When I think about leadership development, I often think about this Chinese proverb:
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
This summer, the Cleveland Foundation’s Summer Internship Program celebrates its 13th year of recruiting, placing, and developing the next generation of leaders. The class of 2012 is made up of 17 remarkable individuals that represent a broad range of majors such as urban affairs, nonprofit management, economics, neurology and finance. They come from Cleveland State, Case Western Reserve, Norte Dame and John Carroll, and from national universities such as Georgetown and Vanderbilt.
The placements are cross-sectored, with organizations such as Cuyahoga Valley National Park, The City of Shaker Heights (Department of Planning), Tremont CDC, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The 17 projects are diverse, ranging from implementing a community outreach strategy, to designing a youth anti-bullying campaign, to promoting a farmers market. This all follows the program’s objectives of exposing young people to the local nonprofit and public sector and increasing organizations’ ability to conduct important short-term projects.
The class of 2012 will start on June 4th, a perfect time to start developing leaders.
