Leadership Development Institute

Leadership development is at the core of our mission.  Members develop skills and analysis through formal educational workshops, opportunities to exchange information and strategies with other activists, and one-on-one leadership coaching as they develop their grassroots committees and work on campaigns for social justice. 

Over 700 new immigrant community leaders have attended our annual Leadership Development Institute over the past seven years.

Some issues we have addressed include the movement for immigrant and worker rights; campaign strategy and coalition building; and the history of immigration, civil rights, and labor in the U.S. The Leadership Development Institute provides a place where labor and community come together and participants from different racial, ethnic and religious groups link their various struggles for justice.

In 2008, community leaders from our grassroots committees who already graduated from the Leadership Development Institute began taking on the role of planning this event for their neighbors and fellow activists. Each year, more community members take leadership in the process: setting goals for the Institute, coaching other members to facilitate and give presentations to their peers, and evaluating and proposing improvements year to year.

Videos from our previous Leadership Development Institutes are available on our youtube page: youtube.com/LaFuenteInc. 

"Now it’s our job to take what we’ve learned here back to our communities and educate our people.” -Estela Martinez, 2008 Institute Participant