Please make nominations and submit applications by Friday, August 7, 2026.
GTV26: Leading Community Transformation
An invitation to shape change together
The University of Minnesota Extension, United Way and Greater St. Cloud invite you to be part of a Gathering the Village learning cohort — a special opportunity for leaders in Central Minnesota who care deeply about creating positive change in our community and are committed to developing skills to do this collaboratively.
This program brings together people from different backgrounds who share one important goal: making our community better through connection and collaboration. We are looking for people who:
- Care about bringing people together.
- See the value in working across different groups.
- Want to learn how to create positive change.
- Believe in the power of community connections.
- Are committed to learning skills to foster community transformation.
Who should participate
- Community connectors / grassroots leaders / non-positional leaders
- Emerging and existing leaders
- Positional leaders (local government, school, non-profit, business)
We recommend participants be at least 21 years of age.
Participants must be able to attend in-person sessions in St Cloud.
Nominating a community connector
Do you know someone who brings people together? Someone who sees possibilities and builds bridges across different groups? Nominate them for Gathering the Village. By sponsoring their fees, you recognize their special gift for connecting people and ideas. Being nominated is a meaningful honor that celebrates a person's ability to gather others for positive change.
What you'll experience
During our 12 sessions together, you will:
- Build leadership skills and competencies to navigate change in uncertain times.
- Connect with other community leaders who can support and inspire you.
- Discover your unique role in creating community transformation.
- See how community systems connect and how to bring people together.
- Hear from community leaders who have successfully turned ideas into action.
- Develop a pitch to create community change and receive feedback from community leaders.
Program schedule
These sessions build upon one another to cultivate community. All sessions will be held from 11:00-1:30pm at University of Minnesota Extension St. Cloud Office. Lunch will be provided.
Session 1: Welcome and Program Launch — Wednesday, October 7, 2026
This session provides an overview of the GTV25 course and time to connect with your fellow participants. Explore significant themes and practices emerging around community transformation and consider the role of the Community Capitals Framework in community transformation.
Session 2: Exploring Community Transformation — Wednesday, October 21, 2026
This session explores what we mean by community transformation and considers examples from communities that have transformed themselves. Imagine community transformation in your community and explore your transformation mindset.
Session 3: Navigating Complex Community Change — Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Leading community transformation comes to life through reframing strategy and planning, implementation and management, and learning and evaluation. Past practices may not be adequate. This session describes alternative concepts and practices practitioners can use to navigate complex community change
Session 4: Systems Thinking for Community Transformation — Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Navigating community transformation requires leaders to bring a complex network of people, projects, and organizations together to create a common agenda. This session will focus on strategies to integrate and align community efforts across projects and systems.
Session 5: Adaptive Leadership Skills — Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Adaptive leadership drives community transformation, helping individuals and organizations adjust and thrive in the face of challenge. This session will focus on developing those adaptive leadership skills and competencies to prepare participants to lead change.
Session 6: Appreciative Inquiry — Wednesday, December 16, 2026
In this session, participants will have the opportunity to consider ways in which they plan to actively apply the concepts from the course as they lead transformation in their organizations and communities.
Session 7: From Ideas to Impact: Moving to Action — Wednesday, January 20, 2027
Community change begins with an idea, but lasting impact requires action. In this session, participants will explore how community leaders and social entrepreneurs turn opportunities into initiatives. Participants will engage with tools to begin moving their ideas into action.
Session 8: Voices from the Field — Wednesday, February 17, 2027
Hear directly from community leaders who have successfully turned ideas into action. Participants will learn about the opportunities, challenges, and lessons these leaders encountered along the way through real-world examples to advance community change.
Session 9: Developing Your Pitch for Community Change — Wednesday, March 17, 2027
Learn tips for how to clearly communicate your vision through a compelling pitch. Participants will develop, refine, and practice their pitch while receiving constructive feedback from fellow participants.
Session 10: Pitching Possibility: Sharing Your Vision for Community Change — TBD April 2027
Make Your Pitch! In this session, participants will share their community change pitches with a panel of community leaders. Participants will receive constructive feedback, new perspectives, and suggestions to strengthen and refine their ideas. Feedback will be designed to deepen participants’ clarity for determining next steps in moving ideas toward action.
Session 11: Celebration & Reflection! — Wednesday, May 19, 2027
Celebration! Participants will celebrate and reflect on their learning and growth throughout the program, as well as share key insights and next steps for continued action beyond the workshop.
Cost
- Tier I rate – $200
- For individuals who are self-funding their participation and do not have access to professional development support and/or organizations with less than 10 employees or annual budget under $500,000.
- Tier II rate – $600
- For individuals whose participation is funded by their employer, organization, or professional development budget and whose organization has 11–50 employees or an annual operating budget between $500,000 and $5 million.
- Tier III rate – $800
- For individuals whose participation is funded by their employer, organization, or professional development budget and whose organization has 50 or more employees or an annual operating budget exceeding $5 million.
Contributions at the Tier II and III level help sustain the program and expand access for others. If cost is a barrier to participation or if you are a student, please reach out to discuss scholarship options.
Contact
Ellen Wolter, Extension educator
Program sponsors
University of Minnesota Extension • United Way • United Way of Central Minnesota • Greater St. Cloud