SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – A regional leadership training program to facilitate leadership skills, community knowledge and working relationships throughout San Miguel County and the surrounding region was launched last week by The New Community Coalition.

TNCC’s new See Forever Community Leadership Program will “encourage and train future community leaders,” said Kris Holstrom, TNCC executive director of TNCC, “by providing them with useful knowledge, tools and skills to more effectively lead the governmental, nonprofit and/or business organizations they work within.”

To that end, TNCC is asking the community to contribute $30,000, from individuals and businesses, for funding.

“The goal of the program is to encourage and train future community leaders by providing them with useful knowledge, tools and skills to more effectively lead the governmental, nonprofit, and/or business organizations they work within,” Holstrom explained.

Over the next year, future leaders will attend classes, lectures and informational tours designed to provide knowledge and experience in leadership styles, negotiation and coalition building, through changes in management and public communication.  Participants will also learn fundamental issues and organizations that shape our greater community – the governmental bodies, nonprofits and key business organizations within San Miguel County and the surrounding region.

“See Forever is a community effort,” said Dave Johnson, See Forever committee member.  “It is important that our community establishes ownership of this initiative through personal donations and commitments to the future of the region.”

The program will be funded by local grants as well as donations; the community fundraising goal of $30,000 in direct contributions will set the bar for anticipated grant funding for the program.

See Forever strives to present a balanced exploration of all sides of any issue through a diverse selection of participants, curriculum, speakers and instructors. Instructors will include members of the regional community as well as nationally recognized experts, selected to enrich local experience with new perspectives and ideas.

See Forever is modeled on Leadership Park City, the award-winning community leadership training program now in its 15th year founded by Myles Rademan, the internationally renowned urban planner who served as director of information for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Park City. Rademan, and appeared recently in the PBS documentary Subdivide and Conquer: A Modern Western.

Participant applications will be available by early next year; details about the application process will be announced once fundraising goals have been met.  Participant selection criteria are designed to include a broad cross-section of the community: public and private sectors; regional coverage (including Rico, Ridgway, Norwood and the West End); and diversity in employment, income, age, cultural and ethnic perspectives.

To find out more information or to donate to the program, please visit the See Forever Community Leadership Program’s website at www.seeforeverprogram.org, or call Dave Johnson at 970/708-9449 or Walter Wright at 970/728-3868.