CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

2014 Washington State Equal Justice

Community Leadership Development Academy

"It was worth the commitment – both inspiring and empowering." Barry Pfundt, Center for Justice, Spokane

"The Leadership Academy has both evoked strong emotions and challenged my thinking on a variety of levels. The experience has broadened my outlook and caused me to look deep into my beliefs and way of accepting the ‘norms’ of our society. I highly recommend the Academy to those with an abiding interest in justice." Janet Skreen, Administrative Office of the Courts, Olympia

"Participating in the Leadership Academy has given me a greater sense of connection to the statewide Access to Justice community. I have met some amazing people and have gained valuable tools to use in achieving workable unity, systems and strategic thinking and messaging. I have a deeper understanding of power structure, privilege and implicit bias and ways to effectuate both systems and social change. My participation has already changed the manner in which I engage with my community. It is a critical training for any advocate." Lisa Waldvogel, Northwest Justice Project, Longview

About the Academy:

The Washington State Equal Justice Community Leadership Academy exists to create a broader, more diverse, skilled and effective community of equal justice leaders. The Access to Justice Board, in partnership with Alliance organizations, will implement training designed and facilitated by the Sergeant Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. The Academy will graduate its first cohort of leaders in October 2013.

Many of the past year’s cohorts were interviewed about their involvement in the Academy. Watch their comments here.

What to Expect:

The second cohort will be comprised of a mix of 25 experienced and emerging leaders. The Academy will take place between January and October 2014. It will consist of four in-person retreats (2.5 days each) and online activities between in-person retreats.

Over the course of the Academy, cohort members will develop seven (7) core competencies of effective leaders:

1. Communicating Strategic Intent

2. Self Awareness

3. Achieving Workable Unity

4. Systems and Strategic Thinking

5. Delivering on Strategic Intent

6. Developing New Leaders

7. Fostering the Process of Renewal

These competencies, and the curriculum upon which they are based, are firmly rooted in the experience, practice and values of the civil equal justice community. Awareness and understanding of the ways in which poverty is inextricably linked with various forms of systemic bias and oppression, such as structural racism, misogyny, able-ism, etc., are an express part of the Academy curriculum. Cohort members learn how to identify and tackle the ways in which compounding factors have led to and continue to perpetuate the unjust disparate treatment of low-income client populations.

Coursework will begin online, prior to the first retreat, and will be ongoing throughout the course. All in-person retreats begin at noon on Thursday, and end by noon the following Saturday:

Retreat 1: January 23-25, 2014

Retreat 2: April 24-26, 2014

Retreat 3: July 17-19, 2014

Retreat 4: October 23-25, 2014

Access to Justice Board, 1325 Fourth Avenue – Suite 600, Seattle, WA 98101-2539 • Phone: 206 727-8200, Fax: 206 727-8310 www.wsba.org/atj Established by The Supreme Court of Washington • Administered by the Washington State Bar Association

Selection Criteria:



Commitment to furthering the mission of legal aid and applying skills gained through the Academy to better serve indigent client communities.

 Commitment to participating in the entire Academy. You should not apply if you are seeking to make significant changes to your life or career that would make your full participation in the Academy challenging.

 Commitment to devoting a significant amount of your time (an average of 15-20 hours each quarter in addition to the four in-person retreats) to the Academy.

 Willingness to serve as a mentor and or/trainer in future Academies for new and emerging leaders.

 Enthusiasm for and commitment to serving in community leadership.

The Academy’s goal is to have the second cohort reflect the following:



25% from positional leaders/emerging leaders in Alliance organizations, including pro bono programs;

 25% from experienced attorneys and advocates employed by Alliance organizations, including

pro bono programs;

 25% from leaders in community-based organizations that partner with Alliance providers; and,

 25% from Alliance/ATJ Board/justice community and justice-system leadership not represented in the first two categories.

Commitment to Diversity:

We will select a cohort that reflects the various communities served by the justice system in Washington. We define diversity broadly to include, but not be limited to, age, disability, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, indigenous background, national origin, race, religion, veteran status, gender identity, geographical location, area of practice (for attorney applicants), and size of organization.

How to apply:

Application deadline is

October 15, 2013 . Your application should include:



A letter of interest, in which you address the following topics (1,000 word maximum):

 what communities you currently serve and how you serve them

 how will knowledge gained through the Academy better serve those communities

 what do you hope to gain personally

 how your participation will strengthen the statewide access to justice community

 any contribution you feel you can make relative to diversity in all of its forms and implications



A 1-2 page copy of your resume, and



A letter of support from your employer (Executive Directors, please include a letter from your Board) and/or sponsoring organization.

Send applications electronically or by mail to

:

Kiley Thornton

Program Coordinator

Washington State Bar Association and

Washington State Access to Justice Board 1325 Fourth Ave, Suite 600 Seattle WA 98101 kileyt@wsba.org