Rural Prosperity Nebraska is leading the charge on revolutionizing leadership development for Nebraska’s rural communities by hosting a multi-step revisioning of traditional leadership development programs.

Funded by a grant from the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Rural Prosperity Nebraska has teamed up with the ALEC department at UNL, the Heartland Center, Iowa State University, and Nebraska Community Foundation to run the Chautauqua.

The Chautauqua brings together leadership professionals, economic development directors, university scholars and any individuals who support local leaders to engage in conversation that rethinks community leadership development. The long-term goal is to arrive at a consensus on the most effective methods of developing leaders and leadership capacity within communities.

The Chautauqua will include guided conversations about common assets of leadership, communities’ successes and challenges, what leadership research looks like in practice, how to think differently about community leadership systems, curriculum delivery methods between individuals and cohorts, mentoring structures, as well as the most effective locations for leadership training. In addition the interactive discussions will cover inclusive methods of delivering these programs to those typically excluded, such as those who work late shifts or have limited transportation.

During the dinner hour, attendees will participate in a “progressive dinner,” where different food stations will tackle different topics, ranging from developing collective leadership capacity to revolutionizing the best practices for leadership development. Participants will take home a guided workbook to think through how their local community or the communities they serve might revolutionize their approach to community leadership development.