leadership

We were looking for a spark to start this final week of our fiscal year, to help us raise the final $6,300 we need to get to our goal of $30,000 for our 10th Anniversary Leadership Fund. The lightning that struck by our office, setting a power line on fire, wasn’t exactly what we had in mind. Can you help provide the spark we really need?

Sparks of inspiration may fly frequently, but it takes leadership and relationships to convert a spark into sustained action. A cold winter night in Dorchester prompted Jaquan to mention to the other SCI Dorchester Youth Council teens that it was supposed to a very cold winter. They started talking about how in this economy people were struggling to meet basic needs. Trained to act on problems they see, the council quickly devised plans for a coat drive. Guided by the AmeriCorps member who mentored them, the Council developed an action plan that resulted in 600 winter coats being given out a few weeks later. One recipient, who clearly didn’t have enough clothing to stay warm, said simply, “This coat drive is a godsend”.
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How do you say leadership in your first language?  This question kicked off an interesting discussion in our first Multi-Cultural Leadership Project yesterday.  Through this collaboration with the YMCA International Learning Center (ILC) in Woburn, I'll be training a dozen adult English language learners on leadership skills.  The students will be using the training to coordinate a WorldFest multi-cultural event in the community next spring.  They are very excited about the project, and the prospects of learning useful job skills while contributing to their new community.

Yesterday's group was representative of the diversity of the ILC, which serves students from 20 countries who speak 14 different languages. This brought a lot of different cultural perspectives to bear on our conversation about leadership!Read more