Jackson Free Press

Citizens of Jackson looking to strengthen their voices in the community are about to get the chance to learn how. The Pew Partnership of Civic Change, a civic research organization, has designed a program called LeadershipPlenty that helps to prepare citizens to address problems in their local communities and leadership challenges, including how to get people with different interests to work together. "Working together creatively and respectfully through honest acknowledgment of self-interests is a better strategy to address problems than an 'us' against 'them' approach," explains the project Web site.

For the last two years, the Partnership has teamed up with more than 70 national and regional organizations to distribute the program in their areas. The Jackson Association of Neighborhoods and the Mississippi Development Authority are together providing this leadership training for residents in Jackson communities.

Plans to implement the LeadershipPlenty program have been in the making for awhile, said JAN board member Genny Seely. "We voted to bring the program to Jackson about a year ago. However, we ran into some problems getting it started last year," Seely said.

Jackson Neighborhoods Division Manager Ester Ainsworth said that the program was brought to her attention through a meeting with MDA. The MDA offers the program to many other areas in the state. Ainsworth said that, in Jackson, "the expected outcome is for residents and community leaders to first gain a better appreciation for their community. We also want to be effective in promoting a better quality of life."

The program consists of nine modules. Some of the titles include: Finding Leaders Within, Identifying Community Assets, Managing Conflicts and an optional module called Facing the Challenges of Racism and Race Relations. The session will last from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Jan. 25. Seely said, "Our main objective is to help people build leadership skills so that they can become leaders in their community. We want people to effect a positive change in heir neighborhoods."

JAN Board President Darrell Dobson says that the workshops will be a great help to improve the leadership of neighborhoods in the city. "One of the reasons we invited LeadershipPlenty to conduct this workshop was because we found that we are lacking adequate leadership in our communities. We hope the workshop will make better leaders," Dobson said.

Recently, through MDA, the LeadershipPlenty program has been completed by residents in Copiah County and other areas of Northeast Mississippi, said MDA spokeswoman Sharon Anderson. "Those who participate in the seminars usually come away knowing what to do to take part in their communities," she said.

The sessions will be held in the Warren Hood Building located at 200 South President Street, in Room 105. To register for the program, call Genny Seely at 372-7461.
— Ayana Taylor