The Department of Neighborhood Services and Community Development is now accepting applications for its sixth Neighborhood Leadership Institute. The Neighborhood Leadership Institute is designed to strengthen leadership in the community by providing training to leaders and potential leaders of neighborhood associations and neighborhood-based groups.
The Neighborhood Leadership Institute boasts 90 graduates since the program’s inception in 2007. Participants leave the program armed with strengthened skills and new partnerships, officials said. Classes will begin with an orientation in May and end with a graduation ceremony in the fall.
Applicants must meet the following selection criteria in order to be eligible:
Live in the city of Chattanooga.
Submit two original, signed letters of recommendation (one personal and one professional) with the application.
Be interviewed by an independent selection committee.
Be an active member of a neighborhood association or neighborhood-based group, or in the process of starting a new group inside the city limits of Chattanooga. A neighborhood association or neighborhood-based group is defined as a voluntary group of residents and/or property owners who advocate for common concerns or organize activities within defined neighborhood boundaries.
Agree to attend a minimum of six of the seven class sessions. Most classes will be held on designated Mondays (June through August) from 5:30–8 p.m.
Agree to complete a project and present that project in October in order to participate in the graduation ceremony and receive a certificate for the course.
The deadline to submit an application is April 13 and the class is limited to 35 participants. There is no fee required to submit an application or participate in the program.
To request an application or for more information, contact Donna Deweese at 425-3718 or deweese_d@chattanooga.gov. Applications are also available on the city’s website at www.chattanooga.gov/Neighborhood_Services.