UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EXTENSION
Statewide Leadership Committee
Vision
The vision for University of Illinois Extension’s Leadership and Volunteer Development base program is a world
in which all people have the wisdom, capacity, and passion to make a difference for public well being.
Mission
The mission of the Leadership and Volunteer Development Base Program is to enhance the capacity of diverse
people to take action to improve the well being of self, families, and communities.
Committee Membership
Darla Binkley, Livingston County Extension Director* Earl Bricker, Adams Brown Extension CED
Educator * Kathie Brown, Macomb Center CED Educator* Tony Franklin, Knox County Extension
Director* Al Kulczewski, Henderson – Mercer – Warren Counties Extension Director* Ruby Lingle
Springfield Center CED Educator * Jeri Marxman, Extension Specialist Public Policy Education & CED
Program Leader * Paula Robinson, Macoupin County Extension Director* Steve Wagoner,
Edwardsville Center Youth Development Educator * Larry Wilson, Countryside Extension Center CED
Educator.
Progress in 2006
Community Leadership Statewide Impact Evaluation Committee members collaborated with
University of Missouri to implement a statewide assessment of community leadership programming.
The evaluation involved programs that have been in existence for 3-5 years and provide a minimum
of fourteen contact hours and five sessions. The instrument developed by University of Missouri,
has been utilized by numerous other states and will allow Illinois to benchmark their programming
achievements against similar programs.
The evaluation has provided our organization a great opportunity for program improvement. The
program theory model developed by University of Missouri provided us with key information that has
provided excellent guidance and direction for Illinois Community Leadership programming efforts. A
total of 18 staff participated in a one day PDO discussing the evaluation findings. Additional followup on this effort was also held during the summer with 14 staff members including educators and
county extension directors participating in this event.
During the next year, we will be formulating a set of programming guidelines for use by staff
interested in conducting community leadership programs. In addition, the information has provided
focus to our need for development of curriculum resources. We will enlist the support of a graduate
student in Human and Community Development in the College of ACES, to identify curriculum
resource materials to support the following elements of the program model:
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Personal Growth & Efficacy
Community Commitment
Shared Future and Purpose
Community Knowledge
Civic Engagement
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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EXTENSION
Statewide Leadership Committee
Leadership Competency Self Assessment by University of Illinois Extension Staff in conjunction with
Richard Clark, Assistant Dean of Professional Development, a system - wide assessment was
conducted in March of 2005 to guide future staff development activities. 122 staff members
completed the survey. This survey provided the foundation for several different staff development
activities during the past year and for the coming year.
 The top two priorities for staff development in 2006 were identified a: Facilitation Training
and Leadership Theory in Programming and Practice. Professional Development
Opportunities provided staff with research based tools for programming and provided a
unique opportunity to interact with faculty.
U-Facilitate ~ 51 staff members participated in the 1.5 day training
Leadership Theory in Programming & Practice
 Concepts of Leadership (The Beginnings * The Meaning of Leadership * ) presented
by Anne Silvis ~ 13 participants
 An Introduction to Theories and Models of Leadership presented by Marrianne
Lorenson, Department of Human & Community Development ~ 23 participants
 Organizations and Leadership presented by Stephen Gasteyer, Department of
Human & Community Development ~ 19 participants.
 Concepts of Learning Community presented by Bob Hughes, Head
Department Human & Community Development ~ 17 participants.
In addition, the committee recommended that more emphasis be given to academic and
popular leadership development current literature citations in professional development
opportunities. The following book studies were sponsored by our Ad Hoc Leadership
Committee:
Working With Differences in Communities presented by the author Ann C. Schauber,
Director of Interdisciplinary Programs, Oregon State University ~ 30 participants
The World is Flat staff discussion facilitated by Kyle Cecil, Knox County ; Al Zwillling,
Quad Cities Center; and Tony Franklin, Knox County ~ 23 participants
 The top two priorities for staff development in 2007 were identified as: Visioning & Planning
and continued exploration of Leadership Literature. PDO proposals have been submitted and
accepted for the coming program year.
 The top two priorities for staff development in 2008 were identified as: Development of
Learning Communities and continued exploration of Leadership Literature.
 The top two priorities for staff development in 2009 were identified as: Formal and Informal
Power structures in government, organizations & institutions, along with the continued
exploration of Leadership Literature.
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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EXTENSION
Statewide Leadership Committee
On January 26 and 27, staff and agency representatives gathered to develop an
interdisciplinary program plan for youth leadership. Professional staff at all levels of the
organization worked toward the creation of a long-term plan for extending the reach of youth
leadership development.
The Ad Hoc Leadership Team conducted an internal audit of Youth Leadership Development
Programming in Illinois. The audit looked at what models we are currently using and what the
perceived strengths and limitations of the existing programming models are.
Wendy Wheeler, of the Innovation Center for Youth and Community Development, facilitated
our discussion. Her wealth of experiences and study in this area provided a bridge for the many
different perspectives held by staff and agencies who viewed this issue through numerous
different perspectives.
Our end goal was to create a model for youth leadership development in Illinois that will not be a
prescriptive model, but more so a blueprint for action that will include a framework for local
programs. The blueprint will describe a target audience and program approach that is holistic in
nature including roles for youth, community members, supporting organizations, and Extension
staff.
We accomplished a great deal during the two day retreat; leadership for various aspects of program
development was identified, and key concepts of our program model began to emerge. The following
whitepaper was developed out of the retreat experience and subsequent conversations.
Broadening the Bounds of Youth Leadership Programming
Its time to go beyond outreach and service to what the Kellogg Commission defines as
“engagement”. By engagement, we refer to institutions that have redesigned their teaching,
research, and extension and service functions to become even more sympathetically and
productively involved in their communities, however community may be defined. -The Kellogg
Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities (1999)
Access to youth leadership programming is often restricted to high achievers, young people who are
perceived as leaders. Alternative youth leadership programs are designed to meet the specialized
needs of high risk, marginalized or adjudicated youth. Yet, what about the unrecognized, unengaged
and untapped potential of a large majority of young people who are not high achievers and may be
experiencing multiple risk factors in their lives? There is limited research and few leadership program
models designed to serve this often overlooked population of youth; yet for this group of young
people, leadership development programs might very well serve as a tipping point that propels them
from a mediocre learning trajectory to one with great developmental outcomes.
For the past year, the University of Illinois Ad Hoc Leadership team has been exploring the issue of
how to provide leadership programming for emerging youth leaders with untapped potential. Through
a series of meetings, conferences and work sessions, the team conducted a cross disciplinary
examination of existing leadership development opportunities for youth with unrecognized potential,
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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EXTENSION
Statewide Leadership Committee
explored the potential for building on existing strengths of the campus-based faculty and extension
staff to develop new programs, and identified the potential of community and campus partnerships
to spearhead new efforts. As a result of their work, the committee determined there is tremendous
potential and opportunity among the campus units for Extension staff and community partners to
design a cross-disciplinary youth leadership program for the “middle 70%”of youth with untapped
potential not served by programs designed for the very needy or the high achievers. To that end, the
team convened a planning retreat on January 26-27, 2006, to design a blueprint for action that
would launch planning efforts for such a program. This report is a culmination of efforts made in
January as well as the most recent Leadership Team planning meeting held April 10-11, 2006.
The Extension Youth Leadership Program will promote youth and community development by
building personal and community leadership skills in youth, grades 7-12 who have limited
leadership experience. This mission statement supports the University of Illinois mission of helping
put knowledge to work through learning partnerships. The value and need for youth leadership was
identified by the County Extension Directors and the recent plans of work developed by the Youth
Development and Community and Economic Development Teams.
Principles of Good Practice to guide the program have been developed through an interdisciplinary
collaboration that includes the Eight Critical Elements of Positive Youth Development and the
Community Development Society Principles of Good Practice.
The program will offer both a community and youth development perspective in skill development.
The community will become aware of the potential of local youth and increase the involvement of
youth in the community. Youth will gain knowledge of the community and its power structure, and
develop an increased sense of self-efficacy. The youth will also gain marketable skills, a greater
awareness of personal leadership capability and potential, and an opportunity for civic engagement.
A pivotal component of the Blueprint for Leadership Program will include offering a new leadership
curriculum that will combine the best practices of previous extension curricula with current research.
The curriculum will be developed, juried and marketed both statewide and nationally by the strong
interdisciplinary team that includes, but is not limited to, County Extension Directors, Community and
Economic Development Team, Youth Development Team and ACES faculty. This strategy will offer
the optimum potential for cost recovery while providing an opportunity to showcase the University of
Illinois’ extensive research base and the resources within the College of ACES. Currently in the early
development process, this curriculum includes three phases: Phase I: Personal Skill Development -intensive education in leadership; Phase II: Building Community Knowledge -- understanding social
capital; and Phase III: Project Implementation -- individual or group projects.
The Blueprint for Leadership Program will be piloted at selected sites throughout the state. County
Extension Directors will be given resources for leadership strategies, technical assistance in needs
assessment, and identifying potential youth. A variety of evaluation techniques and tools will be
used, such as pre- and post-tests for content, retrospective pre-post for social skills, reflective
journaling and community assessment. These pilot sites will provide invaluable baseline data that
will measure impact and short-term and long-term outcomes for both the youth and the community.
A variety of marketing strategies will be used within the organization and, most importantly, through
community access and collaboration such as 4-H Clubs, after school programs, church groups,
schools and a variety of youth-serving organizations, some of which are the Boys and Girls Clubs of
America, YMCA, etc.
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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EXTENSION
Statewide Leadership Committee
A sustainability process will be outlined to assist units with potential cross-county partnerships and
cost-recovery.
Future Directions
Efforts initiated by the Ad Hoc Leadership group will continue in various forms during the coming
year.
 The Youth and Community Leadership Development group continues to work towards
identification of outside funding and submission of a flagship proposal.
 Follow-up on the Community Leadership Academy programming will provide a focused effort
of curriculum identification and study around the five core elements for meaningful
community leadership programming noted earlier in this report. Members of this group will
also need to look at the business model for this programming effort, currently the
programming costs generated at the local level but not shared across the organization. We
will need to look for the infusion of new sources of revenue or ways to redistribute resources
to allow for additional curriculum and program support.
Thanks for your continued support of our programming efforts. Please let us know if you have
additional questions about our work over the past year.
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