PROGRAMS

From its inception, the JDLI curriculum has focused on immersing students in the total leadership experience. Instead of merely presenting information and concepts, the program seeks to challenge its participants and help them with tools and insights to develop their own true potential.

Communications training, for example, will not just deal with the "how to's" of navigating a media interview, but under the broader heading of "Understanding the Media," it will provide a context for how messages are developed and how we communicate effectively with all external audiences.

The program is constructed to reveal leadership from an introspective approach based on both theory and useful application and progresses to policy and practical solutions that candidates and elected officials routinely encounter. The cap stone project is a cohort based method where teams are presented a sophisticated issue and challenged to identify realistic solutions, communicate the solution, and, while learning, move the solution through the political process.

Graduates of JDLI's program consistently praise the presented curriculum and knowledge gained during their classes. Here are just a few unedited words from past members: "There are few opportunities in life as we were afforded with the JDLI program, and I feel honored and humbled to have been able to go through this experience with each of you. Looking forward, it’s not only reassuring but faith-building to know that there are those that I call friend all over the state who are working to change the status quo of our government; whether on a local, statewide or federal level."

"I am so very grateful to have been invited to participate and weren't our instructors awesome?!" "This course was particularly timely for those of us in the middle of a campaign. I’m currently working on refining my message and have updated/corrected my press release based on the feedback received yesterday."

"I've gone to at least 100 seminars over the years. When I was asked to attend, even hearing from other Alum I had no reason to believe this was going to be any different. Well, it was; I found at the end of today I really did not want it to end and I definitely didn't really want to say goodbye."

Below is a sample of the Leadership Workshop Program schedule: