The Pioneer Leadership experience will take place from September through June, during which the participants will meet for a weekend "opening retreat" and a "learning day" one full weekday per month.

Opening Retreat
This retreat is designed, in part, to give participants an opportunity to form the beginnings of a cohesive group. The class will receive an in-depth introduction to the program and an overview of the first several monthly learning days, which will be organized by the curriculum committee and Ken Low from the Action Studies Institute.

Learning days
Following the retreat, the class meets for one full "learning day" each month. Each Learning Day participants explore key concepts and patterns using examples from local, regional, national and international experiences. Participants become skilled at looking beneath the surface to understand the root cause of a problem and to use a set of tools of wisdom and judgment to guide their decision making as they strive to achieve their goals.

By the time participants complete the Pioneer Leadership program, they will understand that community trusteeship means taking responsibility for and acting on behalf of the people of the community, finding the common bond and acting collectively for the common good. They will understand that trust is earned, that those who are trusted inspire confidence through their integrity, caring, commitment, and ability. Learning Days will be experiential in nature and will provide participants with the opportunity to interact with individuals who are "leadership catalysts" in a wide range of fields – people whose leadership activities will give participants the chance to actively engage in their own knowledge and skill enhancement. Participants share the issues, challenges and rewards they face daily as leaders, as well as the tangible results of effective leadership. Please refer to the guest speaker list for a complete list of the leaders who have spoke at leadership Edmonton Learning Days.

Mentorship and peer network
Not only will Leadership Edmonton provide a learning environment like no other, the program will serve as a virtual centre for Edmonton’s community of leaders. The Learning Days and retreat will facilitate interaction and build connections between the participants and established community leaders, individuals committed to the development of the next generation of Edmonton’s leaders. And, as the program enters subsequent years, graduates will become part of this network of leaders, ready and willing to serve as sounding boards and to share their experiences and insights with program participants.

The Learning Days also include discussions with Edmonton’s established leaders, who will share the challenges and rewards of their leadership journey and how they have applied their experiences in a community context.

Learning Day Schedule for the 2008/2009 Program Year September 26, 27, 28, 2008 - Opening Retreat October 17, 2008 - Leadership Edmonton/Action Studies designed November 14, 2008 - Leadership Edmonton/Action Studies designed December 19, 2008 - Leadership Edmonton/Action Studies designed January 16, 2009 - Leadership Edmonton/Action Studies designed February 20, 2009 - Participant Designed March 20, 2009 - Participant Designed April 17, 2009 - Participant Designed May 15, 2009 - Participant Designed June 19, 2009 - Participant Designed June 20, 2009 - Closing Retreat Note: Participants in the program design and lead the final Learning Days covering assigned concepts/topics. This allows the participants working in teams to explore that concept/topic at a more in-depth level and tap into examples and cases that they might be familiar with or wish to explore. Topics for 2008 - 2009 (participant designed Learning Days) Human Venture Progress & Resistance in Approaches to Human Rights, Responsibilities & Development Human Venture Progress & Resistance in Media, Marketing, Politics, Education & Religion [adaptive thoughtscape construction and battlegrounds] Human Venture Development & Resistance in Business and the Marketplace - Entrepreneurial, Ethical & Ecological Frontiers Human Venture Development & Resistance in Economics

To find out more about Leadership Edmonton please open the Background Information document.

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