Occupy ELI

Occupy ELI

Who could have known that a gathering in Zucotti Park in New York City would grow into a large –scale, international movement that might forever change the way we view democracy? The Occupy Movement started as a protest against unfair economic practices, but it has since grown to include a protest against the exclusionary practices that mark many sectors of American life. Whether you are in the 1 percent, the 99% percent, or somewhere in between, I think we can all agree that this movement is fascinating. It’s so powerful to see everyday people mobilize and organize around efforts that could radically change the way we engage in civic life.

The Occupy Movement hit close to home for me. No, I didn’t spend the night at Piatt Park in downtown Cincinnati. However, the principles behind the Occupy Movement did indeed ring a very familiar bell. The Occupy Movement reinforces the idea that each and every one of us has the ability to lead and to create meaningful change in our lives and the lives of our communities. In other words, everyone leads. The democratization of leadership is at the heart of the Public Allies leadership model and is the title of a provocative new book, Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up by Paul Schmitz.

In the book, Paul Schmitz outlines the principles of the Public Allies Leadership-Development Model and in doing so, reminds his readers of the significance and power of this particular AmeriCorps program. Public Allies differs from other AmeriCorps programs in some very important ways. Among the differences is the emphasis on youth, change and homegrown leadership. Public Allies makes an investment in young adults who have a passion for change. While many traditional leadership programs might overlook young adults, PA seeks out those young adults who are eager to commit themselves to a life-time of service. In doing so, they create a powerful pipeline of engaged grassroots leaders who will help change the communities in which they live. Indeed, it is the focus on homegrown leadership that makes Public Allis such an important community asset. More than 80 percent of Allies come from the communities they serve. If we believe that charity begins at home and that all politics is local, then these Allies really are the faces of change and activism in our community.

These principles will come alive during a two-day institute sponsored by Public Allies Cincinnati and BRIDGES for a Just Community. The Emerging Leaders Institute is conference designed to equip people with awareness, skills and opportunities to transform our region into a more equitable and just community. By creating a venue where diverse leaders share their skills, knowledge and passion with other practitioners and the community at large seek to advance local efforts to change our community’s narrative about leadership. The concept behind the Emerging Leaders Institute is simple, but it’s not easy. The idea of listening to diverse groups is simple enough. But actually engaging and learning from diverse groups requires us to let go of our assumptions and open ourselves up to thinking about leadership, change and activism in entirely different ways. But in all honesty, the path to lasting change isn’t supposed to be easy. If you are ready to embark upon a journey to occupy your passion and change your community, then join us for the inaugural session of the Emerging Leaders Institute. You can find more information at bridgescincinnati.org/eli.

Written by Dr. Michelle Watts