Leaderful Delaware Emerging Leaders Program
Our Vision
To develop diverse leaders who are grounded in their own leadership, can sustain themselves as leaders, support the leadership of others, and can drive community change and growth.
Program Goals
- Develop a shared understanding of leaderful communities
- Enhance the skills necessary to solve problems collaboratively, including effective communication, meeting facilitation, and conflict resolution
- Connect community impact work to professional and personal growth
- Encourage and support practices that restore, inspire, sustain, and empower community leaders
- Build interconnected pipelines of community change agents
- Inspire a peer network
- Create a network of mentors for emerging leaders
Program Overview
Participants receive in-depth exposure to critical issues facing Delaware County and the Catskill Mountains region through lectures, small group conversations, personal introspection, and panel discussions featuring current community leaders.
The innovative curriculum is based on scientific theories of organizational and community leadership. Leaderful Delaware offers an alternative to the traditional model and calls on leaders to be concurrent, collective, collaborative, and compassionate. Strategies include effective facilitation, dialogue skills, intensive listening skills, managing conflict, intercultural competence, leadership styles, and peer coaching.
Program Schedule
Our 2022 program will start on September 13 with an in-person session in Delhi. We will continue to meet on the second and fourth Tuesday afternoons, from 1 to 4 pm, through October. Attendance at our November programs will either be in-person or through a zoom connection (your choice!). After no classes in December, we will resume with hybrid classes through May. An in-person summation/graduation program is planned for mid-May.
Program Fees
Applicants may be sponsored by a business, municipality, or a community organization. Tuition, payable by sponsor or participant, is $300 for the first company enrollee, $200 for the second enrollee from the same company, and $150 for each additional enrollee. Tuition includes all program fees and materials. Payment is required prior to the first class.
Application Process
An application must be submitted by September 1. This is a competitive selection process and, due to the limit on the number of applicants admitted to the program, not all applicants may be accepted.
Download Application Packet (pdf)
Candidates will be selected on their:
- Commitment and motivation to community service
- Previous community service or a desire to become involved in community activities
- Interest in public service and a desire to learn more about public policy
- Potential to advance to leadership positions within their companies
- Commitment to remain in Delaware County
Leaderful Delaware Emerging Leaders Program is an initiative of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce. As a private, not-for-profit, membership organization, the Chamber is a unifying force dedicated to community vitality and economic prosperity.