Join us in building Beloved Community...
Who are we?
Our name identifies our focus.
But what if congregations and nonprofits could turn the traditional approach to leadership and neighborhood engagement on its head? What would it mean to disrupt racism and intentionally focus on organizational culture, climate, policies and practices instead of “fixing” people in efforts to increase efficiency? To instead embrace the uncertainty and discomfort we feel when we leave the confines of what we know and decide to meet people and neighborhoods exactly where they are? Where would we start?
What if we focused on relationships instead of achieving fast and measurable success? How would we model a shift from a culture of separation to one of belonging? One that ensures that the people we interact with experience belonging because they can finally see themselves in the story?
The Center for Leadership and Neighborhood Engagement came into being to both ask and answer those questions. We aim to partner with North Minneapolis faith, community and neighborhood organizations in order to provide transformational experiences for the leaders who share the desire to increase their intercultural competence. Who arrive with curiosity, open minds and the energy required to immerse themselves in experiences that will transform their thinking and deepen their understanding of what it takes to strengthen neighborhoods by accompanying one another as leaders and constituents.
Instead of asking leaders to do the work, what would happen if we set our sights on connectivity versus productivity?
What would they say if we asked them: