Each year in September, the Leadership Development Program launches with a very intense and engaging three-day residential retreat. The retreat gives participants the opportunity to

• further understand the purpose and objectives of the program
• understand and appreciate the learning model for the program
• develop team-building skills
• appreciate different leadership styles and the different paths towards community leadership
• begin their exploration of the community context

Perhaps most important, it is in the course of the Opening Retreat that the program participants begin an exploration of their own leadership self-knowledge and begin to take stock of their level of skill in various leadership competencies. The leaders they are going to become begin to take shape here.

At the retreat, participants also have an opportunity to get to know one another. Ultimately, leadership is about teamwork and collaboration. The retreat sets the environment and the activities to build on this important dynamic, and to ensure everyone is positioned for success over the following months.