort designed to empower those who may never have had the chance and/or self-confidence to assume leadership roles in their communities of residence.
Restricted to those whose income is 200 percent of the federal poverty level or less, Step Up To Leadership is aimed at bringing out the best in those who may not be members of the community’s economic and social elite but are capable of making meaningful contributions with some encouragement, nonetheless.
Last Wednesday, community leaders representing agencies as diverse as Park Baptist Church, the Linn County Commission, Senate Bill 40 (SB40), Brookfield R-3, the Brookfield Area Growth Partnership (BAGP) and the Missouri Division of Family Services (DFS), met at Brookfield’s Park Baptist Church to discuss the program’s goals and begin recruiting group facilitators and students.
The Step Up To Leadership curriculum is developmental (i.e., each class builds upon learning from previous classes) and will be limited to about 15 participants. But before the first session can be offered, there is still a need for volunteer group facilitators with expertise in the following areas: building self-esteem and a personal vision for positive change; group dynamics; diversity and inclusion; effective communication techniques; nonprofit organizations; responsibilities of boards; parliamentary procedure; conflict and anger management; public speaking; writing resumes and grants.
Step Up To Leadership, which is offered free of charge to eligible participants, is a 12-session program with each session lasting three hours and a light meal provided. There is also financial assistance to help cover the costs of childcare and transportation for those who qualify. All participants need to bring is an open mind and a willingness to change lives—their own as well as others.

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