An Innovation Center initiativeWith funding from the Corporation for
National and Community Service
www.theinnovationcenter.org
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP WORKS
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective Leadership Works
is a two-year initiative that supports
community-based service-learning
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Community organizations are using collective leadership to design service-learning
projects
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership promotes youth civic engagement AND community wellness
Community-based organizations
Service-learning projects based on
collective leadership
Civic engagement outcomes
Community wellness outcomes
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
But what IS collective leadership?
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership is about…
Aligning diverse stakeholders around an
agenda, unleashing their talents, and using
local resources to create change.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership occurs when…
Stakeholders cross boundaries to come together, commit to mutual learning and
leading, and embrace shared responsibility
and accountability
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Tohono O’odham Community Action in Sells, AZ
Young people are fighting the local diabetes epidemic by revitalizing cultural traditions
related to food and fitness.
Tohono O’odham leaders are reintroducing traditional foods and athletics as part of a healthy lifestyle.
On this farm Tohono O’odham youth and adult leaders are using traditional agriculture methods to plant and harvest
native crops for the community.
This man-made pond on the Tohono O’odham Reservation stores flood water, a traditional way to provide additional irrigation for crops.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
What are the PRINCIPLES of
collective leadership?
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership is…
RELATIONAL
Leaders rely on person to person
interactions
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership is…
FLUID
Leaders adapt and evolve as needed
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership is…
TRANSFORMATIVE
Leaders seek fundamental change
“I don’t want students to leave our programs just knowing facts about the wetlands; I want them to be thinking
critically about what forces are actually driving environmental issues.”
– Amy Gunzelmann, adult leader
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Monterey Bay Aquarium working in Watsonville, CA
High school students are leading conservation and restoration efforts to protect local
wetlands.
Youth and adults work together to register volunteers for a coastal cleanup.
W.A.T.C.H. alumni give instructions and lead their peers.
Youth participants give instructions and lead their peers in a coastal cleanup.
Trash found in the slough.
Trash and recyclables found in the slough during the coastal cleanup.
Youth and adult service-learners spent a morning in a local slough, picking up trash and recyclables.
“I feel that my group can impact the community and that each one of us contributes to the team – like public
speaking or task manager. I am proud that we are all dedicated and help each other.”
– Bruny Mora, youth leader
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP:
A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE-LEARNING
What PRACTICES support
collective leadership?
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership taps into
INDIVIDUAL GIFTS
by asking…
“What skills or abilities to leaders possess?”
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership mobilizes
COMMUNITY ASSETS
by asking…
“What strengths exist in this community?”
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership builds
TEAMWORK
by asking…
“How can we work together?”
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership fosters
YOUTH-ADULT PARTNERSHIPS
by asking…
“How can youth and adults collaborate?”
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership supports
REFLECTION and LEARNING
by asking…
“What can we do to improve our work?”
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Youth Development Training and Resource Center in New Haven, CT
Youth and adults are taking an active stance against violence in their community.
Leaders from New Haven are working to combat gun violence and bullying
in their community.
Leaders from New Haven meet weekly at the local YMCA to plan service projects that address gun
violence.
“I’m proud of doing something positive in life, of trying to make a difference around
me and for me!”
– Marquis Lowery, youth leader
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP:
A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE-LEARNING
Collective leadership takes place
at each STAGE of community building
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Stage 1: Get Ready
Leaders prepare by building relationships
and systems to support change.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Stage 2: Plan
Leaders articulate common goals and methods for achieving them together.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Stage 3: Implement
Leaders work together to turn their plans into
reality.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Stage 4: Sustain
Leaders pursue strategies and partnerships to ensure long-term impact.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP:
A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE-LEARNING
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP RESOURCES
Want more info?
Visit www.theinnovationcenter.org/service-learning
This website features practical tools, activities,
and resources to support
community-based service learning.
www.theinnovationcenter.org
An Innovation Center initiativeWith funding from the Corporation for
National and Community Service
www.theinnovationcenter.org
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP WORKS
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective Leadership Works
is a two-year initiative that supports
community-based service-learning
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Community organizations are using collective leadership to design service-learning
projects
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership promotes youth civic engagement AND community wellness
Community-based organizations
Service-learning projects based on
collective leadership
Civic engagement outcomes
Community wellness outcomes
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
But what IS collective leadership?
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership is about…
Aligning diverse stakeholders around an
agenda, unleashing their talents, and using
local resources to create change.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership occurs when…
Stakeholders cross boundaries to come together, commit to mutual learning and
leading, and embrace shared responsibility
and accountability
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Tohono O’odham Community Action in Sells, AZ
Young people are fighting the local diabetes epidemic by revitalizing cultural traditions
related to food and fitness.
Youth and adults working at the Desert Rain Café on the Tohono O’odham Reservation serve traditional meals made
from native foods grown on community farms.
Youth leaders with (left to right) Miss Tohono O’odham and her first attendant.
Mesquite coals kept youth leaders warm on a cool desert night on the Tohono O’odham Reservation.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
What are the PRINCIPLES of
collective leadership?
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership is…
RELATIONAL
Leaders rely on person to person
interactions
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership is…
FLUID
Leaders adapt and evolve as needed
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership is…
TRANSFORMATIVE
Leaders seek fundamental change
“I look forward to working with my youth… I am extremely passionate
about allowing and teaching youth to play an active part in their
community. I want them to feel inspired and empowered to do great
things.”
– Maggie Scalzo, adult leader
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Monterey Bay Aquarium working in Watsonville, CA
High school students are leading conservation and restoration efforts to protect local
wetlands.
Watsonville’s Mayor, Antonia Rivas, participated in the cleanup.
Watsonville, CA’s mayor, Antonio Rivas, participated in the coastal cleanup.
Trash and recyclables found
in the slough during the
coastal cleanup.
A layer of mulch hay prevents future weeds from growing.
Volunteers gather seeds native to the
wetlands.
“My goal is not to be that person who simply informs the public about the
[environmental] issues; I want to be that one person that fixes the issues… I want to get my hands dirty and make a difference
through action.”
– Jasmine Magaña, youth leader
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP:
A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE-LEARNING
What PRACTICES support
collective leadership?
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership taps into
INDIVIDUAL GIFTS
by asking…
“What skills or abilities to leaders possess?”
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership mobilizes
COMMUNITY ASSETS
by asking…
“What strengths exist in this community?”
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership builds
TEAMWORK
by asking…
“How can we work together?”
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership fosters
YOUTH-ADULT PARTNERSHIPS
by asking…
“How can youth and adults collaborate?”
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Collective leadership supports
REFLECTION and LEARNING
by asking…
“What can we do to improve our work?”
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Youth Development Training and Resource Center in New Haven, CT
Youth and adults are taking an active stance against violence in their community.
Leaders from New Haven meet weekly at the local YMCA to plan service projects that address gun violence.
A youth-adult group at the New Haven YMCA work together on a service project to prevent gun violence.
“I now feel that nothing is impossible; it may be challenging, but never impossible.”
– Jasmine Magaña, youth leader
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP:
A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE-LEARNING
Collective leadership takes place
at each STAGE of community building
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Stage 1: Get Ready
Leaders prepare by building relationships
and systems to support change.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Stage 2: Plan
Leaders articulate common goals and methods for achieving them together.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Stage 3: Implement
Leaders work together to turn their plans into
reality.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP: A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE LEARNING
Stage 4: Sustain
Leaders pursue strategies and partnerships to ensure long-term impact.
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP:
A FRAMEWORK FOR SERVICE-LEARNING
COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP RESOURCES
Want more info?
Visit www.theinnovationcenter.org/service-learning
This website features practical tools, activities,
and resources to support
community-based service learning.
www.theinnovationcenter.org