Purdue Training is a Success

By: Jennifer Rice Von Deylen

The Southeast Leadership Development Initiative (SELDI) pilot program was completed in April. The initiative is a joint venture between the Marion County Purdue Extension office, Southeast Community Services (SECS) and Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND). The Southeast has a high level of participation in leadership development programs offered by other institutions, and SELDI was created to build on skills learned through those programs.

The Purdue educators designed the course specifically for the Southeast. The six week course focused on leadership development on the personal, group and community levels. Participants completed assessments that helped them further understand their personality types and leadership styles. Additional course topics included conflict resolution, community development and building inclusive communities. Each student developed a community action project through the course, with the Purdue extension offering coaching and support for implementation.

Participants in the course came from a variety of different neighborhoods in the Southeast, which provided an excellent opportunity for further developing relationships across traditional boundaries. Feedback from the participants was very positive.

“SELDI helped me focus on and further develop my skills as a leader. Taking the class gave me the opportunity to discuss the struggles and joys of servant leadership with other leaders in our community,” said Angie Calvert from the Bates Hendricks neighborhood.

With the success of the pilot program, the team working on this training initiative has decided to move forward with a second course. The next SELDI course is currently being planned for this August or September. Discussions are also underway to offer courses on select topics such as grant writing and strategic planning.

SELDI is one example of the growing partnership between the Purdue Extension office and the Southeast. The Purdue Extension approached SEND offering their support in implementing the Southeast Quality of Life Plan. The Purdue staff has since become engaged with neighborhood beautification projects as well as youth programming initiatives.

If you are interested in participating in future courses or would like more information on this partnership effort to support the Quality of Life Plan, please contact Jennifer Rice Von Deylen at 634-5079 x107.