EmpowerLA Leadership Academy
 | | EmpowerLA Leadership Academy Harbor Graduates |
EmpowerLA's Leadership Academy is on the road and the spring semester is full of hands-on workshops that take place throughout the City, offering participants the opportunity to Empower Themselves, Empower their Communities and Empower LA.
This past week, Sunland-Tujunga and Harbor Gateway both played host to the Academy, offering both stakeholders and Board members an opportunity to engage in a variety of topics.
Cindy Cleghorn demonstrated a powerful strategy for using direct mail campaigns to connect with stakeholders using simple postcards that are specific to an event such as an election and newsletters that include resource information.
Enci Box unlocked the secrets of successful email campaigns and strategies for building robust stakeholder databases and distributing digital newsletters that are appealing and effective.
Jerry Kvasnicka presented plans for the upcoming Neighborhood Council elections and the importance of a solid connection between great outreach for candidates and successful voter turnout.
City of Los Angeles Commissioner 
Douglas Epperhart shared the Three P's of Powerful Advocacy and his insights into getting great press from local media.
Cindy Marie Jenkins demonstrated the impact of effective storytelling, the foundation of a strategic communication plan that connects a powerful media campaign with the audience.
Both Cindy Marie Jenkins and Enci Box addressed the mysteries of social media and shared their experiences turning Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Constant Contact into tools for "Getting Connected" effectively.
Stephen Box addressed techniques for connecting with the media, both national and local, and putting them to work telling neighborhood stories that bring the community together.
The EmpowerLA Leadership Academy will return to the North Valley on Thursday, April 26th, at 6 pm and to the Harbor Area on Saturday, April 28th, at 8 am.
The topics of the workshops varies dramatically, but they all have one thing in common, they offer powerful tools for engaging the local community and for connecting effectively with the City of Los Angeles. Neighborhood Councils are the most direct route to City Hall and the EmpowerLA Leadership Academy equips community members for the journey.
Through it all, there's something for everybody, including those who have been with Neighborhood Councils since the beginning as well as newcomers who share a desire to participate in their government and to make it more responsive to local needs.
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