Q: How will participants prepare for the Academy?
In early summer, Gould will send Academy participants a spiral-bound set of materials to review in advance of the Academy. With the assistance of an Academy liaison, core leadership groups will be asked to 1) meet as a group to meet one another and begin identifying their expectations for the Academy; and 2) meet with their Academy liaison approximately one month prior to the Academy program to discuss Academy expectations and answer any questions about the initiative.
Q: What should participants expect at the Academy?
Participants will work collectively to build collaborative skills. Participants will share resources with other similarly situated leaders in their community (community organizer to organizer; city manager to city manager; county sheriff to deputy police chief). Participants will engage in role plays and hand-on planning grounded in resources from the the Divided Community Project (DCP) at Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law. Participants will work with leaders, former Academy participants, campus leaders, a former state attorney general, former Department of Justice Community Relations Service Conciliators, and collaborators to develop action steps to implement in their communities.
Q: What should we expect following the Academy?
Sustained engagement. Core leadership groups will be expected to maintain a relationship with you to share resources, lessons learned, and give feedback to further develop the Academy initiative. The Academy hosts anticipates maintaining and developing relationships with Academy communities.
Q: Who would you recommend for the “core team”?
Ideally, a core leadership group should include representatives from: municipal infrastructure, local non-profits, community advocates, religious organization, and an educational institution.
Grande Lum
Director, Gould Center for Conflict Resolution