Posted 9/19/01 Participants sought for Blandin Community Leadership Program The Blandin Foundation is making its Community Leadership Program available to residents from the North Branch Area School district. A local steering committee is actively seeking applicants and has scheduled an informational ìtown meetingî for the following three dates. Interested participants should choose the one date that fits best into his/her schedule. Town Meetings will be on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at Stacy City Hall, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at North branch High school Commons, and sept. 28 at 7 a.m. at the AmericInn Conference Room. All those interested in the future of our communities are invited to attend the one hour session and apply to participate in the program. Ultimately, a team of 24 people will be selected to represent our communities at a six-day leadership retreat scheduled for No. 11ñ16 at Ruttgerís Sugar Lake Lodge in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The entire Blandin Community Leadership Program (BCLP) is being made available free of charge to participants thanks to a $89,000 commitment from the Blandin foundation which covers all cost for food, lodging and tuition at the retreat and two workshops. (For this retreat, the Central MN Initiative foundation will also offer ìenabling fundsî for applicants who may need help with child care, elder care, lost wages, etc. in order to participate in the program.) Since it began in 1985, BCLP has provided training for more than 3,200 leaders from 200+ rural Minnesota communities. Program participants have used the strategies and skills gained from BCLP to more effectively advance inter-community cooperation, address issues of ethnic and cultural diversity, promote tourism, create economic development opportunities, address the needs of seniors, and deal creatively with health and housing issues, education, violence reduction and disaster relief. The Blandin Community Leadership Program has been recognized by leadership scholars such as Dr. Larraine Matusak of the Jams McGregor Burns Academy of Leadership at the University of Maryland as ìthe premier leadership development program in the country.î In a recent external evaluation of BCLP, Dr. John F. Jones, consultant to the United Nations Department of Social and economic Affairs, commented, ìIíve been conducting community impact studies for years, both in the U.S. and abroad. The Blandin Community Leadership Program is among the best Iíve seen and could serve as a model for training anywhere in the world.î The program has also been recognized by the International Leadership Association in 1998; the Minnesota Association for Continuing Adult Education named it the adult education program of the year. ìAlmost one-third of the stateís population lives in rural Minnesota,î notes Paul Olson, President of the Blandin Foundation. ìThe responsibility to deal with enormous change in these areas rests in the hands of leaders who can realistically chart their communityís future. Training them, supporting them and providing ongoing opportunities for growth is what BCLP is all about.î Application forms are available at the North Branch and at Stacy City Hall. Applications are due back at these sites by Oct. 12. Selected delegates will meet on Oct. 30. Additional information about the ìtown meetingsî or the Blandin Community Leadership Program can be obtained by contacting Jeanne Leland, Director of North Branch Area Community Education at 651-674-1025. ©Post Review