Civic Action Projects (CAP) are a key element of our Emerging Leaders curriculum, providing participants with the opportunity to work directly with community partners to address challenges facing our region and apply the leadership skills they’re developing in the program.

We are always looking for community partners (civic/community organizations) to host Civic Action Projects. Successful projects are:

• Community-based initiatives of importance
• Well-defined, with a specific request for engagement from an EL CAP team and a targeted outcome
• Of appropriate scope to engage a team of 4-6 participants, with each participant spending approximately 10-12 hours on the project over the three-month program

Benefits for Participating Organizations

Team projects provide the opportunity for Champion organizations/initiatives to:

1. Benefit from a diverse team of dedicated community leaders
2. Meaningfully address a current civic challenge
3. Explore creative solutions to problems
4. Grow your civic network among team participants and other class members
5. Nurture leadership that embraces new ideas and taking risks

Benefits for Emerging Leaders Participants

Team projects provide an opportunity for EL participants to:

1. Work directly with organizations and leaders to address challenges facing our region
2. Apply and develop leadership skills while implementing best practices learned in EL
3. Work alongside community leaders and senior level professionals
4. Engage in peer-to-peer mentoring
5. Leverage the dynamic backgrounds and perspectives of class members
6. Facilitate the development of long-term relationships and sustainable solutions

Past cohorts have tackled a variety of projects, including:

• Conducting market/audience research to guide strategic planning
• Developing awareness campaigns
• Creating outreach plans to increase engagement by a specific demographic
• Researching best practice models for launching new initiatives
• Assessing current operations to identify process improvements

Past community partners include United Way of Greater St. Louis, St. Louis County Library, Metro Theater Company, St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System, Professional Women’s Alliance, Places for People, Rise Community Development, Women’s Foundation of St. Louis, Wyman, A Red Circle, 4theVille, City Greens, Employment Connection and more.

Eligibility

Individuals and organizations wishing to convene a team project must:

• Outline a project or initiative that serves the Greater St. Louis region;
• Be realistic about expectations for team involvement (on average, each participant will spend approx. 10-12 hours on the project over the duration of the 3-month program);
• Engage with a project team for the duration of the program and attend meetings on program days;
• Have a clear understanding that this engagement does not involve fundraising;
• Identify Champion(s) that will provide support to the team throughout the project; and
• Have support from your Board of Directors, Advisory Board or senior leadership.

We will not consider team project requests from religious organizations for sectarian purposes, for-profit companies, or sports teams.

Think you may have a project or want to learn more? Complete the Interest Form below and we’ll get in touch! Or, if you’re ready to submit your project proposal, you can do so here.