Fourteen community members graduate from the Family Leadership Training Institute

Recent graduates of the Family Leadership Training Institute.

On June 6, 14 Eagle County community members graduated from the Family Leadership Training Institute, a family civics program that helps adults become effective leaders in their communities.

These emerging leaders participated in a 20-week Family Leadership Training Institute curriculum that includes personal and child development, leadership training, and civic literacy and participation skills.

Each graduate of the Family Leadership Training Institute developed a project to benefit their local community. Projects included:

• A Gardening at Altitude project to create a community greenhouse at 8600 feet where neighbors plant, maintain and harvest organic produce and share it at gatherings and meals.
• A LA VIDA ES BELLA (The Life is Beautiful) project to create a family loss grief support group in Spanish in the Edwards community.
• A Healthy House Initiative that raises public awareness of sustainable building methods.

“Family leaders are excellent resources on what their local community needs to support overall health and wellness of children and youth,” said Eileen Forlenza, family and community engagement specialist for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “They are content experts who also bring cultural diversity and meaningful experience to solving community challenges.”

The goal of the Family Leadership Training Institute is to help families become leaders within their community by building their capacity. Families use the tools developed to address social policy issues that are of concern to them.

Families are taught the tenets of democracy and their rights to utilize government optimally in the best interest of children, families and their community as a whole. The Family Leadership Training Institute gives participants a democracy toolkit, teaching them how to engage in the civic process for the benefit of their local school, neighborhood and their own family.

For information on how to become a family leader, visit www.coloradofamilyleadership.com or contact Glenda Wentworth of the Family Leadership Training Institute at glenda.wentworth@eaglecounty.us or (970) 328-8630.