CSU–Pueblo earns Packard Foundation grant for neighborhood leadership development

Pueblo- Colorado State University – Pueblo, the Pueblo Neighborhood Partnership (PNP), and the City of Pueblo Department of Community Development will provide three programs to address the leadership development needs of some of the community’s poorest neighborhoods thanks to a $50,055 grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Poverty, and the associated problems it causes for the disadvantaged, has historically been concentrated in three Pueblo neighborhoods: the East Side, the West Side (Hyde Park), and Bessemer. A number of years ago, residents of the three neighborhoods came together to form the Pueblo Neighborhood Partnership (PNP), an organization that now serves as a vehicle for neighborhood improvements. Over the last year and a half, CSU-Pueblo, through its Center for Leadership and Community Development, has worked closely with city officials and PNP to develop specific projects that would address problems identified by the Partnership.

According to grant coordinator Collette Carter, success in addressing some of the problems of the neighborhoods depends on expanding the leadership and increasing the active involvement of residents to identify their needs and feasible solutions.

“The neighborhoods need better organizational structure, mechanisms for leadership succession, and a vision for self-determination,” Carter said.

The grant will allow the organizations to present a youth leadership program, a neighborhood leadership conference, and workshops and courses on leadership development following a period of assessment activities within the neighborhoods to determine needs and strategies for recruiting and organizing potential leaders.

Following assessment activities in the neighborhoods, courses on leadership skills will be presented in a three-month workshop series meeting twice a month for three hour sessions at Y-Neighborhood sites designed to build knowledge, skills and connections needed for effective neighborhood leadership. A second three-week series of Saturday sessions will help individuals identify neighborhood concerns and their role in addressing these concerns. The focuses will be on civic engagement, taking risks for moving into public life and clarifying personal interests and leadership styles.

For the youth in the neighborhoods, the grant will fund a youth leadership program to develop the leadership skills of the 14-18 age group and their ability to work in partnership with adults to address the needs of the Y-Neighborhoods. A key component is the design and implementation of neighborhood improvement projects by neighborhood youth, to include expansion of
neighborhood clean-ups, establishment of neighborhood gardens, graffiti removal, housing rehabilitation and new recreation programs, among others.

Finally, the grant will fund a neighborhood leadership conference at which participants will discuss the leadership needs of their community, arrive at a consensus on strategies for building leadership in the neighborhoods, and how the University can assist in this endeavor. The annual conferences will help establish and continually revitalize a cadre of residents who can take leadership roles in neighborhood associations and community organizations and on governmental boards.


NOTE: The Center for Leadership and Community Development at CSU-Pueblo was established within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences two years ago to serve as a resource to Pueblo and Southern Colorado. The Center aims to acquire and analyze information and data necessary for community- based planning and program development; provide community leadership training through seminars, community forums, and workshops on grassroots leadership techniques and skills; establish working linkages between citizens, community groups, and governmental agencies; and allow university students to develop leadership skills and a commitment to civic engagement through active involvement in community projects as interns.

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.