Editor’s Note: Kosciusko Leadership Academy is celebrating its 30th anniversary. This is the second part in a three-part series on KLA.
Every participant in Kosciusko Leadership Academy, or Cadet as they’re called, has to do a White Paper Project.
Some of the more well-known projects that have come from the White Paper Projects include the Kosciusko Youth Leadership program, Heart of Gold, the Lake City Greenway Trail and the annual Education Summit.
“There’s been so many of these that have come to fruition,” said Jean Northenor, one of the KLA founders. “It’s changed the county through the projects.”
According to Steve Grill, a longtime moderator for KLA, from the beginning the founders of KLA believed you couldn’t just talk about community leadership, participants needed to get involved in it.
“Every year it ends with the class dividing into small groups and doing something beneficial for the community,” said Grill.
One of the projects resulted in the Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy.
“We’re one of the first communities to have a youth version of KLA,” said Grill. “It was a White Paper Project.”
He said there’s been hundreds of projects and dozens of them immediately improved the community, he said.
“What makes the White Paper Projects unique is that KLA isn’t just talking about leadership, we’re doing it. There’s effort involved in it. People put a lot of time and effort in it. It gives them a sense of fulfillment,” Grill said.
The projects aren’t assigned. The Cadets find a need in the community on their own and create their project around that.
“They not only do their projects, they generate what the projects are about,” said Grill.
Groups are usually two to four Cadets. Each group forms on its own.
“We’re very hands off,” said Grill. “They’re bright, young people. These people are excited when they work on them.”
For the past eight years, the Jean Northenor Project Proud Award has been given to a project that “could have an immediate effect”, Grill said. The cash award is not given to the group, but to the project to help fund it to make it become a reality.
Matt Dalton, one of the founders of KLA, before he died, donated money in honor of Northenor for the award. The community has helped sustain the award.
“Many, many of our projects came to fruition,” Grill said.
For the future, Grill said, KLA and the White Paper Projects will remain on the same track as they are now.
“We have this magical formula everyone wishes they had,” said Grill.
But, he said, that doesn’t mean KLA won’t continuously tweak itself along the way. The organization doesn’t just sit on its laurels, he said.
KLA maintains a website with information about the White Paper Projects that have been done over the years.
In 1982, one project was done on Kosciusko County’s need for a Big Brother/Big Sister agency, while another one looked at solutions to the problem of flooding for Barbee, Webster and Tippecanoe Lakes.
In 1983, there was a project on unemployment in Kosciusko County, while a 1984 project looked at a survey and analysis to better understand the problems and need of the industrial sector.
The child care situation was a project study in 1985 as was a project to increase public awareness of emotional abuse suffered by children.
Some of the other topics over the years included a Kosciusko County social services directory in 1986, recreational guide to the lakes in the county in 1987, an apartment guide in 1988, establishing a Kosciusko County park system in 1991, a Kosciusko Future Leaders Academy and a victim survivors program both in 1991, breaking the cycle of teen pregnancy in the county in 1994, establishment of a Greenway plan in 1995 with further development of the Greenway plan in 1997, a community bark park in 2004 and Hispanic youth mentoring program also in 2004.
For more information about the White Paper Projects, visit the website at http://www.klaconnect.com/whitepapers.htm
Editor’s Note: Kosciusko Leadership Academy is celebrating its 30th anniversary. This is the second part in a three-part series on KLA.
Every participant in Kosciusko Leadership Academy, or Cadet as they’re called, has to do a White Paper Project.
Some of the more well-known projects that have come from the White Paper Projects include the Kosciusko Youth Leadership program, Heart of Gold, the Lake City Greenway Trail and the annual Education Summit.
“There’s been so many of these that have come to fruition,” said Jean Northenor, one of the KLA founders. “It’s changed the county through the projects.”
According to Steve Grill, a longtime moderator for KLA, from the beginning the founders of KLA believed you couldn’t just talk about community leadership, participants needed to get involved in it.
“Every year it ends with the class dividing into small groups and doing something beneficial for the community,” said Grill.
One of the projects resulted in the Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy.
“We’re one of the first communities to have a youth version of KLA,” said Grill. “It was a White Paper Project.”
He said there’s been hundreds of projects and dozens of them immediately improved the community, he said.
“What makes the White Paper Projects unique is that KLA isn’t just talking about leadership, we’re doing it. There’s effort involved in it. People put a lot of time and effort in it. It gives them a sense of fulfillment,” Grill said.
The projects aren’t assigned. The Cadets find a need in the community on their own and create their project around that.
“They not only do their projects, they generate what the projects are about,” said Grill.
Groups are usually two to four Cadets. Each group forms on its own.
“We’re very hands off,” said Grill. “They’re bright, young people. These people are excited when they work on them.”
For the past eight years, the Jean Northenor Project Proud Award has been given to a project that “could have an immediate effect”, Grill said. The cash award is not given to the group, but to the project to help fund it to make it become a reality.
Matt Dalton, one of the founders of KLA, before he died, donated money in honor of Northenor for the award. The community has helped sustain the award.
“Many, many of our projects came to fruition,” Grill said.
For the future, Grill said, KLA and the White Paper Projects will remain on the same track as they are now.
“We have this magical formula everyone wishes they had,” said Grill.
But, he said, that doesn’t mean KLA won’t continuously tweak itself along the way. The organization doesn’t just sit on its laurels, he said.
KLA maintains a website with information about the White Paper Projects that have been done over the years.
In 1982, one project was done on Kosciusko County’s need for a Big Brother/Big Sister agency, while another one looked at solutions to the problem of flooding for Barbee, Webster and Tippecanoe Lakes.
In 1983, there was a project on unemployment in Kosciusko County, while a 1984 project looked at a survey and analysis to better understand the problems and need of the industrial sector.
The child care situation was a project study in 1985 as was a project to increase public awareness of emotional abuse suffered by children.
Some of the other topics over the years included a Kosciusko County social services directory in 1986, recreational guide to the lakes in the county in 1987, an apartment guide in 1988, establishing a Kosciusko County park system in 1991, a Kosciusko Future Leaders Academy and a victim survivors program both in 1991, breaking the cycle of teen pregnancy in the county in 1994, establishment of a Greenway plan in 1995 with further development of the Greenway plan in 1997, a community bark park in 2004 and Hispanic youth mentoring program also in 2004.
For more information about the White Paper Projects, visit the website at http://www.klaconnect.com/whitepapers.htm
