Wisconsin Extension colleagues worked alongside Indigenous and Latine community members to co-construct leadership programs that center culture and language. These new programs blend Extension’s experience delivering leadership development, with community members’ knowledge of the needs, leadership concepts, and cultural teachings that have relevance and meaning for them and other members of the Indigenous and Latine communities.
The first of these programs, Tribes Lead!, is a multi-state and multinational effort. Program partners include the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Michigan State University, and a Wise Council. The Wise Council included members of several different Tribal Nations. Recognizing that cultural teachings and Indigenous knowledge provide an interconnected pathway for systems of governance, combating social and economic inequities, and addressing critical issues, the partners shaped a unique leadership development program. Participants in Tribes Lead! explored cultural teachings and Indigenous methodologies with the goal of preparing to make positive changes in their community. Tribes Lead! was initially delivered in the summer of 2022 and had 20 participants.
The second program is Elevando Wisconsin. This bilingual leadership program was co-constructed with Latine leaders. The program aims to foster leadership skills and expand participants’ networks. The eight-session curriculum includes content on practicing equity and inclusion, and keeping cultures alive. Every session is delivered in Spanish and English simultaneously and includes participant exploration and discussion of the day’s topics. Elevando Wisconsin has been delivered four times since the Fall of 2021, reaching 86 individuals. The majority of participants identify as Latino/a, Latine, Latinx, or Hispanic. Elevando Wisconsin was delivered twice in 2023, reaching 27 individuals from 13 Wisconsin counties. In 2023, approximately 44% of participants indicated Spanish as their preferred language. Five members of the Latine and Hispanic community served on the co-construction team, and eleven community members served as guest speakers/instructors.
Additional information:
- Elevando Wisconsin
- University of Wisconsin Organizational & Leadership Development
- University of Wisconsin Extension – Community Development
This impact statement was originally published in the North Central Region 2023 Community Development Extension Impact Report.
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