New Ventures in Leadership

ASA is dedicated to incorporate civic engagement as a core theme within its diversity efforts and programs by creating a subgroup of five partners focused on civic engagement activities within its New Ventures in Leadership program (NVL).

New Ventures in Leadership (NVL) is an 11-year old program within ASA that focuses on developing the leadership skills of professionals of color in the field of aging. The program encompasses specialized training sessions, a project and work with two mentors over the course of a year. The year-long program is composed of three components: educational seminars, mentoring, and special projects. Partners develop a special project and are paired with two mentors, one local and one national, who assist them with their professional development and provide access to networks of leaders in the field of aging.

Selection of partners for the program will include criteria regarding involvement in civic engagement-type programming with five partners selected based on such involvement in 2006 and 2007. The partners each year will develop a civic engagement-related project as their special project in the NVL program and will report on their results at the end of their year-long training program. Mentors for these partners will include individuals within ASA's leadership who have a strong base of experience in developing civic engagement-related projects.

The NVL program staff is currently developing a specific program with a focus on civic engagement, which will allow the integration of the civic engagement content into the program. In 2006 and 2007, five NVL partners each year will be selected to represent individuals whose work in the program will focus on developing their knowledge, skills and experience in civic engagement programming in their own communities. The goal of civic engagement is to impact various community organizations through the work of promising and emerging community leaders.

For more information becoming a partner, click here .

To apply to the program, click here .