Waterbury Regional Chamber's Leadership Greater Waterbury Welcoming Participants For 2017-2018 Program: Application Deadline Oct. 20

 The Waterbury Regional Chamber is currently recruiting participants in their 2017-2018 Leadership Greater Waterbury (LGW) program.

This is the 26^th year of this highly-informative leadership and community-relationships-development program that will begin with a kick-off event on Monday, October 23^rd at the Palace Theater in Waterbury. The Chamber’s Leadership Greater Waterbury Director Courtney Ligi reports that the program has opportunities for 25 participants and there are currently 8 openings for potential participants. Applications must be submitted by Friday, October 20th.

The annual Leadership Greater Waterbury (LGW) is a personal and career development program that creates lifelong partnerships and community awareness among future leaders in civic, professional and community organizations throughout the Greater Waterbury region. The goal of the LGW is to provide a creative, interactive environment for participants to meet regional leaders and discuss the challenges that affect the region.

Under the theme of “Developing Community Leaders & Building Better Communities” participants in the nine-month LGW program are exposed to multiple perspectives surrounding the Greater Waterbury’s business and civic arenas, community challenges, opportunities, and assets. Ligi explained, “The participants are encouraged to volunteer in throughout the region; they are introduced to regional leaders and facilitators from public, private and non-profit businesses and organizations plus 400 LGW alumni members; and they are provided with personal and business coaching.”

During monthly full-day ‘field trips’, participants in the program visit various locations and meet with community leaders and learn about the region’s arts & entertainment offerings; health care and education systems; government offices and programs as well as social services and volunteer opportunities.

Leadership skills development offered through the LGW program include the opportunity to recruit, lead and manage teams; innovation and change management skill development; communication and time management strategies; project management; government relations/civic engagement; media and public relations; presentation skills; board of directors development; and community involvement.

“This LGW program,” explained Ligi, “attracts life-long learners with 5 to 25 years of work experience who want to develop their careers, become leaders and make commitments to volunteer community service. Through the past 25 years, LGW has had over 400 participants many who tell us that they have utilized many of the skills they acquired from this program.”

In addition to the LGW group activities, participants collaborate on team projects and each team is partnered with an LGW Alumni to assist with project implementation. “LGW participants,” outlined Ligi, “are divided into groups that will create and implement a project that addresses one of the region’s current pressing issues. Each team member contributes to the team-directed project and team meetings and time commitments are subject to individual team schedules.” Projects that have flourished through the LGW program include Young Professionals of Waterbury Region, Brass City Buzz Social Media Platform, Downtown Draw and Brass Quest Scavenger Hunt.

The overall 2017-2018 LGW program will begin with the Welcome and Alumni Reception on October 23^rd at the Palace Theater followed by two Orientation Days on Thursday, October 26 and Friday, October 27 at the Chamber’s offices at 83 Bank Street in Waterbury. From November 2017 through May 2018, LGW members will participate in training days at different locations throughout the Greater Waterbury region.

Recruits for the 2017-2018 to date include employees from program sponsors MacDermid Performance Solutions as well as New Opportunities, Inc.; FD Community Federal Credit Union; Savings Bank of Danbury; Waterbury Development Corp.; UCONN Waterbury; Liberty Bank; People’s United Bank; Ion Insurance and Ion Bank.

One of the largest chambers in Connecticut, the Waterbury Regional Chamber has more than 1,000 member businesses. The sponsor of the 2017-2018 Waterbury Regional Chamber Leadership Greater Waterbury program is MacDermid Performance Solutions.

To learn more, and to participate in the LGW program, contact Courtney Ligi at cligi@waterburychamber.com or 203-757-0701.