2. Born out of a research project conducted around capacity building, the Alabama Emerging Leaders Network was created to address the strong need to re-imagine how Indigenous professional talent and Indigenous emerging activist leadership was uplifted. The Alabama Emerging Leaders Network is a connection of indigenous peoples, geographically dispersed throughout the state, who believe in a core set of values and principles that lead them to create –through their varied disciplines- actions of compassion, equality and justice. We come together because we are different and we are willing to be different everywhere in our lives to effect change in the world. Welcoming Alabama Emerging Leaders Network Motto
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6. Meaningful Exchange Person-to-person This exchange is about meeting a person and sharing ideas, situations and inviting them into your personal life to share in the workings and development of who you are as a person. Local Community Based on the person-to-person exchange, the local groups connection is centered around working toward an immediate goal – something that can be seen without an extended effort- like organizing a party, workshop or small-scale trip. Statewide Community Without the local community working, the statewide community would never materialize. The statewide’s learning and relationship is built around working in a unified fashion toward long-term goals that have lasting effects. Meaningful exchange, is a specific way of relating that give us experience, learning and relationship to one another. We make our meaningful exchanges at the following places:
8. The Statewide Coordinator convenes the steering committee, which oversees the statewide summit and the actions born from the gathering. The coordinator also acts as trainer, facilitator and coach for local groups. In addition to sharing best practices with the local groups, the statewide coordinator does direct outreach to engage indigenous leaders. Further, the coordinator serves as the administrator to the Network and develops relationships with existing organizations and institutions. The Steering Committee is a group of stakeholders who are responsible for providing guidance and overall strategic direction. Made up of a group of peers, the steering committee organizes the annual summit and gives guidance around how to implement the summit learning’s and actions. The Steering Committee functions as anchors to the local exchange and joins in finding other leaders who are willing to be different to get a different outcome. The Alabama Emerging Leaders Network is facilitated by the statewide coordinator, the steering committee of the annual summit and the communications intern. The Communications Intern manages all the internal and external communications between local groups and with other organizations, institutions and stakeholders. The communications intern provides detailed notes from meetings to the network and is responsible for the upkeep of the website. Organization
10. Outreach, we determined, should be centered around finding people outside of the oppressive constructs of issues, gender, race, organizational affiliation, economics and geography but rather finding people who relate to one another around a set of shared values and guiding principles. Entrepreneurship Education Mutual Responsibility Self Criticism Accountability Transparency Reciprocity Innovation Creative Expression Constructive Criticism Sharing Co-creation Life Experience Self Awareness Justice Great Effort Community Recycling Interconnectedness Strategic Planning Celebration Cooperative Ownership Quality Process and Product Learning and Unlearning Faith Hope Courage Love Belief Openness Meditation Quite Moments Restoration Healthy Living Abundance Prayer Change Intergenerational Learning Spirit Finding One Another
11. To lead people walk beside them…As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next people hate…When the best leader’s work is done the people say, “We did it ourselves!” - Lao Tsu
