LEAD GROUP PROGRAMS

LEAD Group currently operates 6 programs as follows:

• Organizational Development (OD) Services: LEAD Group provides monthly seminars on a variety of OD subject areas, a quarterly "Introduction to non‑profits" seminar, and also provides individualized executive director coaching and OD services to build African‑led organizational capacities.  In 2007, 30 African organizations are expected to participate in one or several seminars, and as many as 30 organizations are expected to receive formal and informal coaching and OD services.
  For additional information about OD Services, click here.

• Restorative Justice Initiative: This 2‑year pilot project is a planning process to develop an Afro‑centric community‑based model based on the principles of Restorative Justice, to respond to conflicts and problems for and by Somali families and the local police, human service, health, and school systems that serve them.  At the conclusion of this planning process, a model of response will be ready for implementation in four designated communities where Somali community members are concentrated.
  For additional information about Restorative Justice Initiative, click here.

• Minnesota Dialogue on Africa: This program, done in collaboration with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Center for Policy, Planning and Performance, promotes consciousness and dialogue on African issues through a series of quarterly public forums.
  For additional information about Minnesota Dialogue on Africa, click here.

• Somali Healthcare Initiatives: LEAD Group collaborates with the MN International Health Volunteers (MIHV) and the Confederation of the Somali Community in MN to address the healthcare needs of Somali immigrants through research, community and service provider forums and trainings.

• Community Research: LEAD Group is currently collaborating with the MN Council of Non‑Profits to develop a database and directory of African‑led non‑profits.  LEAD's research on promoting preventive care and eliminating healthcare access barriers was published in the Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of medicine, 2003. Vol. 80.  LEAD has also collaborated with the Minneapolis Public Schools to produce a widely used educational video that addresses the intergenerational gap among Somali immigrants, and curriculum to educate healthcare providers on relevant cultural needs.

• Women Empowerment: Why empowerment for African Women?  The reality of women has changed over the last 50 years.  At LEAD Group, we examine African women's issues with a human rights framework and create opportunities for women to engage in discussions on how as women they can attend to their changing realities and roles and continuously improve on the quality of their lives and the lives within the African community.