Applications for fall FH leadership series due Aug. 31

FutureHeights (FH) invites Cleveland Heights residents who want to create positive change in their neighborhoods to apply for the 2021 Neighborhood Leadership Workshop Series.

This multidisciplinary neighborhood leadership development program is designed for individuals who are enthusiastic about positively contributing to the community in which they live, work and play. Participants will learn leadership skills and gain knowledge about best practices, tools and techniques to make their neighborhoods strong, safe and vibrant.

The program enables residents to network with other civically minded community members. Many Neighborhood Leadership Workshop Series graduates go on to join nonprofit boards, city committees and commissions, and apply and receive funding for community- or neighborhood-based projects through the FH Neighborhood Mini-Grants Program.

“I found the workshops to be extremely helpful in giving me a space to work out ideas I had, and shape them with the help of other people with similar interest in working for Cleveland Heights,” said Michael Hagesfeld, a 2018 participant. “The speakers were interesting and helped give different perspectives I could apply to my particular situation. Working with other people who also had a drive and love for Cleveland Heights inspired me, in addition to giving me ideas I could apply to my concept and help them with theirs.”

Donna Johnson, a 2019 participant, said, “Participating in the FutureHeights leadership program was the perfect resource to help me rally and engage my neighbors.”

The program takes an assets-based community-development approach, which means that it seeks to build on a neighborhood’s strengths. “We have several principles that guide the program,” said Mark Chupp, an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and member of the FH Civic Engagement Committee, which developed the sessions. “We believe that institutions lead best by stepping back and supporting residents and voluntary groups, and that everyday people have the power to do extraordinary things right where they live.”

The program is funded by the city of Cleveland Heights through a Community Development Block Grant and by individual contributions to FutureHeights.

The 2021 workshop series will take place on Sunday afternoons, 3–6 p.m., on Sept. 9, Oct. 3, Oct. 17, and Nov. 14, at the FutureHeights offices, 2843 Washington Blvd. Topics are Individual Leadership; Asset-Based Community Development; Planning Your Project; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Policy & Advocacy; Learning the History of Cleveland Heights and Your Neighborhood; Leveraging Community Resources; and Building Community. All Cleveland Heights residents are encouraged to apply; childcare is free and provided during sessions.

Applications are due by Aug. 31, at 5 p.m. The simple, two-page application can be found at www.futureheights.org/programs/community-building-programs. For additional information, contact Sruti Baz, director of community-building programs at 216-320-1423 or sbasu@futureheights.org.