Deep roots are not reached by the frost. ---J. R. R. Tolkien
Change Leader Program Returns to Idaho, 2012
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Michelle Coleman-Community Development Director
There are myriad reasons to participate in professional development workshops in any field. They help participants brush up on skills, provide concentrated time to make new connections, and develop understanding about the nature of the work itself. The Change Leader Institute, however, irrigates an ever deeper taproot of engagement and appreciation from participants. Kim Queen, executive director of the Pend Oreille Arts Council, says, “The Change Leader Institute was a particularly timely training for me personally. My organization was going through some needed, though difficult, changes in board leadership. The information gained through the CLI helped me to break down and understand various personalities, de-personalize issues, and strategize more effectively with those involved in governing the agency. It also gave me an opportunity to work with other individuals from around the state, to gain fresh perspective, and to realize I am not alone in many of the struggles currently faced by small non-profits.”
Initiated in Utah by the staff of the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, the Change Leader program was developed to bring together artists and arts administrators to enhance their professional development and to encourage a network of colleagues within the state. In Idaho, as in Utah, given the rural nature of the two states, community members are known to wear many hats, and those working on behalf of the arts include folks from all walks of life. Volunteers, mayors, professors, executive directors, government employees, business owners, and many others step up to ensure that arts projects and programs in communities large and small come to fruition. These same individuals recognize the need for participation in a continuous network of support, education, and professional development. “Not only has the training and information from the Change Leader program been beneficial and an excellent resource for future enhancements to our own organization, but the networking possibilities and chance to meet and work with other leaders from our field, throughout the state, tripled the value of the program,” saysSally Cruiser, executive director of Mountain Home Arts Council.
Last March, individuals representing all regions of Idaho were brought together to attend the first gathering of the Change Leader Institute in Idaho—an intensive, three-day, professional development training session. The Commission and Utah Division of Arts and Museums partnered in the endeavor.
Those who attend the Change Leader Institute become certified in the program by conducting an arts project in their own community, and participants in last spring’s Idaho Change Leader workshops gathered again at November-end to celebrate their contributions to the state. Once certified as a Change Leader, the follow-up includes: Leadership Circles, Change Leader conferences, participation in a social networking site, and further professional development training. Terri Schorzman, executive director of the Boise City Department of Arts and History, says, “In addition to connecting with other arts leaders around the state – which I normally wouldn't have the chance to do – the Change Leader program offers guidance and insight for working with groups, as well as to process strategy for accomplishing goals.” In Idaho, participants (with assistance from the Commission staff), will take on the responsibility of co-hosting Change Leader gatherings in regions all around the state. It is the goal of the Idaho Commission on the Arts to eventually be able to offer training in the Change Leader Institute to all those working on behalf of the arts in Idaho.
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