Cleveland leadership program seeks 2017 applicants

Allosious Snodgrass [photo courtesy Maria Kaiser]

In 2006, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, along with former Cleveland Mayor Michael White, established a leadership training program for engaged community leaders. The Neighborhood Leadership Development Program (NLDP) is a free, 16-session community engagement training program for residents of Cleveland and its inner-ring suburbs, who are working on projects within the City of Cleveland and who are determined to make a positive impact on their communities.

Each program year, NLDP selects 20 committed applicants. The programs participants and graduates have many interests and are working on a wide variety of issues to improve life in their communities.

Allosious Snodgrass, a Cleveland Heights resident, is one such person.

Snodgrass is earning his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor focus on urban public management. He also plans to attend law school. His passion is to find ways to bring together, and work with, young African-American men who have a desire to enter the political arena and become committed public servants, helping them learn about leadership development, fundraising, community engagement methods and navigating the political process.

Snodgrass himself wanted to learn advanced leadership skills to become a better community organizer, and realized that first he needed to look deeper into himself as a potential leader, and find positive ways to engage the community in various projects.

Snodgrass praised the Neighborhood Leadership Development Program, and said it “[gave] me an understanding that a leader needs to first look inward and learn how to evaluate, and work on, yourself, looking at your strengths and weaknesses. Planning a huge idea doesn’t make sense if you are not together yourself.” 

The application period for this year’s NLDP program runs through Aug. 4.

The 16 training sessions will take place on Saturdays at Trinity Commons at 2230 Euclid Ave., beginning Aug. 26.

For more information and an application, visit www.nldpcleveland.com or call 216-776-6167.

Sandra Kluk

Sandra Kluk is a 32-year Heights resident and is program administrator for the Neighborhood Leadership Development Program.

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Volume 10, Issue 8, Posted 10:40 AM, 07.17.2017