About:
The Leadership Institute is a strength-based leadership program with the intent to build and develop a cadre of CHW leaders for the state of Minnesota. The Leadership Institute was created to:
- Serve a diverse cohort of CHWs for training
- Provide leadership training for current CHWs
- Provide leadership knowledge, skill, and capacity building for CHWs.
- Engage CHWs in learning and skill building activities.
- Assist and support CHWs to practice and advance into leadership positions
- Connect CHWs across multiple sectors and work sites
Cost: This program is free of charge to CHWs
Goals of the Training:
- Building personal and professional resources for continued leadership development.
- Enhancing skills to increase effectiveness to empower individual and community capacity for better health.
- Increasing leadership skills for individual CHWs.
- Equipping CHWs to become leaders in their spheres of influence.
“I enjoyed making the professional connections and lifelong friendships. The leadership program is essential. I feel all CHWs should participate.”
Southwest Region: February 2025- July 2025
Location: MN West Community & Technical College Campus (1450 Collegeway, Worthington, MN 56187)
Time: Third Tuesday of the month, February – July, 10am-3pm
- February 18
- March 18
- April 15
- May 20
- June 17
- July 15
Northwest Region: April 2025- September 2025
Location: Bemidji Minnesota on the campus of Northwest Technical College
Dates: Second Tuesday of the month, 10am- 3pm
How to Apply:
Applications are now open for the Southwest Region
History
The Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance has hosted Leadership Institutes in 2016, and 2018-2020. Each Leadership Institute cohort has had different core focus areas but all cohorts have come away with a strengthened sense of their role as a leader in their context as a community health worker.
Leadership Cohort Outcomes & Achievements:
- Recognized their individual leadership abilities and learned new tools to aid in their work.
- Understood the roles of various partners in their work; CHWs, funders, state agencies, legislators, media, etc.
- Developed new resources, contacts, and partners to move their priorities and those of their communities forward.
- Learned processes to engage in high-level change through work with state agencies and policy makers.
- Took on more leadership roles within their employers and communities.
- Developed individual Leadership Plans.
“Having the opportunity to learn how valuable CHWs can be in our organizations and how we integrate across the continuum of care was really eye-opening.”
CHW takeaways from Leadership Institute Training
- I am a Leader
- If I don’t take action, who will?
- I have great ideas
- What I think matters