June 15th 2010
Bryan Bell Metropolitan Leadership Forum
Since 1968, the Bryan Bell Metropolitan Leadership Forum (BBMLF) has sought to identify emerging community leaders and stimulate their interest and involvement in community service. Drawing from all sectors of the community – business, faith, nonprofit, neighborhood and civic groups – the purpose is to provide information about, analysis of and opportunities to explore key metropolitan issues and needs.
The Leadership Forum begins with a Saturday morning city bus tour. Participants take a narrated tour of key facilities and neighborhoods, including schools, housing developments, community centers, industrial sites, and other institutions. Historical perspective is mixed with current circumstances to provide a context for the following Forum sessions. Most participants find themselves in New Orleans locations they have never seen before, and expand their knowledge of the city’s history. The overarching theme is the impact of the physical components of the city on the quality of life experienced by its people.
The remaining sessions are conducted in various locations throughout the city, based on the session topic; for example, the City Management session takes place in the chambers of the New Orleans City Council. Each session focuses on a specific issue, and begins with presentations by a panel of leading local experts on the issue. Presentations are followed by lively question and answer/discussion sessions, during which participants develop both a broader understanding of the issue at hand and their own perspective on the topic.
BBMLF sessions include:
Human Relations
Housing
Education
Economic Development
City Management
Public Safety
Health Care
Transportation and Regionalism
Environment and Coastal Issues
Networking and Graduation
In addition to the regular session, each year participants complete a community service project. Participants choose either education and housing as their preferred area of focus; then form teams for each project, determine and design their project, and carry it out. Each team then does a presentation on its project at the final Networking session. These projects further expand participants’ knowledge of these issues, while connecting them to service opportunities. Many continue to serve in these areas once the Forum has concluded.
By introducing emerging leaders to the issues they will face as they assume leadership roles, the Bryan Bell Metropolitan Leadership Forum provides a unique opportunity to gain knowledge and insight into the serious problems that face our community – as well as potential solutions to the problems. In particular, the focus is on addressing these issues at systemic levels, as that tracks the fundamental approach of CBNO/MAC.
In addition, the Forum brings together individuals from diverse ethnic, racial and socio-economic backgrounds. By providing the opportunity for socializing over dinner (served at the beginning of each regular Forum session) and then engaging in frank and open discussion among themselves and with experts in the various fields, the BBMLF promotes human understanding and encourages commitment to solving the problems and overcoming the barriers that divide our community.
Participants in the Leadership Forum are selected through an open nomination and review process. Self-nominations are welcome. If you are interested, or wish to nominate an emerging leader, please email for a nomination form. Nominations are usually accepted in June of each year, with the Forum itself taking place September to November with one session each week.
Individual BBMLF sessions are sponsored by far-sighted business and civic entities. Sponsors for the 2009 Leadership Forum include:
Harrah’s New Orleans Casino
Peoples Health Network
Jones Walker
The Greater New Orleans Foundation
The Reily Foundation
Educate Now!
The Bryan Bell Metropolitan Leadership Forum offers a powerful opportunity for emerging and potential leaders in the New Orleans community. If you are interested in participating, or in sponsoring a Forum session, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Phone: (504) 267-4666
Email:
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March 8th 2010
New Orleans Citizen Participation Proj. Competes for a $50,000 grant!
The New Orleans Citizen Participation Program is competing in the Pepsi Refresh challenge for a $50,000 grant. Bringing these funds to New Orleans will help us to complete the final stages of this project which will empower citizens throughout our city to have a voice in city government policies and decisions that impact their city, their neighborhoods and their lives. You can vote once per day per email address and it takes less than 60 seconds to cast your vote. The steps to help us win this grant are very simple:
1. Go to http://www.refresheverything.com/neworleanscitizenparticipation and sign up using the “Join Pepsi Refresh Everything” link located on the lower left side of the page. All you need is an email address.
2. Vote for NOLACPP
3. Spread the word among your friends and networks — please share this as widely as possible (your email contacts, through Facebook, Twitter, etc. — there are icons on the site to do these), because the competition will be strong and we need every vote we can get every single day.
4. Return every day during the month of March to vote for NOLACPP.
Thank you for your support. With your help we can bring this money to New Orleans and give our people a voice in our future.
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City Slashes Direct Funding to Community Groups
Sign the Neighborhood Assistance Program Reinstatement petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nola-neighborhoodassistance/
It has come to our attention that a much anticipated new city-wide program, the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP), which was developed by the Office of Recovery Disaster Administration (ORDA), has been cut from the city budget. The NAP was a program that was to provide direct grants and matching grant money to neighborhoods and communities across the city. Many local organizations were not only informed about the NAP, but were eagerly awaiting the opening of the grant-making process. The program was to have started this fall, and would have had grants of up to $10,000 available for local organizations. It is greatly dismaying to see the dismantling of a program that truly embraced the power and effectiveness of citizen groups and recognized their vital roles in rebuilding our city.
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