PODER Leadership Institute

People with signs

LCW members are deeply committed to bettering the city of Lawrence, working within the LCW network, taking on increased leadership roles and offering their leadership, skills and expertise to strengthening LCW and the quality of life in the city we call home. In order to prepare and empower the membership of LCW to take on this mission, we invite members to participate in the PODER Leadership Institute.

In Spanish, PODER has two meanings. As a verb it means “to be able to…” and as a noun it means “power.” Both meanings of PODER represent the act of building individual power to ‘be able to’ make positive things happen. PODER is a self-development and leadership building experience designed and developed for members and Lawrence residents.

Through this experience members will gain a deep understanding of Lawrence CommunityWorks, its mission, philosophies guiding practice and the cultural context that it exists within. Through this understanding, participants will gain skills and further their knowledge to become leaders or enhance their leadership within the organization and the community at large.

How does PODER Work?
Members are invited to participate in a PODER class or cohort. Each cohort will have 8-10 individuals who commit to learning together on a weekly basis for 6-8 weeks. Since the team building aspect of PODER is critical to its success, participants will be expected to participate fully and attend all sessions (of course, exceptions will be made). Childcare is provided for all participants.

This class is FREE, but each individual will be asked to provide food to share during one of the sessions.

Goals of PODER:

  • Participants will gain a deep understanding of Lawrence CommunityWorks, its mission, philosophies guiding practice and the cultural context that it exists within.
  • Having gained that understanding, participants will gain the skills to become leaders or enhance their leadership within the organization and the community at large.
  • Parent PODER classes focus on the importance of parent involvement, advocacy and leadership in their child’s education.  Participants will become knowledgeable of the educational system and become part of the decision making process within Lawrence Public Schools.