4-H develops tomorrow's leaders
Ashley Viste credits her participation in University of Wisconsin-
Extension 4-H for developing her leadership skills.
On a cool night last spring, about 30 Door County youth discovered how it feels to be without adequate shelter or food. They moved out of comfortable homes and into a village of cardboard boxes. Their mission: raise awareness about the need for affordable housing and raise money for Habitat for Humanity.
"We limited the amount of food we had, and everyone agreed not to leave until morning," says Ashley Viste, a 4-H member from Sturgeon Bay and organizer of the event. "We wanted to try to imagine what it would be like to be without shelter."
Jonathan Kay, a seventh grader and 4-H member from Forestville, was one of about 30 youth who spent a night in a cardboard box to call attention to the lack of affordable housing in Door County and raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Photo by ASHLEY VISTE
Spotlighting affordable housing
Door County is an upscale vacation destination, and many year-round residents work for low wages in its restaurants, shops and hotels. "It's almost impossible to find decent housing at a price these families can afford," she explains.
The cardboard city project raised almost $2,000. It attracted attention from passersby and earned a front-page story in the Door County Advocate.
4-H builds leadership skills
Viste, now a University of Wisconsin-Madison freshman, credits her 4-H participation for her leadership skills. She is a past president of the state 4-H Youth Council, participated in planning of 4-H youth state conferences, and currently is a member of the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation Board. She has held many other leadership roles in Door County.
4-Hers serve their communities
Viste is one of thousands of Wisconsin youth who have gained impressive leadership credentials through involvement in 4-H Youth Development. They serve as members of city councils, county commissions, school boards, chambers of commerce, fair boards, teen courts, 4-H leader boards and other governance boards. —Mary Ellen Bell
For more information: 4-H Youth Development Agent Dawn Kuelz, dawn.kuelz@ces.uwex.edu, (920) 746-2260
Certificate builds nonprofit leadership capacity
Kimberly Stezela receives her certificate from John Palmer Smith, executive director of the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management. Photo by DEB GENEROTZKY
Wisconsin communities depend on nonprofit organizations to provide important services to their citizens. As a result, highly skilled nonprofit leaders are in demand. To meet this need, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education, in partnership with the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management, has offered the Professional Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management since October 2002. Consisting of 17 six-hour workshops and a four-hour capstone session, the program helps current and future staff and managers of local nonprofit agencies be more effective leaders and better managers.
"Our noncredit nonprofit management certificate helps today's nonprofit leader incorporate strategic skills necessary for success throughout the community," explains Shirley Bufford, certificate program manager. "It also provides the competencies critical for survival within the growing nonprofit sector."
Kimberly Stezela, program director at the Center for Urban Initiatives and Research at UW-Milwaukee, completed the certificate last February. "This program provided the perfect blend of practical tools, expert advice and networking opportunities," she says. "It was immediately impactful, effective and relevant to fulfilling our mission."
More than 200 students have participated in at least one Professional Certificate in Nonprofit Management workshop. Sixteen, including Stezela, have completed the entire series. —Amy Pikalek
For more information: Certificate Program Manager Shirley Buffford, sbufford@uwm.edu; www.ProfDevNonprofitCert.uwm.edu
Additional Learning Opportunities
The Nonprofit Institute, UW-Parkside:
www.uwp.edu/departments/community.partnerships/npi/
Nonprofit development workshops, UW-Madison:
www.dcs.wisc.edu/pda/nonprofit.htm
Northwoods Nonprofits, UW-Superior:
www.uwsuper.edu/nwnp/about.htm
Center for Community Economic Development, UW-Extension:
www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/
Strengthening Wisconsin's local governments
Wisconsin's 5.4 million residents depend on their local governments to balance budgets, provide a wide variety of services, and plan for a safe and vital future. The University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center (LGC) provides convenient, low-cost training to help local government leaders meet these expectations with knowledge and confidence.
Rick Stadelman, executive director of the Wisconsin Towns Association (WTA), explains why LGC training is important: "We have a 20 to 25% turnover in elected officials every two years, so new and continuing education is critical."
Each year almost 4,000 local government officials participate in LGC programs focusing on current issues affecting local government officials. Recent topics include developing budgets, rural economic development, implementing Government Accounting Standards Board recommendations, conducting boards of review, and running an annual town meeting.
To accommodate government officials' busy schedules and tight travel budgets, programs are available in all 72 counties (usually at county courthouses or Extension offices) through UW-Extension Instructional Communications Systems' WisLine Teleconferencing services. Audiostreamed versions, CDs and audiocassettes of the programs are also available.
WTA's Stadelman praises the program's instructors for their "expertise and wherewithal to get high-quality information in a timely manner." —Michael Jones
For more information: LGC Director Chuck Law, chuck.law@uwex.edu, (608) 265-2501; www.uwex.edu/lgc/