LINC Academy for Social Transformation

“LAST is a 3-day course that will be held on October 31, November 1 and November 2 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.  We understand this is a significant time commitment, therefore, we offer a stipend of $250 for community residents who register for and attend all 3 sessions.” — Lyonel LaGrone, Jr.,  LINC Policy Liaison

L.A.S.T. is LINC’s capacity building tool to promote social change and seeks to create mid- and long-term impact through lasting transformational opportunities for residents, families, youth, business owners and nonprofit organizations in our communities.

For LINC, change is more than just the displacement of a condition or issue.  It is about experiencing a true transformation, a social transformation.  We believe in the idea of transformational leadership and the role it plays in creating better opportunities for all, empowering people through opportunity, and genuinely lifting up the voice of the community.  This type of change is much needed to break the cycle of poverty, systemic gaps and social disparities that keep us from bettering our communities.  We believe in every individual’s potential to be part of this process of change. A process which demands quality leadership.

In an academy fashion, L.A.S.T. offers a three-day core training titled “Leadership for Social Change” in which participants are equipped with skills and knowledge to help them obtain leadership roles and work to further promote social change and revitalization efforts in their neighborhoods.  While trainings are available to organizations for a corporate fee, residents in our community will be offered incentives to attend.  The session runs from 8:30am-5:30pm the first two days.  On the third day we offer a unique opportunity for participants to attend a Grand Rapids City Commissions meeting, so the class runs from 1:00-5:00pm, after which we have dinner and then bus all participants to and from the meeting.

The curriculum is divided into four parts covering the following topics:

• Community Driven Neighborhood Revitalization
• Leadership Styles/Individual Potential
• Culture of Team and Diversity
• Power Dynamics
• Systems Change/Thinking
• Systems Advocacy
• History of Socio-Economic Structures
• Social Justice
• Community Empowerment
• Community Conflict Management
• LINC Model
• Community Wealth
• How do we fit in?
• Call to action

The training is typically offered quarterly at the LINC UP Gallery, 341 Hall St SE. Lunch and snacks will be provided on the first two class days, with snacks and dinner on the third.

If you are interested in registering call 616.451.9140.