CONTENTS

OVERVIEW
ELIGIBILITY
INSTITUTE CONTENT
SELECTION CRITERIA

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION INFO & GUIDELINES

OVERVIEW

Creative Community Leadership Institute (CCLI) is an intensive, in-person, cohort-based learning space for artists, culture bearers, community organizers, committed community members, and other leaders seeking to deepen their impact in community work. CCLI offers real-world practice and centers a particular critical lens, a framework that aims to sharpen analytical skills and brings us closer to the root, rather than the symptoms.

CCLI Values

We believe in the powerful impact of our collective wisdom and creativity to create long-term societal change. 

We strive to create a world where artists and their labor are recognized and valued as essential to community vitality and problem-solving. We challenge the notion of “Art for Art’s Sake.”

We believe that strong collaborations based on values of accountability, clear communication, patience, and integrity are necessary for long-term impact.

We are intentional about co-creating compassionate, honest, and courageous spaces that are shaped by diverse identities, geographies, perspectives, experiences, and abilities.  

We support the development of leaders who are intentional in challenging and disrupting oppressive systems locally and globally. We approach our work together with commitment to struggle and commitment to moving conversations into action.

We think and act for the well-being of ourselves and one another, our families and communities, the land, and future generations.

In 2023, CCLI will host three cohorts:

• The West Cohort will be held in Rapid City, South Dakota at Racing Magpie

• The Central Cohort will be held in the in the Bismarck/Mandan area of North Dakota

• The East Cohort will be held in the Hibbing/Chisholm-Mesabi Range area of Minnesota

This year, the West Cohort will be limited to CCLI alumni of the West Cohort who are enrolled tribal members and those who can demonstrate they live or work directly in Native communities. For more information on participation in this cohort please email ccli@springboardforthearts.org.

Institute Schedule

Each cohort will meet for three intensive sessions over four-five months. The first and third sessions will take place in person and the second session will be virtual. Participants must attend all 3 sessions, within their cohort. 

In person sessions occur Fridays, 10am-5pm, Saturdays, 10am-5pm and Sundays 10am-3pm

The virtual session for all cohorts will occur on Saturday, July 22nd 1-5pm CST/12-4pm MST and Sunday, July 23rd from 10:30am-1pm CST /9:30am-12pm MST.

• Central Cohort hosted in the Bismarck/Mandan area, ND: April 28-30, July 22-23 (virtual), Oct 20-22

• East Cohort hosted in Hibbing/Chisholm-Mesabi Range area, MN: May 12-May 14, July 22-23 (virtual), November 3-5

• West Cohort hosted in Rapid City, SD: Spring & Fall TBD by participants, July 22-23 (virtual)

Please consider important personal dates in your calendar such as graduations, family celebrations and work commitments prior to applying.

ELIGIBILITY

To be considered for the CCLI East and Central cohort, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• You work or are interested in working at the intersection of arts, culture, community, and community building/development. 

• You live in so-called Minnesota or North Dakota. 

• You live and/or work within 45 minutes of our host cities, Bismarck/Mandan, ND or Chisholm/Hibbing, MN

• You have the capacity to attend all three sessions of your cohort.

• You have the capacity to do out-of-session work (readings, project planning and implementation, checking in with the facilitation team, etc.)

• You have not been a member of a previous CCLI cohort.  

• You are 18 years of age or older at the time of the first session in your cohort.

INSTITUTE CONTENT

CCLI is designed to support and challenge participants to be sharper leaders. Institute content during sessions, and in-between session work, such as readings or assignments, includes:

• Building connection and care across the cohort.

• Self-awareness as a community member – what are your values, strengths, passions, and capacities and how do they relate to the dominant culture in the United States? Where do you want to grow and expand? 

• Understanding systems and context – We offer a critical lens to understand and become more adept at challenging systems of oppression, including White Supremacy, Patriarchy, Settler Colonialism, Imperialism, and Capitalism. 

• Functional tools and techniques to help participants move from theory into action. 

• Practice – cohorts will have financial support to take what they’ve learned during the sessions and to “try a little something.”

• Role identification - how might you understand your role in community work? What are the ways you can be more intentional about who you collaborate with and how?

• Resources – learning materials including guides, toolkits, models, and articles. 

Sessions will be led by a team of co-facilitators from the two partner organizations*, guest presenters, alumni of CCLI, and site hosts. Alumni of CCLI will be invited to learn and create relationships with the new cohort participants through shared events and activities.

This Institute and meals are free for participants. Participants will receive a modest stipend to support their participation. 

CCLI is committed to COVID prevention practices which include masks, social distancing and testing. In addition to these requirements, we would like for all participants to be vaccinated and boosted if possible.

*CCLI is co-led by Racing Magpie (Rapid City, SD), and Springboard for the Arts (St. Paul and Fergus Falls, MN). CCLI is made possible through generous support from the Bush Foundation.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Applications will be reviewed by a group of facilitators, staff, and other practitioners. Participants will be selected to create a cohort that as a whole group come from different backgrounds and identities, races and cultures, community sizes, and different types of experience in arts and community. 

We will prioritize the participation of people who are:

• Native, Black, Indigenous, People of Color

Other factors we will consider when assembling each cohort include

• Diversity of background, identity, and experience, including things such as: 

• Age, gender, dis/ability, race, culture, sexual identity, and religion.

• Role in community (artist, organizer, community development practitioner, local government, business owner, etc.).

• Artistic and creative medium(s).

• Geography within each state, from rural/urban areas.

• Impact

• Can the applicant leverage CCLI experience for continued growth, with each other and in their own communities?

• Does the applicant have the potential to shift knowledge into action, with others and within their own communities?

• Does the applicant seem committed to or compelled by the CCLI values?Eligible applications will be reviewed by a group of facilitators, staff, advisory committee members and other practitioners. Participants will be selected to create a cohort who as a whole group come from different backgrounds and identities, races and cultures, community sizes, and different types of experience in arts and community. 

Download the Application Info and Guidelines here