The Neighborhood Leadership Development Program (NLDP) is a five year-old leadership development program, sponsored by the Mandel Foundation, that cultivates engaged neighborhood leaders in the City of Cleveland.

The mission of the NLDP is to uniquely develop the diverse leadership abilities of program participants through a 14-session training program that meets approximately every third Saturday for nine months, from September to May.  Application to the NLDP is a competitive process, but the rewards are great. The cost of the training program is provided in the form of a tuition scholarship.  The leadership skills that participants learn are extensive and will benefit them for many years to come.

NLDP was born out of the recognition that the City of Cleveland can only see improvement if its neighborhoods and residents are active and engaged.  Neighborhood activism is a bottom-up approach that must match the top-down approach that comes from business leaders and City Hall. Cities prosper or fail based on the people that live in them, and people live in neighborhoods.  The quality of any city’s neighborhoods then is important because quality determines who wants to live in a neighborhood, and how much that neighborhood is valued and respected and cared for. These thoughts were the foundation of the NLDP from the start.

The work and interests of NLDP graduates embody the idea of neighborhood quality determining the success of the City of Cleveland. NLDP graduates build and maintain community gardens and work in community development organizations; they support homeowners going through foreclosure and build playgrounds for children; NLDP graduates are community activists who either work or volunteer or do both, in their communities.

If you are an engaged neighborhood leader and believe Cleveland’s best days are still ahead and want to make our city better, then the NLDP wants you.  For information about the program or to submit an application go to the NLDP website at www.NLDPCleveland.com or call the NLDP office at 216-776-6172.

 Article submitted by Neighborhood Leadership Development Program.