January 31, 2024

To our 2024 Fellows, we have a message for you… “Congratulations, you did it!”

Fellows approach New Leaders Council LEAD weekend with varied levels of comfort, skills, and experience. No matter where you started, you probably had questions leading into the weekend.

What should I expect? Who will I meet? Will I get along with my cohort? Am I supposed to be here?

You’re not alone, we did too, and so did the majority of Fellows who went through NLC LEAD weekend. As you learned more about your cohort, you did work, you leaned into your own vulnerability and made space for others to do the same. You were open to possibilities, you laughed, you cried, you hugged, you connected through sharing your stories, context, and backgrounds.

Throughout the weekend, you and your NLC cohort focused on building strong relationships and investing in a collaborative community of change makers. At the conclusion of NLC LEAD, we asked you to give us feedback and you shared words like: Excited. Enjoyed. Joyful. Fantastic. Community. Open. Incredible.

97% of Fellows said that the NLC LEAD curriculum created multiple opportunities to bond and build culture with the other Fellows.

94% of Fellows said that the NLC LEAD curriculum contained activities that respected the group’s diversity and valued inclusion.

96% of Fellows said that the NLC LEAD curriculum pushed you to think deeply about your short, medium, and long term goals.

96% of Fellows said that the NLC LEAD curriculum made you excited to continue your NLC journey.

We appreciate your voice and while we are ecstatic to have such high percentages in Fellows’ feedback, we are also deeply committed to our value of continuous growth. Your feedback will help us to continue improving the NLC LEAD experience for future Fellows.

This weekend provided you with a framework to assess where you are now and envision where you want to go in terms of your personal and professional goals. We hope that for some of you, that will include considering becoming an NLC LEAD Facilitator in the future, strengthening the ecosystem of our community leadership movement across the country!

With over 18 years of training and connecting leaders in cross-sector industries, NLC has built a movement of proximate leaders with a shared language around building community, advancing equity, dismantling oppressive systems, and growing as leaders. And this experience was only the beginning of the rest of your NLC Institute experience.

You’re done with month one of your six-month leadership journey and we can’t wait to see how you grow alongside your cohort. Thank you! You are changing the world. In June, we’ll be waiting for you at the finish line to celebrate as you join the ranks of over 12,000 NLC alumni.

A big thank you and congratulations to all the local NLC Chapter leaders and the 2024 NLC LEAD Facilitators for a successful kickoff to the 2024 NLC Institute!