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Creating Empowered Volunteers and Community Leaders
By Alicia Morris-Rudd
A core tenet of The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc’s (JLC) mission centers around developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Training is essential for leadership, growth and continued learning, and a required component of League membership. Through an annual program of training and education, covering a range of workshops, seminars and events, the nearly 1,600 members of the JLC make a significant impact on our community through what they have learned.
The JLC’s trained volunteers take what they have learned in the League to extend their influence in business, philanthropy and advocacy. The benefit of Junior League voluntarism and personal development impacts our community long after active membership.
Members gain experiential training through their volunteer roles each year, serving in one of five areas: Community Impact, Fund Development, Communications, Education and Training and Membership. Additionally, the JLC’s Education and Training Council delivers multi-faceted, relevant and flexible trainings structured to create empowered volunteers and community leaders.
“The experience and confidence I have gained in the League led me to take on leadership roles within the League and in other organizations. The development of others has become a passion and I want to serve as a resource for others in this organization. - Paris McAdoo, Incoming Education and Training Manager
“2020 forced a new design on a leadership framework and demanded a new focus on how to truly lead people across all industries. During this pandemic, the JLC took our leadership development programs and demonstrated how professional leaders should pivot and lead people through a crisis. It is not always about how a leader leads in the good times, but also how a leader leads in challenging times. The leadership training curriculums were adjusted masterfully to still execute and prepare the JLC members to be professional leaders no matter the challenge.” - Nicole Smith, Education & Training Council Manager Paris McAdoo
Nicole Smith
LEADERSHIP TRAINING
New Member Training: New Members, both Provisionals and Transfer members, are immersed in training from the beginning. They meet as a group and have monthly small group meetings to learn about all aspects of the JLC. Additionally, Provisional members have the option to complete a Capstone Project with a focus in the community. As of this League year, the Provisional course has also added a diversity and inclusion training component to the program.
General Membership Meetings: These meetings provide JLC members with more robust content around the inner-workings of the League. Members have a unique opportunity to learn about various relevant topics and community needs from prominent guest speakers. Committee reports, event promotions and important JLC updates from the leadership team are also shared.
Training Tuesdays: The Training and Development committee offers monthly training opportunities to members on a variety of topics including developing leadership skills, mindset growth, poverty simulations, finance, community engagement and issue awareness. This year’s programing has centered on the theme of #Growth. This committee also oversees our annual LEAD (Leadership Engagement and Development) Saturday for all incoming League leaders.
A key benefit of JLC membership is the selection of low- to no-cost seminars, award-winning workshops, well-known speakers and other training opportunities offered throughout the year. Leadership Training Programs: Members who are interested can participate in any of our formal training programs to develop a specific area of skills.
• Leadership Development Institute (LDI) supports the JLC’s goal to help members become great leaders both in the League and in the community by strengthening their leadership skills. LDI Participants attend eight indepth workshops, as well as optional community service and social engagement opportunities each month. LDI is open to JLC members and the community.
• Get On Board is a five-session training program designed to identify and develop leadership skills. Whether you are new to voluntarism, are interested in serving as a volunteer leader or are already a board member seeking to enhance your skills, this event is designed for you! This program is open to JLC members and the community.
• Public Policy Institute (PPI) is an Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) award-winning training program designed to help League and community members deepen their understanding of advocacy and public policy issues. The PPI curriculum teaches participants advocacy skills on the local, state and national levels. Participants also learn from city council members, state officials and community leaders who share their experiences of advocating for change. This training program typically has two sessions, one in the fall and one in the spring. PPI is open to JLC members, area League members and community partners.
Training and Education Information and Questions: Training and Education is a valuable part of the Junior League experience. If you are interested in serving as a Keynote Speaker, offering a location or serving as a nonprofit partner, please contact us at info@jlcharlottte.org.
