OUR VISION

Did you know there is a community leadership program (CLP) in nearly every city in the country working locally to bring people together and bridge differences?

Our vision is to amplify this hyperlocal work through shared national strategy. Because CLPs are deeply rooted in their communities, they can bring diverse leaders together to understand, collaborate and take action on critical issues. As trusted messengers they are uniquely suited to helping us lead across differences and avoid polarizing divisions. In order to solve 21st-century challenges, we need a an informed and engaged citizenry that can understand the mechanics of our democracy, critically evaluate information, discuss complex and divisive issues, and cooperate to achieve shared goals. Our focus on citizen engagement and helping people find common ground can create spaces for people to listen to those with differing views - and encourage people to reflect on the roots of their own worldviews.

The following initiatives will help us deploy resources across CLPs in multiple cities, deliberately and effectively working in communities to bridge the divisiveness, elevate necessary voices, and teach skills critical for effective and thriving dialogue that leads to real, positive change. Working together through NCLC instead of just as a singular city gives us an opportunity to scale this in way that will truly drive change.

Leading Across Differences

  • Leadership programs are the epicenter of healing and progress for our communities and country as we help leaders overcome the divisiveness of today and create more positive civic action. 

  • Leadership programs strive to bring diverse leaders together to understand, collaborate, and take action on issues of local, regional, and national importance.

    Words and concepts have become hyper-polarized and politicized making it difficult for individuals to communicate clearly and productively.

    Citizens need more effective ways to enact social change and they need greater faith that their voice will make a difference.

    There are few to no organizations or programs deliberately and effectively working in communities to bridge the divisiveness.

  • Create and pilot new Leading Across Differences program/ module with virtual and in-person elements to scale across multiple markets.

  • New approach to leadership training/skill-building that includes an understanding of polarity and gets leaders to talk to each other in ways that produce positive results in/for community.

    Reach more people through technology and a mixed delivery model (virtual and in-person).

    Create new revenue stream through grant dollars, sponsorships and/or program revenue.

Creating & Sharing
DEI Knowledge

  • Leadership programs embody and develop in the diverse leaders they serve best practice I.D.E.A. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) behaviors that improve our communities and our country.

  • Most leadership programs are striving to update their programming, language, behaviors, etc. to reflect best practices in creating belonging for historically underserved and underrepresented people.

    Few leadership programs have the resources to fund this evolution at the depth or scale they would like or need to.

    NCLC partners recognize the need and opportunity to work together to share what they do have and to invest in developing new and better curriculum to reach more leaders more quickly.

  • Create new Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility content/ curriculum/ toolkits to meet expectations of most forward-leaning leadership organizations and operationalize equity in community. Provide specific expertise and increase personnel bandwidth for partner organizations.

  • Leadership programs are successful in equitably attracting diverse leaders.

    Leadership programs are successful in developing impactful leaders capable of creating belonging and inclusion in their organizations and communities.

    DEI expertise in each city to increase organizational bandwidth.