Leadership Development at its Most Joyful
On October 2, Court Theatre’s Civic Actor Studio welcomed 40+ leaders into Cook County Justice Advisory Council’s Community of Care 2.0, a year-long investment in the people who work every day to reduce violence in our communities.
Building on the same foundation as the Civic Actor Studio, the Community of Care draws on the creativity of Chicago’s artists to design meaningful leadership experiences. The program connects theatre directors, choir conductors, musicians, movement artists, and culinary artists to share ideas, forge meaningful personal and professional relationships, hone their skills, and ground themselves in their work. This is leadership development at its most joyful.
What is the Community of Care?
The private sector spends billions on leadership development. Those leading in the public sector rarely get the time or resources for the same kind of growth.
Avik Das wanted to change that. As a fellow in UChicago’s Civic Leadership Academy, he had experienced what real leadership development can do, and he wanted others to tap into that same potential. He then reached out to Joanie Friedman, Director of the Civic Actor Studio, and together they built the first iteration of the Community of Care, a 14-month leadership program for 150 violence prevention organizations. It went on to win national recognition from the National Association of Counties.
Community of Care 2.0 goes further. After the kickoff in early October, it will resume with an immersive four-day Civic Actor Studio retreat, held from October 20–23, at Court Theatre’s Production Center on Chicago’s South Side.
The Impact of the Community of Care
Some early feedback is in! We spoke with some participants after their inaugural Community of Care session, and here were some first impressions:
“I appreciated the breadth of options across the artistic spectrum that were offered! Movement, music, creative writing, and even food — all encouraged reflection in a way that I found extremely valuable.”
“Provides a totally different perspective to leading and understanding oneself.”
“This provides the opportunity to collaborate and to make more informed and impactful decisions across sectors.”
“The work itself is difficult, and we need to first care for ourselves by engaging in moments of rest, self-reflection, and connection with others in this space.”
Welcome to this year’s participants. We can’t wait to get started.
