February Update on ELEV-MWLS

Extended Leadership Experience - Virtual MWLS

With there still being uncertainty about the safety of in-person gatherings, we have decided to postpone our in-person MidWest Leadership School, scheduled for July 2021, until 2022. The safety of our students and presenters is paramount, and we cannot guess well enough whether it will be safe come July. As you probably know, the UUA has shifted the General Assembly in June 2021 to an all-virtual event, so we are following suit — it doesn’t seem that two weeks later the situation will be any more guaranteed.

But the leadership needs of our congregations continue. To accommodate the loss of the in-person school this summer, we’re doing two things:

  • Holding a second session of this fall’s successful Extended Leadership Experience during this spring (dates below)
  • Planning for a follow-up ELE 2.0 for fall of 2021 to explore other leadership topics.

This fall’s Extended Leadership Experience was a big success — sold out in two and a half weeks, with a 90+% attendance rate. The evaluations say that those who attended said that the content was relevant to their congregation and leadership in their congregations.

We will hold a second session of the Extended Leadership Experience this spring. Classes will be held on Saturday mornings March 6, March 27, April 17, and May 8th, from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm Central time, 10:00 am – 1:30 pm Eastern time. We will cover identity, mission/vision, systems, and conflict, along with four incredible history presentations by the Rev. Connie Simon.

Registration is now open! The cost will be $150, with a reduction to $75 for Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Trans, Non-Binary, and Young Adults. You will need to provide a reference from your congregation.

Then this coming fall, 2021, we will hold Extended Leadership Experience 2.0 to build upon this year’s topics and discuss more complex leadership skills. We are still working on the details of that course, yet we know that attendance at either the Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 Extended Leadership Experience will be a prerequisite for ELE 2.0.

We look forward to seeing you at this Spring’s ELE and next Fall’s ELE 2.0, and, once again in person (we hope!) in the summer of 2022.

For more information, feel free to reach out to Lisa Presley, lpresley@uua.org.