By Rema Atiya/reporter
A representative from Leadership Fort Worth told students what it takes to be a leader during a Hispanic Heritage Month presentation Oct. 2 on South Campus.
“Not everyone has the skill within themselves to become a leader. That is what Leadership Fort Worth is all about,” said executive director Harriet Harral.
The group gives participants access to classroom settings at the beginning and then moves on by giving them access to community leaders, Harral said.
“Finding people that have the skills in our community and training people to be in leadership positions within the community to make it better by leadership is our goal in our program,” she said.
As the students learn to become good leaders in the program, they meet people in the community they would not have known without the program, Harral said. Participants also get familiar with different jobs and what they need to learn. Harral said many make friends and stay in contact with community leaders, so they know when a job becomes available.
“A community only grows productively when all the pieces grow together,” she said. “Good leaders have to set aside your own personal agenda in order to be a part in a larger picture.”
A video about the program explained that each leadership class has 50 students who “serve as they learn.” While in the program, students are shown real issues in the community. Then they are split into groups with each taking one issue in the community. The group members work together to figure out how they can make that situation better for the people living in that particular community.
Leadership Fort Worth offers two types of classes for different ages and different leaders: Leading Edge and Leadership.
Jan Titsworth, Leadership Fort Worth program director, said Leading Edge is for people in their late 20s and early 30s whereas Leadership is for people in their late 30s and older.
“The Leading Edge class is for active volunteers who wish to serve on boards in their community,” she said. “It gives students access to emerging and current leaders in the community.”
Titsworth said the class meets every three to four weeks for six months and limits enrollment to 35-40 students.
“Providing an in-depth look at key issues in the health, education, arts, culture and government areas in the community is what the Leadership class is about,” she said.
Participants work with area leaders in group-decision processes they can use in their community work. Titsworth said the class makes an impact on the non-profit community through group projects the students work on during class. The Leadership class meets from August through May.
“It is very important to learn to meet strangers and learn how to work with them on community projects to make the community a better place,” she said.
In addition to Leadership Fort Worth, about 40 other leadership programs are active in the area, not including the college leadership programs.
Scholarships that pay 50 percent of the tuition are available for Leadership Fort Worth applicants. The organization is accepting applications for the Leadership class through October.
“The best thing to do is get involved in some kind of leadership program within your community,” Titsworth said.
