Published in the October 30, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life

Since it was founded in 1995, the nonprofit organization Leadership Morgan Hill has had a significant impact on the quality of life in our community. Its mission is “to ignite the passion, inspire the commitment and sharpen the skills of the leaders who will create a dynamic Morgan Hill.”

If you happen to be the kind of person driven by a desire to develop your leadership skills and make Morgan Hill a better place to live and work, then consider joining the Leadership Morgan Hill class of 2014 which starts in January. It’s well worth getting involved with the group.

Leadership Morgan Hill’s training program lasts nine months and introduces its students to various components of the South Valley region. Students in this leadership training program learn about city, school and county government by interacting with many of our local elected and appointed officials. In a two-day trip to Sacramento, they also get the chance to see how state officials operate in legislative sessions as well as discover how lobbyists influence the process of government. Students find out how local media such as newspapers, radio, TV and Internet websites influence a community, and they learn how to connect with the editors and reporters of these organizations to publicize events or news stories.

During the course of the training program, Leadership Morgan Hill class members also learn about the history of Morgan Hill, trek into the environment during a challenge retreat at Henry W. Coe State Park, find out more about law and justice and get to take a ride-along with a Morgan Hill police officer. They also gain knowledge about healthcare, local agriculture, economic development and ethics.

A major part of the course is a class project where students work together on some enterprise that benefits Morgan Hill. During the process, they learn about their own leadership strengths and weaknesses and how to work together for a common purpose.

There are many benefits both personal and professional to participating in the Leadership Morgan Hill program. Students will connect with a diversity of individuals in the class as well as during the training days. Many of these people will become friends and serve as resources for their life and their careers. The program provides participants with new skills to solve problems, resolve conflicts, and build teams.

The program also is a great networking system where, even after the class graduates, members will get acquainted with many of the leaders of Morgan Hill. Most importantly, going through the program will help students to truly appreciate the high quality of life we are blessed with in Morgan Hill and why it’s important to foster quality leadership to sustain our community’s quality of life.

If you want to help make Morgan Hill an even better place for all who live here, please consider joining the Leadership Morgan Hill class of 2014.

Visit www.leadershipmorganhill.org to find out more or to fill an application for next year’s class.