Welcome

Welcome to the Community Leader Online. In this space we are striving to create a trusted area for Blandin alumni to access information resources that will help in their work as community leaders.

In addition to the paper version of the Community Leader, our online version gives additional resources and provides an area for alumni to highlight their experiences, opportunities and challenges while working to create healthy community.

Differences That Make a Difference

From the Summer, 2007 issue (Vol. 6 No. 2) of the Community Leader newsletter:

By: Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid, BCLP Trainer

The changing demographics of rural Minnesota are creating a number of opportunities to interact with people from a broad range of backgrounds unmatched in the state’s history.

Core Competencies of Community Leadership

From the Summer, 2007 issue (Vol. 6 No. 2) of the Community Leader newsletter:

In 2003 we incorporated three Core Competencies into our leadership programs – Framing, Building and Using Social Capital and Mobilizing for Action. In this issue of the Community Leader we are taking a more in-depth look at how framing a complex community issue, like diversity, can help to define its opportunities and challenges in ways that result in effective action.

The Changing Faces of Minnesota

From the Summer, 2007 issue (Vol. 6 No. 2) of the Community Leader newsletter:

‘Cultural diversity is not a statewide issue. It’s a local issue,’ says Jack Geller, president of the Center for Rural Policy and Development.

Leadership Toolbox: Recognizing Diversity Opportunities

From the Summer, 2007 issue (Vol. 6 No. 2) of the Community Leader newsletter:

In this issue of Community Leader, our leadership team has tackled the issue of recognizing the opportunities that come with diversity. The following are 5 tips to help you communicate more effectively with and invite a diverse spectrum of views to your community leadership table:

Fall 2009 Valerie’s Corner

A Shift in Focus 

Dear Alumni:

When the Community Leader editorial team met in the spring to discuss content for upcoming editions, there was quickly consensus that our alumni were facing extraordinary challenges as community leaders.

What began as recession in 2008 has deteriorated into economic crisis. We readily see the impact in our rural communities, many of which are facing double-digit unemployment and a strained safety net system.

As we contemplated the current economic climate, our team concluded a shift in editorial focus was warranted. Previously, we were methodically moving through the Eight Dimensions of Healthy Community and each edition of Community Leader featured a different dimension as a focal point.

After our late spring meeting, we determined that, moving forward, we could best serve our alumni by taking on some of the issues we face in these extraordinary times in the pages (and online) of Community Leader.

In this edition, Blandin Foundation Board of Trustees Chair Marian Barcus writes our cover story. She acknowledges the economic challenges that lie ahead but also points out that in times of crisis, there are distinct advantages rural leaders possess.

A companion piece to our cover story is an historical perspective on the Foundation’s leadership programming, which itself was launched in response to economic crisis in the early 1980s.

Our story on the Itasca Area Schools Collaborative illustrates how a number of rural school districts in northern Minnesota found ways to turn their leadership challenges into collective opportunities.

Finally, we feature an overview of the American Indian Alumni Gathering, which took place in Grand Rapids this May. At this event, American Indian leaders explored the role both adults and youth can play in future leadership endeavors.

We hope you find this edition of Community Leader useful in your own journey.

And,  as always, if you have comments on this edition or ideas for a future edition, Please Share Below.

Partners in Leadership Program

From the Summer, 2007 issue (Vol. 6 No. 2) of the Community Leader newsletter:

This edition of Community Leader highlighted some of the cultural differences that exist throughout rural Minnesota, as well as opening the conversation about the complexity that rural leaders work with everyday.

Leadership Notes and News

From the Summer, 2007 issue (Vol. 6 No. 2) of the Community Leader newsletter:

‘Leadership Notes and News’ is a regular feature of Community Leader celebrating the accomplishments and endeavors of Blandin Foundation Leadership Program alumni as well as the communities which have been served by its programs.  This issue features Diana Anderson, Gary Geiger, Michele Gordon and the Hibbing BCLP Reunion.