Lincoln South Rotary Club heard from Interim Director of Leadership Lincoln on July 17. See his plea for help below!

PLEA: Do you know a student that is ready for Sophomore Year and lives north of O Street? They are looking for more applicants for the Youth Leadership program. Since school was not in session it was hard to reach the students. Please contact Brendan (bevans@leadershiplincoln.org) by the end of July with names.

Leadership Lincoln was incorporated in 1986 after a group of community leaders gathered to discuss the future of Lincoln. Among the needs they saw was the need to have a pool of well-trained, well-informed, and well-connected individuals. They wanted people who believed in their community, wanted to see the community work for all its citizens, and were willing and able to step forward and serve. Leadership Lincoln was founded to help build and continually expand this pool. (https://www.leadershiplincoln.org/)

The program has developed over the years and there are now 4 opportunities:
Fellows
Executives
Advocates
Youth

Fellows is the initial program. It brings individuals from across the community to meet once a month to learn about Lincoln. They learn how things work in Lincoln, the collaborations, and leave with a desire to get engaged to serve on boards and volunteer in other ways to help the community.

The Fellows program schedule is September through May and includes an opening retreat in September, monthly seminars covering such topics as government, education, business, health, and human services. This year they will be meeting in a combination of ways - some virtual and some in-person but in smaller groups.

Brendan mentioned that there are many projects in Lincoln that have come from the program - fellows get to know each other during the program and often join forces to solve the needs of the community.

The Executives program is beneficial to senior executives, both new to town and long-time residents. It provides an opportunity to understand the issues facing Lincoln and make connections across all levels and types of organizations. Seminars allow participants to experience and discuss the systems that make Lincoln a strong and vibrant community.

One of the original ideas behind the Advocates was to connect people with an interest in minority and under-represented voices. The program encourages them to engage in the community on boards and commissions to help broaden the diversity of leadership in Lincoln.

The Advocates program was developed after public officials and agency directors recognized the need and requested a leadership program. This program was formerly Project ALL. It orients participants to serve on boards and commissions. Past participants in the Advocates serve on the Lincoln City Council, on county commissions, as agency directors and as volunteers across the city.

The goals of the Youth Leadership Lincoln program is to prepare our youth for civic engagement. It benefits Lincoln by developing our youth and giving them a voice in the community.

Brendan indicated that there are scholarship programs available to help with the tuition costs. They need more applicants for this year's program. Since school was out the normal recruiting efforts - packets distributed through the schools - was not available. See PLEA information above to nominate a student.
 

BIO: Brendan is an alum of Fellows 19 (the best class ever). He stepped in as Interim Executive Director in February of 2020. Brendan has served on the Board of Directors for Leadership Lincoln and other non-profit organizations in Lincoln. He is currently a member of Rotary #14, Crucible Club, and coaches YMCA soccer for his son's team.