Building Leadership Series
The Building Leadership Series project, a collaborative endeavor of Center on Aging and Community (CAC), Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC), Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities (GCPD) and Indiana Protection and Advocacy (IPAS) just completed year one of the five year project. Twenty participants from around the state were selected to attend this pilot series.
Recruitment has begun for 20 new participants for the Fall 2008 series.
The 2008 Series consists of three two-day workshops over a three month period. The workshop topics and dates are:
- September 24-25: Choice: What choices am I really making? What are my rights and responsibilities?
- October 22-23: Self-Determination/Self-Advocacy: I hear these words, what do they mean for me?
- November 12-13: Person Centered Planning: What does it mean for me and what is a good plan?
All workshops are co-trained with staff from CAC and persons with disabilities. There is a good mix of interactive activities, video, discussion, role play and lecture. Workbooks accompany each topical area. Past participants have commented on how much they learned and committed to personal action steps upon arriving back home. New friendships developed, and personal growth was evident for all participants. Participants email and call one another and were often overheard heard to say, “I can’t wait until next time!”
All collaborating partners are very proud and pleased with the outcomes of these workshops. The increased knowledge and information was evidenced by participant’s pre- and post-assessment on the three topical areas. Also of significance was the participant’s growth individually and as a collective with each succeeding workshop. Participants initially were timid and soft spoken but soon began to speak up, ask questions and volunteer for various roles, often putting themselves in vulnerable and unfamiliar situations.
As a secondary consequence of the training, we discovered the benefit to the helpers (family members and paid staff), who were very pleased to be able to observe their partners learn and connect and, we feel, learned some new skills themselves that will better enable them to help their partners in the future.
Help us spread the word to potential participants and provider agencies for the 2008 Series by downloading one of our flyers!
Adobe PDF format flyers:
Microsoft Word 93-2003 flyers:
Please call Jennie Todd (812-855-6508) with questions and/or referrals. Once referred, interested participants will receive an application packet.