Moorhead area residents complete Blandin Foundation leadership training

Grand Rapids, Minn. (October 17, 2018) — More than 25 Moorhead area residents took steps this fall to move the community toward being a place that works for all residents.

Leadership in Ethnically Diverse Communities (LEDC) develops the capacity of all community members in ethnically diverse communities to build inclusion. A program of Grand Rapids-based Blandin Foundation, LEDC has provided experiential leadership training for more than 600 community leaders from 14 rural Minnesota communities.  This is the third time Moorhead area residents have participated in the LEDC leadership program.

Local residents participating in this training were:

Abdi Ahmed, Makaraan Ahmed, Ezzat Alhaidar, Haroon Al Hayder, Vajeen Al Hayder, Abdullahi Ali, Matuor Alier, Azad Berwari, Devlyn Brooks, Amena Chaudhry, Hamida Dakane, Kristin Dehmer, Mytch Dorvilier, Carey Fry, Marisa Gonzalez, Farhan Hassan, Ms. Destiny Holiday, Simi Kasakwe, Heather Keeler-Johnson, Nicole Mattson, Jonix Owino, Constance Pearson, Kirk Rosenberger, Abdiwali Sharif, Kayla Simon, Mark Sloan, Thad Stafford, Rachel Stone, Jen Walla and Tina Walker.

Offered in one rural Minnesota community each year, local community members invited Blandin Foundation to bring LEDC to the Moorhead area.  Topics covered during the program included: understanding culture and its role in building relationships, culturally specific differences in conflict interaction styles, activities to build and strengthen relationships among participants, and plans to engage in the community in ways that promote inclusion.

“A healthy community depends on leadership engagement of community members,” said Kathy Annette, Blandin Foundation president and CEO. “The leadership demonstrated by these participants reflects their commitment to their community, as well as to the region and to rural Minnesota.”

LEDC training programs are funded entirely by Blandin Foundation.

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Photo caption – Leadership in Ethnically Diverse Communities

Participants in LEDC training July – September 2018 included:

Back Row: (left to right) – Vajeen Al Hayder, Mark Sloan, Kayla Simon, Kirk Rosenberger, Matuor Alier, Carey Fry, Abdiwali Sharif, and Makaraan Ahmed 

Middle Row: (left to right) – Nicole Mattson, Mytch Dorvilier, Jen Walla, Azad Berwari, Constance Pearson, Ezzat Alhaidar, Jonix Owino, Tina Walker, Rachel Stone, and Phyllis Braxton (Trainer)

Front Row: (left to right) – Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid (Trainer), Kristin Dehmer, Hamida Dakane, Haroon Al Hayder, Heather Keeler-Johnson, Ms. Destiny Holiday, Abdullahi Ali, and Farhan Hassan

Not Pictured: Abdi Ahmed, Devlyn Brooks, Amena Chaudhry, Marisa Gonzalez, Simi Kasakwe, and Thad Stafford