An Arkansas agricultural and rural leadership development program is seeking participants for its 16th Lead Arkansas class.
Learning to be a leader requires global thinking, a major part of the training provided by the project known as Lead AR.
LeadAR’s two-year study structure offers participants in-depth and global views of issues facing their communities, state and country. It includes a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., to gain insight on the legislative process and how it can help locally and a trip overseas, to compare rural communities and economies and find opportunities locally.
International study has taken classes to Greece, Bolivia, Canada, Australia, Vietnam, Scotland, Panama and Costa Rica, and Brazil. The current class is heading to China.
“LeadAR gives outstanding adults from rural Arkansas communities increased understanding of economic and social changes affecting Arkansas,” said Joe Waldrum, LeadAR program director for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service. “Participants also develop leadership skills and gain greater confidence in their own abilities.”
Tuition for the program is $3,000. Interested individuals should go to www.uaex.edu/leadar to learn more about the LeadAR Program and the Arkansas Association of LeadAR Alumni. The first phase of the application process, the full application, is due online by Aug.17. Details: Contact Waldrum at 501-671-2076.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons without discrimination.