MONROE - Creating skilled leaders and solutions to issues in Green County has been at the core of Green County Leaders since the program began more than a decade ago.
Green County Leaders is offered every year for participants to grow and develop leadership skills. Participants, who represent a variety of businesses and organizations from throughout the county, work in groups to develop a project that fits a theme every year.
Green County Leaders was developed to help prepare future generations for what it means to be a community leader, explained Victoria Solomon, the community resource and development educator for University of Wisconsin-Extension in Green County.
The class focuses on what leaders can do to better understand the needs of communities.
"It's helping people better understand how the community works," Solomon said.
The class meets the second Wednesday of the month from September to May for a full day. Each class focuses on a different theme, such as government and agriculture.
She said the class also helps increase confidence among participants to build and maintain long-lasting relationships.
Green County Leaders Origins
The program started when various organizations, including businesses and the Monroe school board got together to help young adults become leaders, according Chris Wellington, an at-large representative of the program and former dean of Blackhawk Technical College's Monroe campus.
The program was designed and implemented by BTC in the early 1990s with a focus on Monroe. Later, the program expanded to focus on the county and partnered with the UW-Extension, Green County Development Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce. The current Green County Leaders program had its first class in 2002-2003.
Getting it started was not easy.
"We started from scratch," said Anna Schramke, the former GCDC executive director.
But GCDC members thought it was in the community's best interest to develop the program, she said. Fellow Green County Leaders program developer Sarah Schlosser established focus groups in areas such as Agriculture, Health and Safety and Education to help define the issues that should be addressed.
"From there, the curriculum was developed," Schramke said.
A big concern that the pair faced was the cost to participate. Schramke said other leadership classes in Sauk and Dane counties had a hefty price: To solve that issue, the pair looked for drastic ways to cut down on spending to keep it affordable.
"We had to give up some things," she said. "We didn't have a full-time staff."
But with support from BTC and UW-Extension, Green County Leaders was able to prevail.
"The key to success," Schramke said, "was getting support of the major employers."
Class Projects And Impact
While the class focuses on making an impact on the community, current co-chair Nikki Matley said the class also makes an impact on participants.
"Green County Leaders really opens (the student's) eyes," she said.
The class allows students to tour some local businesses around the county that are not normally open to the public, including Kuhn Knight in Brodhead and William Bedrock Bovines.
Every year, one class day is dedicated to visiting the state capitol in Madison to have round-table discussions with legislators and watch the legislative sessions, she said.
"We want (the students) to know that the legislators are there for them," Matley said. The trip to the capitol has been effective for students in letting them know that they can contact their legislators when needed.
"(The legislators) are just humans, like us," Matley said.
Every year, the Green County Leaders class undertakes projects that fits into the class theme. For the third year in a row, the theme for the class will be Health and Wellness.
Matley said there have been some extremely effective
projects that have been around for years that are still going strong.
For example, one class developed a drop-box for expired or unwanted prescriptions at the Green County Sheriff's Office so residents can safely dispose of medications at any time, rather than waiting for a special collection drive.
Family Promise still uses a video on the issue of homelessness that was developed by a Green County Leader's group.
One group created a project that focuses on teaching chivalry at a young age.
And another group created an annual disc golf tournament as part of a way to get the community active.
The impact over the years adds up.
"For 11 years, 52 community projects accounted to $220,195 worth of skilled volunteer hours donated back to Green County communities," Matley said.
Green County Leaders is offered every year for participants to grow and develop leadership skills. Participants, who represent a variety of businesses and organizations from throughout the county, work in groups to develop a project that fits a theme every year.
Green County Leaders was developed to help prepare future generations for what it means to be a community leader, explained Victoria Solomon, the community resource and development educator for University of Wisconsin-Extension in Green County.
The class focuses on what leaders can do to better understand the needs of communities.
"It's helping people better understand how the community works," Solomon said.
The class meets the second Wednesday of the month from September to May for a full day. Each class focuses on a different theme, such as government and agriculture.
She said the class also helps increase confidence among participants to build and maintain long-lasting relationships.
Green County Leaders Origins
The program started when various organizations, including businesses and the Monroe school board got together to help young adults become leaders, according Chris Wellington, an at-large representative of the program and former dean of Blackhawk Technical College's Monroe campus.
The program was designed and implemented by BTC in the early 1990s with a focus on Monroe. Later, the program expanded to focus on the county and partnered with the UW-Extension, Green County Development Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce. The current Green County Leaders program had its first class in 2002-2003.
Getting it started was not easy.
"We started from scratch," said Anna Schramke, the former GCDC executive director.
But GCDC members thought it was in the community's best interest to develop the program, she said. Fellow Green County Leaders program developer Sarah Schlosser established focus groups in areas such as Agriculture, Health and Safety and Education to help define the issues that should be addressed.
"From there, the curriculum was developed," Schramke said.
A big concern that the pair faced was the cost to participate. Schramke said other leadership classes in Sauk and Dane counties had a hefty price: To solve that issue, the pair looked for drastic ways to cut down on spending to keep it affordable.
"We had to give up some things," she said. "We didn't have a full-time staff."
But with support from BTC and UW-Extension, Green County Leaders was able to prevail.
"The key to success," Schramke said, "was getting support of the major employers."
Class Projects And Impact
While the class focuses on making an impact on the community, current co-chair Nikki Matley said the class also makes an impact on participants.
"Green County Leaders really opens (the student's) eyes," she said.
The class allows students to tour some local businesses around the county that are not normally open to the public, including Kuhn Knight in Brodhead and William Bedrock Bovines.
Every year, one class day is dedicated to visiting the state capitol in Madison to have round-table discussions with legislators and watch the legislative sessions, she said.
"We want (the students) to know that the legislators are there for them," Matley said. The trip to the capitol has been effective for students in letting them know that they can contact their legislators when needed.
"(The legislators) are just humans, like us," Matley said.
Every year, the Green County Leaders class undertakes projects that fits into the class theme. For the third year in a row, the theme for the class will be Health and Wellness.
Matley said there have been some extremely effective
projects that have been around for years that are still going strong.
For example, one class developed a drop-box for expired or unwanted prescriptions at the Green County Sheriff's Office so residents can safely dispose of medications at any time, rather than waiting for a special collection drive.
Family Promise still uses a video on the issue of homelessness that was developed by a Green County Leader's group.
One group created a project that focuses on teaching chivalry at a young age.
And another group created an annual disc golf tournament as part of a way to get the community active.
The impact over the years adds up.
"For 11 years, 52 community projects accounted to $220,195 worth of skilled volunteer hours donated back to Green County communities," Matley said.